4 Mom Tested Tricks to Get your Kids to Wash their Hands ...

If your house is anything like my house, hand washing was a 10 minute negotiation that I dreaded. We all know about the importance of washing our hands and those of our little ones. So, after a little research and a lot of trial and error - these are the tips and tricks I used to get my 3 year old little man to not only wash his hands but, actually "ask" for them to be washed!!! No more negotiating.

#1 - Find a safe and fun foaming wash. There are tons of them on the market today but, it is REALLY important that you read the ingredient listing. The chemical filled foaming washes can actually cause more harm than good. Opt for a 100% Natural product so that you know your child is being kept safe and healthy. Personally, I LOVE Kogi Naturals Tangerine Foaming Wash that is made Just For Kids. Really, it is great for the whole family! I love how much it foams and how it leaves my bathroom smelling so fresh and invigorating. It is a fact, kids love foaming wash and will be more enthused about washing their hands with it. 

#2 - The key to proper hand washing is washing for 20 seconds to ward off those nasty little germs. Now ... this can be a feat in itself if your child has the attention span that mine does! So we sing a song ... for my son, it is the Wheels on the Bus but, you can pick any song that your child likes to sing. I found this trick really worked, we wash and scrub until the song is done.

#3 - Make it a part of your routine! Children love routine so that they know what and when to expect it. Every time we come home, we take off our jackets, shoes and wash our hands before we are able to do anything else. I will preach it over and over "Routine, routine, routine" - kids love routine!

#4 - Set Up a Kid Friendly Wash Station - this is so important. Set up a stool, a special towel, a Kogi's kid friendly pump bottle within easy reach so that they can take pride in doing it all by themselves and you can get back to what you were doing. The key here is to teach our children how they can do this on their own. Although, until they are old enough to truly understand how to operate the hot water and cold water taps, I urge parents to supervise their children during hand washing!

I hope you found this article useful and that these tricks work for you like they have worked for me. Happy hand washing everyone!