Make Handwashing FUN!

Do your kids love to wash their hands?

Anyone who has kids, or who has worked with kids, knows that getting them to properly wash their hands is like pulling teeth.

Here is an all-too-common conversation I used to have when my boys were little…

Me – “Did you wash your hands after going to the bathroom, buddy?” (knowing perfectly well that he didn’t).

Son – “Ummmm (rolling his eyes into the fake deep-thinking position)… I think so, mom?…”

Me – “Good job! Come over here and let me smell your hands – I want to smell that lovely soap!” (clearly, I have NO intention of smelling those grubby little unwashed hands).

Son – (Squirming. Caught in his lie, needing to find a way out) “Aaaactually mom (finger in the air, pretending to have had an epiphany), I just remembered that I don’t think I did wash them!!! I think I forgot!”

Me – “Huh. Right. You’d better get your little self back to the bathroom and WASH. YOUR. HANDS. With soap. And warm water. And count to 20 while you’re washing them!” (using my big voice).

I’d love to say that my reprimand at the end of this conversation was the last of its kind, but I literally had DOZENS of similar conversations WITH THE SAME KID, and then dozens more with my other son!

Thankfully, they now do a perfectly splendid job of washing their hands! No more sniff tests needed. But there are many of you out there who still have littles and with COVID-19 circulating, handwashing is an essential tool in our arsenal to fight it, and is one of the most effective measure of reducing the spread of sickness.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) says:

“Handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.”

Handwashing is a habit but unfortunately, habits don’t form easily. Teaching habits can be tough (especially to kids!) because it takes many reminders to yourself or others for it to catch on. But if we can make these habits fun, it’s much easier to keep it up! The CDC even recommends making it all fun and games when it comes to hand washing, like making up your own handwashing song or turning it into a game.

Antibacterial soap is not the answer

When it comes to choosing a soap, antibacterial soaps can SEEM like the better option when you are trying to prevent illness with hand washing, but did you know:

“According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there isn’t enough science to show that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. To date, the benefits of using antibacterial hand soap haven’t been proven. In addition, the wide use of these products over a long time has raised the question of potential negative effects on your health.”

Given the evidence, I’m totally sold on Norwex’s Peppermint Foaming Hand Soap! Check out my review of it in the link below!