How do you teach young children (around age 3-6) personal hygiene?

[harmonytx1]

I'm curious how everyone teaches their children how to clean themselves (brushing teeth, washing hands, using the restroom, etc) when they were really young? Do you do the activities with them? And at around what age were they able to do these tasks by themselves?

 

[julioalmeda219]

@harmonytx1 I always brush and floss with my son at the same time. (He's 4 now). I always make comments on how good it feels to have clean teeth. I taught him about bacteria with discussion, videos, and books and explained what cavities are and even showed him pictures of gums with gingivitis. I let him get up close and personal and watch how I floss.

When he was a baby I wrap him in a towel after his bath and hug him, then gently floss his teeth and brush them while singing. He felt loved and he liked it. I got him floss picks so he could start doing it himself and moved onto string floss as he developed dexterity. We floss every single time we brush - twice a day, NEVER skip a single time. I do it twice a day because only flossing sometimes might confuse him.

I let him open new packs of toothpaste and got him a brand new electric toothbrush and new brush heads regularly which he always gets excited about. I have a hand mirror and let him look at his teeth in detail, and I showed him my teeth as well. We talk about different teeth and what they're for. I have some amalgam fillings, so I explained why I have them and pointed them out.

Recently we got some disclosant tablets (they are chewable tablets that dye plaque a dark colour, usually red or blue tones) and got him to chew those to see where he's missing. He loves them, it's so fun! You can buy them on Amazon or get them from your dentist or dental hygienist.

I am always talking about oral health. As you might have guessed, I'm in school for dental hygiene lol so I'm passionate about it and I teach my son as much as I can. I always explain they whys and I never assume he's too young to understand science concepts. He just started JK and he understands a lot now about microbiology and the immune system and nutrition.

I also teach him about healthy eating, vitamins and minerals, and avoiding sugar and I explain why, always. I don't give him juice/pop and I limit candy. Lots of vegetables and fruit however. He drinks only milk and water.

Health education never ends and it is always a topic of discussion in my house. While cooking and dinner, getting ready in the morning and getting ready for bed. I repeat myself all the time about how important it is to brush and floss and remove the bacteria on your teeth and under the gum line.

I always do the activities with him and talk about it as I am doing it. I also taught him the proper healthcare methods of washing hands and I practice it with him every single time we're in the bathroom. Repetition is important.

 

[valentinap]

@julioalmeda219 I'm saving this post for later just for this response! Thanks!

 

[labo]

@harmonytx1 Lead by example. Kids typically copy their family members behavior.

 

[sloanep]

@harmonytx1 For teeth brushing (that's the easy one), it's by doing it for them, then with them (I'm brushing my teeth while they are brushing them as they grow holder), then I used an app with a timer showing them where they should be brushing.

Same for washing their hands. When they were younger I'd do it with them, then at the same time.

For the restroom... I don't know. It kinda came naturally. Potty training wipping them, then watching them wipping themselves to tell them if it's ok or not, then just asking if they wiped or not and doing a refresh once in a while when the toilet gets block by to much paper.

I feel like a lot of that is done by watching us do it (cleaning up, make up, brushing, etc.)

 

[ready4god2come]

@sloanep What is the app for teeth brushing?