Baby Talk January 2019

Bright Kids
Growing Up
Forming lifelong habits
Most habits, especially those that last a lifetime, are formed
during childhood. We tend to form all sorts of habits from
the time we are young. This is why it’s really important that
kids are taught and reinforced on daily hygiene habits such as
morning and night teeth-brushing, hand washing and so on.
They are the keys to a healthier life, really.
Tip: Try making bathtime
a precursor to a relaxing
bedtime story. As young kids
take part in these actions daily,
they will start to accept them
as part of their daily lives.
When a child begins to attend
pre-school, he or she will begin
to pick up hygiene lessons at
school and this can serve you
if you know how to use it to
your favour. At this age, since all their other friends are also
doing the same, they find it fun and acceptable to wash their
hands, use a hankie and so on and so forth.
Sometimes, all you will have to do is to reinforce good
hygiene practices at every opportunity. For instance, you
can remind your child to wash his or her hands for at least
20 seconds before every meal, after using the bathroom and
after coming in from playing outside.
Are those hands clean?
Disease-causing germs on unwashed
hands can enter the body when a
person touches their nose, mouth,
and open wounds. Alternatively,
these germs can spread to others by
handling shared items and touching
common surfaces. So, teaching kids
to wash their hands properly greatly
reduces the risk of transmission.
Hands should be washed before:
• Eating or serving food
• Preparing/helping to prepare a meal
• Putting in contact lenses
• Tending to or helping to tend to someone who is sick or
treating a break in the skin
Cleanliness at Home
As a parent, your household hygiene habits count too. Be
diligent about cleaning and disinfecting tables, countertops,
and other frequently touched
surfaces. Disinfect the hard
surfaces that kids touch
frequently, including door
knobs, tables, light switches
and countertops. However,
do remember that all food
contact surfaces must be
rinsed after disinfection.
Sanitize soft surfaces like bags
or backpacks. These practices
will help you to stop the
spread of germs your child
may bring home from school or the playground.
Get the whole family involved
Most households with school-going kids will find it a
challenge to maintain a balance in chores within the
household, especially when it comes to designating cleaning
duties to the kids. This is especially when the school year is in
full swing, where family schedules can
be overtaken by after-school activities,
special events, sports practice, and
homework. However, it is still essential
that important cleaning tasks be carried
out within the household to prevent
the spread of germs at home.
With some planning ahead, you can
indeed turn cleaning into a daily habit for
everyone and if done right, it’s possible
for a family to fit some important tasks
into their daily routines – and make
cleaning quicker and easier, too.
Involve your kids - Ask your child or
children to help you come up with
a chore assignment plan. By taking
ownership, they will be more engaged
and feel like a part of the solution
to keep the house looking clean and
staying germ-free!
Wash hands after:
• Using the bathroom
• Taking out trash
• Playing with, touching, or cleaning up after pets, especially
reptiles and exotic animals
• Touching uncooked food
• Caring for a sick person
• Blowing the nose, coughing or sneezing
32 BabyTalk | January 2019