How to Teach Your Child Good Hygiene

Children learn by watching. You'd be surprised at the things they pick up by simply observing others. Whether it is their parents, siblings, or other children, your child is always watching and often imitating the actions they see.

So if you want your child to have good hygiene, it is crucial that you practice it yourself. The old saying, "Do as I say, not as I do" will work fine as long as you are close by to enforce it. But what about when your child is away from you? How do you ensure that your child will practice good hygiene all the time? It's simple. Teach them young and practice what you preach.

Good hygiene helps protect your child from the many germs and bacteria located everywhere. It will help keep them healthier. The simple act of washing one's hands after visiting the bathroom will help prevent the spread of germs. And always, always, teach them to wash their hands before they eat. Your hands touch many objects and you don't know who else has touched that object and what they may have touched before that. You don't have to turn them into a person with a obsessive-compulsive disorder, but do impress on them the importance of clean hands and good overall hygiene.

Good hygiene should be taught to your child as soon as they are old enough to understand. Buy them a small footstool so that they can climb up and wash their hands. Show them how to lather up well and really wash their hands. Make it a fun experience. Don't let them just rinse their hands. And even more important, join them in the hand washing ritual. Let them see you wash your hands before you begin cooking or eating a meal. Remember, the more they see you do it, the more natural it will be for them to do it. Children do learn by watching.

Good hygiene isn't only about washing your hands. It's about keeping your entire body clean. That includes your hair and teeth. It's normal for parents to wash and comb their small children's hair for them. So it only stands to reason that parents should brush their children's teeth for them until they are old enough to learn how to brush them properly. That doesn't mean you can't give them a toothbrush and let them do some of the brushing. You can. It will help them get the feel of the toothbrush faster. Show them how to brush the front and backs of their teeth. Again, make it an adventure that you do together.

Try to make bath time fun. Let your child play and enjoy the experience of bathing. Don't turn it into a chore. Even if you are tired, try not to complain about bath time. You don't want them to get any negative feelings toward bath time. It should always be a relaxing and refreshing experience.

Children are like little sponges soaking up everything they see and hear. The more they see the people closest to them following good hygiene techniques, the more natural it will be for them. So teach them by practicing good hygiene yourself and you will never have to worry about whether or not they are doing the same. It will be so normal and so much a part of them, they will do it without even thinking about it.