Busy Parent Life

Tag: health

  • How to quickly wash kids’ hands

    How to quickly wash kids’ hands

    You can get a hang of the routine pretty quickly. But the reality is that it can take a lot of patience, and time, to get your kids into a habit of washing their hands. Prepare for constant reminders, nagging, and bribing. It’s important that kids understand why they need to do it – so explain to them it will help prevent them from getting sick, and getting other kids sick. Came up with stories that will give them a reason they can care about – germs are tiny aliens that need to be destroyed, or it’s a happy ritual with dancing. Whatever works for you, be a good judge of when and how often they clean their hands, and make it a bit of fun if you can.

    NOTE: you DO NOT need to use anti-bacterial soap which can be tough on the skin or cause allergy reaction. Washing hands with regular soap has been proven to be as effective at washing away gems as anti-bacterial soap.

    The basics of washing hands for kids:

    1. Make sure they can reach the sink (get a step stool!). If your child is small, hold him or her to help him reach the sink.
    2. Ask them to wet their hands with running water first so the soap can stick to the hands
    3. Make it fun: because it takes time to wash away the germs effectively, you will need to use soap and lather up for about 20 seconds.
      1. Count: During this time, you can teach them how to count (slowly from 1 to 10 counting 1 AND 2 AND 3…).
      2. Sing: You can also sing any of your favorite songs (ours has been ABC).
      3. Make bubbles: My little one likes to play with the bubbles, so letting him explore the hands and the water is part of the fun.
    4. Teach them to rub hands together. Make sure you get in between your fingers, on the backs of hands, and around and under the nails where germs are concentrated. It’s super important they learn to clean thoroughly and take time to do so.
    5. Rinse and dry well with a clean towel or avoid the towel altogether and let their hands dry naturally.

    Helpful things you may need for cleaning hands:

    • Folding step stool for kids. We prefer the folding ones over the bulky ones because we can quickly fold and stow them away when needed and they’re lighter and easier to move to other location. Here is one on Amazon.
    • Soap or a soap dispenser. Don’t overthink this one as any soap works pretty well and you know your family’s needs, so if they’re sensitive to fragrances or dyes or whatever, get what you know works well.

    Alternatives for washing hands: reach for hand sanitizer or wet wipes

    Hand sanitizer or wet wipes don’t work well when hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Soap and water are best because they remove dirt, grease, and germs fully. But hand sanitizer is a good backup when you can’t get to soap and water. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

    For related articles, see “What is coronavirus.”

  • Coronavirus 101: what every parent should know.

    Coronavirus 101: what every parent should know.

    I’ve been reading and hearing many alarms regarding the coronavirus (dubbed Covid-19). While there is a lot information out there, I’ve come across a few really good articles and here is the brief summary of what I think is the most relevant and informative at the moment for peace of mind:

    What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

    It starts with a fever, followed by a dry cough. After about a week, it leads to shortness of breath which causes some patients to require hospital treatment. Interestingly enough, the infection rarely seems to cause a runny nose or sneezing. And – there seems to be good news for kids.

    So far, it appears that more than 80% of the [coronavirus] infections are pretty mild, no more severe than the common cold,’ says Cody Meissner, an infectious disease expert and professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. “And children appear to have even milder infections than adults,” Meissner says. This is based on preliminary data, he says.

    https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/20/807483553/coronavirus-is-contagious-but-kids-seem-less-vulnerable-so-far
    Symptoms of coronavirus

    The incubation period – between infection and showing any symptoms – lasts up to 14 days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) but some researchers say it may be as long as 24 days. And Chinese scientists say some people may be infectious even before their symptoms appear.

    How can you protect yourself or your loved ones?

    According to WHO:

    • Make washing your hands – and those of your kids – a priority and a habit. Soap or hand gel can kill the virus.
    • Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing – ideally with a tissue – and wash your hands afterwards, to prevent the virus spreading
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth – if your hands touch a surface contaminated by the virus, this could transfer it into your body
    • Don’t get too close to people coughing, sneezing or with a fever – they can propel small droplets containing the virus into the air – ideally, keep 3 feet away
    • Check for the latest news at CGC.

    Surgical masks are not a sufficient protection from the coronavirus.

    Additionally, I’ve been seeing interest in the disposable face masks or surgical masks and explored this option some more. Turns out, they do not offer protection against this virus! The virus is small enough to penetrate the mask. However, there are masks with vented particulate respirators which will significantly reduce the amount of virus particles. There are the N95 and N99 kids – which claim to protect against 95% and 99% of all airborne particles. You may consider getting them if you’re anticipating travel – especially by plane. If you’re going for the looks – you’re out of luck. At the moment of the writing, most of the products available on Amazon are ridiculously overpriced, so I’d suggest for you try a local hardware store instead.

    Turns out, surgical masks do not offer protection against this virus!

    Can coronavirus be treated or cured?

    Right now, treatment relies on the basics – keeping the patient’s body going, including breathing support, until their immune system can fight off the virus.

    However, the work to develop a vaccine is under way and it is hoped there will be human trials before the end of the year.

    Hospitals are also testing anti-viral drugs to see if they have an impact.

    There is a detailed FAQ provided by WHO which has some really good specifics here.

    Can coronavirus be transmitted through packages sent from China?

    Fortunately, coronavirus is one of the few products that popular Chinese websites just cannot ship.

    As with all viruses, they can survive on the surface for a long time, but it really depends on the environmental conditions in terms of humidity, temperature and UV exposure. The general consensus here is that the conditions and time the package would take would probably be unfavorable and any coronavirus-related pathogens would simply die.