Childhood Hygiene

As Gilbert K. Chesterton once famously stated, “man does not live by soap alone; and hygiene, or even health, is not much good unless [man] can take a healthy view of it”(Chesterton), just like a person cannot be healthy without hygiene and cannot be hygienic without being healthy. Because “more than [two hundred] million children under [five] years fail to reach their potential in cognitive development due to poor health and nutrition, and deficient care"(Grantham-McGregor), it is very important that children learn good hygiene and correct eating habits for a healthy lifestyle. Good hygiene practices include but are not limited to bathing, hand washing, and oral care. In addition to hygiene, it is also important for children to be educated …show more content…
It is important for children to bathe because “a clean body, [and] clean hair, will [help children] feel good and [their] friends will be happy to be near [them]” (Kid’s Health). To bathe correctly, it is necessary to start out with a washcloth and a quarter sized amount of soap liquid or rub a bar of soap on the washcloth for twenty seconds. Washing the trunk and extremities are the most important, but it is also advised to wash the armpits, ankles, feet, hair and private areas. To clean the private areas use about a drop of soap, and gentle wipes from the front to the back. Too much soap or wiping from back to front in the private areas will cause infections. While washing the hair a nickel-sized amount of shampoo and a dime sized amount of conditioner that will vary depending on hair thickness is needed. Greasy hair can give children headaches and make their scalp very itchy. When using conditioner, it is not needed on the crown of the head and is applied from the hair in line with the chin down to the ends. From the head to the toes, whole body care is just as accurate in preventing illnesses, but hand washing is a key element in eliminating …show more content…
In a recent CDC study, “children who got [a] hand washing promotion scored better in a detailed test of their development when they were [five to seven] years old. These findings suggest that [a] hand washing promotion could be an important strategy for improving child welfare” (CDC Improving Child Development). The importance of hand washing is crucial to a child’s overall health during flu seasons and when they come in contact of thousands of germs through entering school. Due to weak immune systems and children not being fully aware of illnesses, they need all the help they can get. Children should wash their hands for twenty seconds once coming inside, after using the restroom, and before eating. A good way for children to count to twenty during hand washing is to sing “Happy Birthday” or count their ABC’s. For proper hand washing, it is necessary to scrub with circles on the backs of hands with opposing hands palm, link fingers from both sides together when rubbing hands together, and scratch nails on opposing palms. Hand washing protects a child from viruses, but not bacteria that can enter the mouth; preforming teeth brushing will take care of