Good Lifestyle

Try to give meaning to whatyou should and should not do During the pandemic, it is a daily challenge for many adults. So it's unrealistic to expect youth to fully understand theNew lifestyle brought by COVID-19. However, in order to stop propagation, there is one thing that parents need to guarantee their children to understand the coronavirus: the importance of washing hands - and look at what they touch.

According toKelly Curtin, MD,pediatric expert For the PARENTAGE pocket, "most people touch their faces at least 20 times per hour". But children? They probably do it more often than that, she says.

"If an infected person has droplets on their hands, all the surfaces they touch can be infected," says Curtin. "If a child touches these surfaces, it gives the virus an additional opportunity to spread. Our skin is a protective barrier, but our nose, our eyes and our mouth are openings that can give the entrance of the virus into our body. "

The best way for parents to effectively transmit this particular message? Practice what they preach.

"Parents need to try to help their children understand this by practicing social distancing and the good hygiene of the hands themselves," saysNorina Ocampo, MD, FAAP, aPediatrician with Physician services of Tenet Florida In Boca Raton, FLA. "Try to show them that keeping objects such as toys and clean surfaces will help fight the virus. If parents take the head and act as role models, they can lead for example and continue with soft reminders .. . And children will copy them. "

Depending on the stage of development and age of the child, parents can vary their approach in the best way to encourage this healthy habit in their children.

"It means you can explain or practice with older children, while singing or dancing as you explain with younger children," saysClinical Health Psychologist,Geny Zapata, Psyd, who works with Adventist Health. "Choose a fun song you can sing by practicing the handwashing steps."

If you are looking for a song to use, try singing the "happy birthday", which lasts the recommendation20 seconds you should go to washing your hands, in accordance with the guidelines of the disease control and prevention centers (CDC).

Parents can also consider implementing a reward system, saysJacqueline Jones, MD, apediatric doctor and author ofMedical parenthood.For younger children, she recommends doing a self-adhesive board and rewarding children with a sticker and treat when they leave a whole day with good hand hygiene. For older children? Try to use verbal praise in how their efforts help keep the family safely because it "will give them a sense of pride."

Whatever the method with which you are going, says Curtin, finding the one that works better for your child is what is most important. As another potential approach, she suggests using washable paint and making hand footprints. You can then explain that their paint mark represents thegerms they leave behind After touching something. She also recommends poster handwashing images around the house as sign reminders, putting a stool next to your sink to facilitate children's access, and let your child choose soap in his color or perfume prefer.

In the end, Zapata says to remember that these lifestyle changes can not be supposed to occur during the night and that "patience with the process" is essential to success. And for more help with children during this time, checkThe only thing you should not let your children do in the middle of coronavirus.