A Guide to Personal Hygiene: Habits You Should Teach Your Kids

A Guide to Personal Hygiene: Habits You Should Teach Your Kids

Personal hygiene is best taught during childhood. Children pick up habits more quickly during their development stage. So, teaching your kids the basics of healthy living will help them adopt and practice good hygiene etiquette and stay away from diseases, especially when you’re not watching. You can also take a step further in boosting your kid’s personal hygiene by purchasing products from a reputable natural deodorant company, this will help them smell great, feel great and stay healthy. 

That said, there are a couple of essential personal hygiene practices every kid should know. While you may want to teach your kids all there is to know because you won’t be with them always, some practices are best left for when they’re much older.

In this post, we’ll be discussing the best and age-suitable personal hygiene etiquette you should teach your kids.

1. Food Hygiene

Teach your kids to be more careful with what they put in their mouths. Have them join you in the kitchen sometimes and show them how raw food is handled before and during cooking. Educate them on the importance of cleaning their utensils and food items.

Also, ensure that they’re fully aware that they shouldn’t be eating any food that has touched the ground or any other not clean area. And when you have to store food, show them where to keep different food items. To shed more light on the importance of food hygiene, teach them about food-borne diseases like diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach ache.

2. Oral Hygiene

Your kids should know how to brush their teeth and how often to. Teach them to brush their teeth twice daily and to scrub their tongue too. They should also know to avoid chocolate or any sugary food lingering in their mouth, especially after brushing at night. You should also teach them how to floss to prevent cavities.

3. Hand Hygiene

Kids use their hands for a lot of activities, and sometimes subconsciously stick them in their mouths. So, you must teach them to wash their hands regularly. Teach them to wash it after using the bathroom, before and after eating, after playing with toys, and as soon as they get back home from school, the playground,  or any other outing.

You can also teach them to avoid chewing on their nails, but keep them trimmed and neat with a sterilized nail clipper.

4. Body Hygiene 

Teach your kids to keep their bodies clean at all times. You should teach them how to take a bath with soap and a soft sponge, and areas where they need to pay more attention, like their feet, back, belly button, joints, and so on. Also, teach them to dry their skin gently with a soft towel and moisturize after every bath.

Proper care of their hair should also be taught. Let them know how to shampoo, and comb their hair to prevent lice infestation.

5. Home Hygiene

Kids can also contribute to taking care of the home. Teach them where to keep dirty clothes and other items around the house, especially their toys. Kids should know how to keep the house tidy and avoid tossing things around at their will.

Conclusion

Habit-forming in kids requires supervision. They wouldn’t always get it right, but you should correct them and offer a helping hand when they need it. Create an environment where they can ask questions and seek help when they seem not to be getting it right. In no time, they’ll be getting it done all on their own.

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