GIVING a newborn her bath is not just a task to get her cleaned up. It’s also an important routine for her to start learning about hygienic habits and practices.
Instilling such practice in young children goes beyond teaching or telling them what to do, said consultant clinical psychologist Paul Jambunathan.
“It should start with sensory stimulation first. Two primary senses of a newborn are taste and smell,” he explained.
When bathing newborn babies, parents can do what is called “classical conditioning to pleasantries”.
“This involves making bath time fun and pleasant by touching, tickling and talking to them. When babies smell soap, they can relate to something happy,” he said.
Jambunathan was guest speaker at a Lifebuoy (Unilever) event on developing personal hygiene habits in children.
Direct parental involvement is a key factor in cultivating such habits, added Jambunathan.
“Be a part of the child’s development and get involved, especially during weekends. Get into the tub with them, play with soap and make it non-threatening, not a chore,” he emphasised.
“Don’t leave it to the maids or babysitter but if you have to, then choose and train (these caregivers) well.”
In teaching hygiene skills to children, it goes without saying that parents have to be good role models to begin with.
“Parents need to have good personal hygiene and habits. They also need to practise good observable habits in front of their children,” said Jambunathan.
“Kids follow what you do. For example, after you wash your hands, don’t touch your shoe and then eat a banana after that,” he said.
He added that parents should start explaining the importance of washing hands using the proper technique even though their child may not comprehend it yet.
“And they need to provide a happy situation when dealing with hygiene. Don’t punish them when they do not wash their hands.
“Make it enjoyable, stimulating and routine. For young children, you can also sing a song with them while they clean their hands,” he said.
One common advice parents give children is to wash their hands after going to the toilet. However, Jambunathan highlighted that it is more important to wash hands before going to the toilet.
“Door knobs, car doors and elevator buttons are some of the things that we commonly touch. However, they are actually very dirty, and if we go to the toilet after touching these things, we transmit these germs and bacteria when we ease ourselves,” he highlighted.
On the other hand, parents should also not overdo it in terms of keeping their children clean.
“Let the kids play in the mud or rain, as long as it is of no danger to them.”
Jambunathan said generally, when children reach pre-school age, they should know basic hygiene practices.
“In primary school, they can be taught the various diseases they can be exposed to and the need to be clean. One example is how good hygienic practices can prevent diseases like the hand, foot and mouth disease,” he said, adding that a good way to teach children about fungus and germs is by using mouldy bread.
Cleanliness is also intertwined with self-esteem, said Jambunathan.
“We like fresh-smelling people, not someone with body odour.”
