Mom Tip Monday: 20 seconds to kill stubborn germs

:: Last call- Germs get out! ::

Spring has sprung at our house in St. Louis. So has the allergy medicine and some random germ we can't seem to get out of our house. Today's tip could not  be more timely. Thanks this Mom Tip from guest blogger and mom, Joy Abad, we'll be trying something new at the sink.

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As a former teacher, I had to take part in the annual food handlers’ safety training. And while I’ll never forget the life-changing adage, “If it’s wet and it’s not yours, don’t touch it,” I also took to heart some other valuable information, such as the importance of proper hand washing. According to the CDC , proper hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of viral and bacterial infection.

How does this apply to Mom Tip Monday? Well, after watching colds and coughs take a nasty tour through my students’ lives with each change of season, I started the habit of counting slowly to twenty in my head to fulfill the CDC’s recommended 20 seconds of washing to make sure my hands were clean. Naturally, when I retired from teaching to stay at home with my baby girl, the habit was formed, so now when I use a warm wet washcloth to rub my baby’s hands clean, I count out loud for her benefit as well. Not only is she being trained from day one to wash for a full 20 seconds, she’s also learning how to count. If your kids are older, it’s never too late to start. Be a role model and count out loud when you wash your hands.

You can also mix it up. It doesn’t have to be counting for 20 seconds every time. You can sing the Alphabet song or Happy Birthday through twice to run down the time as well. Counting, singing, and forming a good habit that will keep your kids healthy—you can’t beat that.

 
Bonus Tip The CDC does not recommend using hand sanitizers in place of proper hand washing. The claim that they kill 99 percent of germs is usually disclaimed somewhere on the label that it is only effective when hand sanitizer is used in conjunction with proper hand washing. 

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Joy is a freelancer writer and editor whose first loves are her wildly supportive husband and her chubby-cheeked daughter whose newest skill—pointing—constantly directs mama’s attention wherever she pleases. Joy primarily writes for children, but as a new mother, she’s found that balancing a career, social life and motherhood without sacrificing who she is requires more skill than originally anticipated. Joy hashes out her journey on her blog Balance, and welcomes mamas, writers, entrepreneurs and lovers of life to follow her.

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