There’s going to be a time when we’ll need to settle down and take care of our child. While teaching a child, the basics in life are something most mothers should do; there will be times that our partner will be too busy with work or won’t be there.
Children will usually all day long. Most of the time, they get bruises and stains across their clothing from being rough in the playground and naturally curious about anything. Since they’re quite active, their skin is a prime breeding ground for bacteria, germs, and diseases. The last thing that we want is our child getting sick from
As dads, we must teach our child good personal hygiene. When they’re older, this will become second nature, and it won’t be a problem when they’re going on a date, grooming for a wedding, or only having a good time with friends.
Why Practice Good Hygiene?
We don’t notice it, but a good percentage of our body is composed of different microbes. Some of these microbes, such as bacteria, can cause diseases and infections. Proper hygiene needs to be practiced unless we want to contract the following conditions:
- Lice
- Diarrhea
- Gum diseases and tooth decay
- Ringworm
- Parasite
Practice Makes Perfect
A guaranteed way of teaching children good hygiene is by starting early. Some hygiene forms will need to be prioritized over others, especially in the face of a public health crisis. Nevertheless, all types of hygiene should be practiced daily to yield the best results.
Washing Hands
First and foremost, washing your hands is probably one of the essential practices these days, especially when there’s a highly-contagious disease just around the corner. But other than that, our hands are also considered to be one of our bodies’ dirtiest places. Since some diseases can be easily transmitted through surfaces, washing hands should always be done. If needed, you can also encourage them to bring a disinfectant.
In almost any type of activity, your child should be cleaning their hands. That includes:
- After using the bathroom
- Right after playing outside
- Interacting with pets
- Playing with toys such as molding clay and stuffed toys
- Before and after brushing teeth
It’s also important to let them clean their feet before going to bed. Since our feet are always touching the ground, washing our feet right before bed will remove any dirt that might stain the sheets.
Maintaining Teeth
After a certain age, it will be harder to grow back teeth that have been extracted or pulled out, so it’s essential to start them young. It’s important to know the value of proper dental care.
Suppose your son or daughter’s teeth are aching from tooth decay or some other health complication. In that case, you might want to consider visiting a pediatric dentist with years of experience treating the teeth of children.
Your child might feel a bit anxious if you’re taking them to the dentist, so you might have to sit them down and have a frank discussion about that. Going to the dentist shouldn’t be something that children should be scared about, since it’s for their own. If they’re still nervous, you can always treat them out after the process, which will help them associate going to the dentist with a reward system.
Toilet Hygiene
Last but not least, toilet hygiene should be practiced at home. When your child is at school, they will have to use a public bathroom, and the last thing you want is you getting called up to the principal’s office from your child getting messy.
Your child should know the proper etiquette of always cleaning up right after doing their own thing at the bathroom. Try not to let your child feel like they’re being watched over when nature is calling. Give them some privacy and space.
When you’re teaching your child how to practice hygiene, it’s essential to let them be and remind them that they should keep practicing even without parental supervision.
You can create a list of different tasks that they have to do when they’re in certain areas. If they’re close to the bathroom sink, post a list related to a particular practice. It’s also important to let them know the importance of cleanliness and why we need to be clean most of the time.
No worries; children are quite easy to teach, compared to adults that are more stubborn than usual. Still, you should let your child have fun and play when permitted. After all, the experience is the best teacher, and allowing them to experience various activities will help them grow for the better.
