Hand washing is a habit that should be encouraged among toddlers all over Kenya in order to avoid health problems. However, for a toddler to develop this important habit the training has to begin from home. It is important to enlist the support of your partner and house help to ensure your toddler keeps up the habit. Even so, there are a number of ways in which the culture of handwashing can become a habit for toddlers as they grow up.
Some of the ways in which parents can teach toddlers to wash their hands include:
• Model the habit – Parents are encouraged to regularly wash their hands before and after engaging in activities that would lead to the transfer of germs so that their toddlers can emulate them. When your toddler sees you wash hands regularly, they are bound to do the same thing thereby developing the habit on their own.
• Make it a routine – Constantly remind your toddler to wash their hands after using the toilet or touching dirty surfaces. Most times, they will begin to associate hand washing with these activities resulting in a routine that they can easily do at home or outdoors.
• Talk to them about it – Speak about handwashing with your toddler by explaining the positive outcome of doing so on a regular basis. Getting your toddler to participate in activities that encourage hand washing is a good way to reinforce information on the same.
