It is the responsibility of parents to make sure that their children stay healthy.
Here I share few parenting tips on toddler hygiene to maintain the personal hygiene for toddlers and keep them healthy:
Oral hygiene:
Taking care of a child’s teeth is essential. Brush them up twice morning and before going to bed.
Use finger brush for kids when teeth starts coming out. Once the kid gets all the teeth, use toddler brush with training toothpaste.
Make sure it is fluoride free tooth paste and no artificial flavors added. There is no worry if the child swallows the paste.
Gradually train them to gargle. After every meal or milk make them to drink water so that it will avoid food particles to settle down on the teeth.
Keep hands clean:
Children' hands and face should be clean and tidy. Children play around with different objects and make hands dirty.
Sometimes they eat with dirty hand. It is good to wipe their hands and face often.Wash their hands before and after they eat.
After potty time it is important to wipe hands and use sanitizer to avoid getting infected.
Keep the surroundings neat and tidy:
Its necessary to keep your place tidy. Clean the floors regularly where the children play.
Make sure the children’ toys are clean. Kids will bite or lick their toys. It is better to wash the toys often. Remove the eatables on the floor so that kids will not eat it.
Bath hygiene:
Oil massage is most important for kids growth. It is good for muscles and skin tone. Usually oil massage is done from first week after baby born. This can last upto the age of 5.
For toddlers, full body oil massage should be done atleast twice a week.
Use warm coconut oil for body and hair massage. Be gentle with face and eyes. Use non scented baby wash and shampoo to avoid irritation for eyes and skin.
Using creams:
During winter season, apply moisturizers after bath to avoid dry skin. For some children creams may be allergic.
Apply coconut oil or unscented baby oil. Avoid heavy cosmetic creams for baby as their skin is sensitive.
Clothing:
Do not wash your children clothes along with your regular clothes. Always wash the kids dress separately. This avoids spreading infection from your clothes.
Add little antiseptic lotion when you wash kids clothes. Make sure eatables and other dirt in the dress is completely washed off.
Use socks:
Wearing socks for toddlers help their tiny feet not get dirty. Use separate socks when they wear shoes or while going out.
Remove the socks during night time and during their daytime nap. Avoid socks if the child’s feet get wet or feels itchy.
Toddler hygiene on Food:
Give easily digestible food for children. Mash the solid food and feed your kids. Practice kids to eat fruits and vegetables.
Initially they will resist to eat. Try to feed them several times and make it as a habit to eat healthy foods. Make them to drink enough water and keep them hydrated.
Make sure to give freshly cooked and clean food. You can give gripe water twice a week for toddlers under 3. This will help them to be free from stomach upset.
Avoid junk foods and chocolate. Try to give home made snacks and foods. During travel you can give Gerber snacks instead of junk foods. These are sugar free and kids love them. My daughter likes organic food pouches which seems to be better and healthy than eating chocolates or cookies.
Diaper hygiene:
This is the most important part every parent must take care of. Make sure you change the diaper for every 3 hours or based upon how the baby wet.
Wipe every time whenever you change the diaper. Apply diaper cream if there is any rash. I suggest to use coconut oil for rashes.
If there is a rash, apply coconut oil and don’t use diaper for few minutes. Then apply baby powder and put them diaper after few minutes.
If your kid is allergic to the specific brand of diaper, please avoid it. Try a better brand diaper or cloth diaper.
Nail hygiene:
Trim the nails every fortnight or depends on the growth of your kids’ nails. Some kids will resist to cut their nails.
If the child is not comfortable or avoiding to cut nails, try to trim during the sleep time. Use baby nail cutter as it is not as sharp as the regular ones.
Ears and Nose hygiene:
It is equally important to take care of kids ears and nose. Clean the ears and nose regularly after baby bath.
Baby ear buds are available for cleaning ears. I prefer using cotton cloth for cleaning. Use tip of the cloth to clean. Kids might sneeze when cleaning the nose. This make their nose clean.
Lip care:
Always wipe lips after feeding kids. Sometimes their lips will become dry due to cold weather.
Apply vaseline on lips whenever the lips are dry. Alternatively you can use coconut oil. This is safe and better than lip guards.
I hope the above hygiene care tips for toddlers are useful.
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