Top tips for effective hand washing
Handwashing is one of the most important things we can all do to help stop the spread of illnesses such as food poisoning, diarrhoea, flu and coronavirus (COVID-19).
It’s important to get your child into the habit of washing their hands:
- after going to the toilet
- before eating
- after sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose
- after touching animals
The NHS has produced this short video on how to wash your hands:
It’s advised that we wash our hands with warm water and soap for approximately 20 seconds, which is the equivalent of singing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice.
There are other songs you can sing along to for the same amount of time – for example the Alphabet song.
A—B—C—D—E—F—G
H—I—J—K, L-M-N-O-P
Q—R—S, T—U—V
W—X, Y, and Z
Now I know my ABC
Next time won’t you sing with me?
Hand sanitisers
Hand sanitisers only need to be used if you don’t have access to soap and water to wash hands. The alcohol in sanitisers can dry the skin on your hands if they are used regularly. Soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs.
Sore hands
If the skin on your child’s hands starts to become dry, keep them well moisturised to prevent the skin from becoming sore and cracked. Using an unscented moisturiser after washing will keep the skin healthy and soft.
