Washing Their Hands

I know I *should* be washing their hands before meals. And after I change their diapers. But, that's just unrealistic with two toddlers. However, I do think it is important to wash their hands when we get home from school, the store, or playing in the dirt. When do you wash their hands?

Usually, I just use a wipe on their hands. But sometimes that is not enough and I need good old soap & water. I basically hold them over the sink while washing one hand at a time. So I hold the kid with one arm and use the other hand to wash. MY BACK HURTS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is there a better way? They are 12 months (adjusted) and can walk well but are not great at following directions.

My bathrooms have pedestal sinks, so I don't have a counter to sit the kiddos on.

 

I have pedestal sinks too. If a wipe doesn't do the job, I will either a paper towel with soap and water and then dry their hands or use a washcloth. Our sinks are still very hard for the kids to reach, so even at age 3, I'm not consistent about them washing their hands unless it's after they've gone to the bathroom. :blush:

 

Honestly, I don't wash their hands except at bedtime/bath time. I know I probably should, but usually I just use a wipe.

 

Will a step stool make them tall enough? Can they stand on a chair to reach the kitchen sink?

 

My New Year's resolution last year was to wash the boys' hands before meals and snacks (I know, I think small ). They were about 16 months old at that point.

I started out sitting them on the counter, guiding their hands into the water and give them a good scrub with some soap. You do have to hang on to them, but it's not too tough. As they got a little bigger/older I started letting them stand on our kitchen step-stool (like THIS). They would stand on the seat, and lean over the sink while I washed their hands.

When I'm in a rush or if they're super fussy, I'll sometimes use antibacterial wipes instead (Wet Ones). :good:

Now they're big enough to climb up the steps by themselves, turn on the water and scrub their own hands!

 

Mine just started using a stepstool and putting their hands in the sink in the last month or so. Before that, I just used a wipe or washcloth if their hands were dirty. Even now, we only wash our hands in the sink at toothbrushing time or if they follow me to the bathroom so that it can be part of the potty training routine. I wouldn't worry about it too much at this stage, yours are both really young.

 

I leave them on the ground, soap my hands, use that soap for theirs, then lift them to rinse. I rinse by running their hands through the running water.

 

Thank you for the tips! DS caught on pretty quickly, but it took DD a while. Finally, this week she got the concept that she should put both soapy hands under the running water instead of, for example, wiping the soap off on mommy. :woohoo: They have been washing their hands at school for some time now, using child sized sinks, but it just took DD some time to be able to work with me instead of against me. I found it helped to use foaming soap. I also ordered this contraption that directs the water toward the front of the sink, so it is easier for them to reach the stream of water.