It’s never too early to start teaching personal hygiene and get your kids into a daily routine. When they’re old enough they will be doing it independently. Good personal hygiene will help your kids stay healthy, help defend against germs and build self-awareness.
The below videos are more for younger children, but if you have older children who are still mastering these skills, this compilation video is a great guide for personal hygiene from Smile and Learn.
Brushing Teeth
You can begin brushing your baby’s teeth and gums the moment the first tooth pops up, however they do love chewing on a soft baby toothbrush when they’re teething even before their first tooth. If they’re a little older, they may want to watch this video to better understand how to clean their teeth from ToothTalkTV.
Try playing a song for two minutes so that your child knows how long to clean their teeth for. When they’re old enough, you’ll have to help teach them with flossing too.
Bathing
This is a great video to show your little one about having a bath and washing yourself from CoCoMelon.
By about age 4 they should be able to wash themselves, but make sure they know to wash all of their body parts and remember to close their eyes when rinsing their hair.
Hand Washing
Hand washing can start early by wiping your baby’s hands before and after eating, during toilet training is essential and when they’re old enough they can watch these videos from SuperJoJo or maybe this story from ChuChuTV. The best way for them to learn is to watch you, wash your hands with your child and choose a song to sing together.
Toilet Training
Toilet Training or Toilet Learning, can be a very challenging time for all involved. The key is patience, because when the child is ready and willing, the process can be a lot smoother than when they feel pressured. Children learn at different rates and some pick it up quickly, whilst others can take a few months to be out of nappies. Some kids are ready at age 2, whilst others might be age 3 or 4, so it is important not to compare your child with others. This article on Raising Children is a good place to start for guidance.
Once you know they’re ready, the below video might be helpful for you to watch with your toddler or pre-schooler.
If you’re about to start toilet training with your little one, good luck!
For support from other local mums, come and join us in the Melville Mums Facebook group. If you are looking for tips on dental hygiene, you may enjoy our blog by local dentist Dr Anna Stevens about when your child should start visiting the dentist.
