It is really all so simple to stop the spread of coronavirus, to protect my children from this?
Sure it is, you start by teaching them to: Wash their Hands.
That is it! Your number 1 defense against any infection for your children, is for you to teach them the importance of washing their hands! And YES, it all starts with YOU.
Begin by demonstrating good hand hygiene to them at all times.
- Wash your hands before you eat!
- Wash your hands after you potty!
- Wash your hands if they’re visibly soiled!
- Wash your hands as soon as you sneeze or cough!
Is hand washing really going to slow the progression of an epidemic?
YESSSSSS. ALL research suggests that it TRULY is. Especially in a virus caused by droplets aka coughing and sneezing.
In fact the World Health Organization (WHO) states that people should “Wash their hands frequently with soap and water.” Yet still, people continue to mock or express doubt that something as simple as basic hand hygiene could have an ACTUAL effect in the context of this potential pandemic.
Let me tell you a story…
I recently spent an entire day delayed in an airport, (over 8 hours with 3 kids). We sat in a restaurant that was next to a playground & the bathrooms, (both men and women shared a sink on the outside of the service area). I was quite shocked at how many people came through the restroom without stopping to wash their hands.
I was even more shocked at how many then ordered a beer and sat down, or who held their child’s cheeks between their hands as they joyfully ran off to play on the playground provided.
FICTIONAL EXAMPLE SCENARIO:
Customer A was on AAAA airlines. Customer B was on BBBB airlines. (So they haven’t shared any air contact). Customer B has coronavirus. Customer B sneezed into his hands multiple times before he opened the bathroom door, urinated in a stand alone urinal, and then left the restroom. Twenty minutes passed by and Customer A opened the same bathroom door, but urinated in the closed door stall, he then walked out, grabbed his little girl by the cheeks and laid a kiss upon her forehead. She grabbed her cheeks in embarrassment and ran to the playground provided by the airport. Customer A then sat, and ordered a beer while holding a conversation from 2 closely placed bar-stools next to Customer C. His daughter then shared gummy worms with my son on the playground.
Who do you think caught the customers CoronaVirus? The many sharing air space or the people who came in contact with his hands?
The people who actually became infected from Customer B, are 4 potentials: Customer A caught it from the door handle, he then passed it to his daughter by giving her a loving kiss, who then passed it to my son by sharing gummy treats, and lastly to the bartender who took the coins from the mans hand. All because he didn’t wash his hands. And those 4 infected will pass it on further, and further, and further.
Only the Customer C could have caught it from direct breath contact, but Customer A is not contagious by respiratory droplets, only his contaminated hands are, so only customer C was actually safe.
Still doubt that hand washing will actually help your children?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also say that best practices for hand washing include not only rinsing the hands with water, but also applying soap and scrubbing the palms, the back of the hands, between the fingers, and under the fingernails. A person should scrub for at least 20 seconds before rinsing the soap and drying the hands with a clean towel. Better hygiene DOES reduce disease spread, and it will at least significantly slow the rate at which diseases are spreading.
I’m not sure about you, but I enjoy turning chores into games with my children! There are so many easy ways to get children into enjoying hand washing!
- Sing the birthday song twice! (20 seconds)
- Or come up with your own tune!
- Buy watermelon (or other) scented hand soap
- Buy their favorite figurine hand sanitizers
- Make it a competition amongst siblings….whoever washes their hands first, or the most gets to pick a prize on Friday
Do NOT ever underestimate what a child understands. Tell them WHY they need to clean their hands!
Our silly tune: Good Germs and bad germs are having a fight inside me! How do they get so strong? I should wash my hands! So the good germs can be the winners! The bad germs are gone now! Yay! Watch the original version here.
Another helpful way to stay guarded against infection this year!
- clean and disinfect surfaces more frequently
- Avoid anyone with a cough or who looks ill
- take a daily multivitamin Buy kids Multivitamins here.
- follow a well balanced diet
- get plenty of sleep
- get plenty of exercise
- take a daily probiotic. Buy organic kids probiotics here.
The corona-virus will continue to spread, all public health guidelines & organizations are going to continue to emphasize this. So lets start first from the ground up, by teaching our little ones how to protect themselves! Then lets stand together and know that we will get through this! Lastly, lets keep the sick and immune-compromised at home!
[Some of these links are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission from the sale. It’s at no extra charge to yourself and helps to fund the free material on my site].