Importance of Hand Washing for Children

Washing hands frequently is the best way to prevent germs from entering the body of a child. Children make no distinction between clean and unclean things when they play. They play in the mud, touch animals and hold hands with a child who has a cold. Thereafter they touch their mouth, nose and eyes and get infected as millions of germs linger on their hands.

Importance of hand washing for children is more because they have low resistance against germs and diseases. Kids may not understand this concept so it has to be repeated again and again till washing hands frequently become a habit. It saves your little ones many days of being sick and missing school and play. Washing hands is the first line of defence against many diseases like influenza, hepatitis A, many types of infectious diarrhoea, meningitis, bronchiolits and common cold. Once the child catches an infection, the whole family may contract the disease as they live in close proximity with each other.

Why hands must be washed often by children?

Washing hands often is necessary for all members of the family. All of them can help each other to wash their hands especially after touching animals and pets. When children come inside after playing they should straight away wash their hands. Before and after cooking hands should be washed thoroughly to prevent transfer of germs to food. Other times hands must be washed are after gardening and after cleaning the house.

You may pick up germs when you take care or visit a sick person or may transfer your germs to him so wash your hands before and after you administer to him. After a person has coughed, sneezed or blown their nose, tiny droplets of fluid containing germs may land on the hands so they must be washed properly. It goes without saying that the toilet seat and other things in the bathroom have millions of germs so hands must be washed after every visit.

Teach your kids how to wash hands?

It is not sufficient to just tell children to wash their hands well. It will be better if you demonstrate how they should do it and wash hands along with your children so that they get used to what they ought to be doing. You need to:

• Use soap and warm water. Any soap will do and antibacterial soap is not necessary.
• Lather to the count of twenty.
• Rub between fingers and under the nails as dirt and germs often get left there.
• Wash the wrists as well.
• Rinse and dry with a clean towel.

How germs are transmitted?

Hands are the vehicles by which germs are spread especially in kids. They touch people and various objects with their hands. Germs are transmitted when we touch any surface that has already been contaminated. A parson may not have clean hands and when we touch them and not wash our hands, we carry and get affected by the germs which that person may be carrying. Sometimes we share food and drink of an infected person and get sick ourselves. Other times eatables are infected by flies and dust and cause sickness. Changing dirty diapers or coming in contact with a sick person’s saliva, perspiration or other body fluids also causes spread of germs. Droplets, emanating from the nose or mouth during coughing or sneezing carry disease causing germs.

It is very clear that to minimise spreading germs we should wash hands frequently. This single habit will save us from many illnesses and keep us healthy.