Handwashing

[FCCLife]

Does anybody else struggle with all of the hand washing required of us? It is a habit that I am struggling getting the kids into. Any advice?

[littletots]

I have handwashing timer. Kids enjoy seeing the flashing light as it counts down 20 sec for them. Google handwashing timer there are two brands.

[NoMoreJuice!]

Kind of. My regs in Kansas state that we wash hands:

When children arrive
Before eating
After eating
After coming back inside
After handling pets
After any diaper change
(of course) After using the restroom

It's pretty exhausting, but we're in a routine now. If I ever forget one, the kids remind me! :: When we come back in from outside and we're all together, or before we eat and everyone's milling about, I have all the kiddos line up against the wall with their hands in their laps, then we do it one at a time. After meals, they may not be excused from the table until they are called, and we go to the restroom and wash hands one at a time.

Time consuming, but my kids are rarely ever sick, and I have to admit I think this is part of the reason why. We go to the children's museum across the street two or three times a week (as do about two thousands kids a week), and while it's an amazing place for them to explore, all I see are germs on every surface, ; so we wash up as soon as we get back from there.

[auntymimi]

Most of my kids love washing their hands, so it's not difficult for us. Nobody has been sick in months. But then, school is starting back up.....

[daycare]

I struggle with it for the QRIS

drives me insane, but we make it happen somehow.

[Controlled Chaos]

I cheat a little: coming inside they wait at the tables on at a tkme to go potty and wash hands, after lunch excusing them one at a time I change them or having them go potty and then wash their hands. 2 for 1. My rep didn't mind when she watched so...I am sticking with it same thing after nap. Potty, wash hands and sit at table waiting for snack.

[auntymimi]

I cheat a little: coming inside they wait at the tables on at a tkme to go potty and wash hands, after lunch excusing them one at a time I change them or having them go potty and then wash their hands. 2 for 1. My rep didn't mind when she watched so...I am sticking with it same thing after nap. Potty, wash hands and sit at table waiting for snack.

This is us as well. I have a few pt littles, so pretty much every transition has us going potty then washing hands. My kids are weirdly obsessed with washing their hands too so it helps. The school agers can be a pain sometimes, though.

[Josiegirl]

The hardest thing for me is getting them all together to wash up. And if I try sitting them at the table, taking them one at a time, pretty soon someone's pinching somebody or a couple have taken off to the playroom again. I have ages 15 months- 3 1/2 and boy do they like to yank my chain.
Can't wait til they make brushing teeth mandatory after every meal. They'll all be sticking each other's toothbrushes inside the other's mouth or dropping them all over the bathroom.
Why is it when providers explain their system it all sounds so wonderful but then here, it turns into chaos and bad times.

[FCCLife]

The hardest thing for me is getting them all together to wash up. And if I try sitting them at the table, taking them one at a time, pretty soon someone's pinching somebody or a couple have taken off to the playroom again. I have ages 15 months- 3 1/2 and boy do they like to yank my chain.
Can't wait til they make brushing teeth mandatory after every meal. They'll all be sticking each other's toothbrushes inside the other's mouth or dropping them all over the bathroom.
Why is it when providers explain their system it all sounds so wonderful but then here, it turns into chaos and bad times.

I hear ya. Hand washing for us turns into fighting over who goes first. Worrying someone is going to take toys while we are washing. All of my daycare kids end up touching things in between hand washing and eating anyway so I don't know what good it does. I agree hand washing is nesecary but sometimes I feel like the hand washing policy is very OCD.

[Febby]

We are supposed to wash hands after wiping noses here and that's the one that I struggle with. The kids don't necessarily tell me if they're going to go wipe their nose, so I don't always catch them when they don't wash their hands after.

We can't have ours sit at the table to wait to wash hands after coming inside unless we clean and sanitize the table between their hand washing and the next time they sit at the table. So they sit on the circle time carpet instead.