When thinking of teaching life skills, it can be easy to let your mind wander to activities like cooking, cleaning, or even changing tires. One vital life skill to teach, however, can be about self-care. While it can be easy to remember to teach about washing their hands after the bathroom and covering their noses when they sneeze when children are young, self-care issues definitely don’t end when those early elementary years are over.
As a Mom to three children — two being preteen boys — this is an issue that has definitely become prevalent at our house. I have to admit that it just kind of snuck up on me. One day, while we were all snuggled nicely on the couch sharing a read aloud, I suddenly caught a smell of something that made me say, “Ummm…did somebody not take a shower?” In an action only a mother would take, I started smelling all of the children. I was shocked (and, admittedly, kind of horrified) when I caught the underarm smell of my son (who was nine at the time) when he moved his arm. I must admit that I even then told him to smell himself so he would smell what we were smelling. (He was pretty shocked too.)
photo by stevendepolo
After sending him off to shower (for the second time that day), we had to have a whole new personal care discussion — personal hygiene and deodorant.
I found that this wasn’t a one-time discussion. Just like remembering to brush their teeth in the morning was something that they learned over time, showering daily (or sometimes every other day) and putting on deodorant daily was definitely something that needed lots of reminders before it became more of a routine. It also helped, in our family, to set deodorant out on the counter (with their names on their own) of the bathroom that they typically use. This, coupled with a verbal reminder, helped us get to the point where we didn’t have to remind them anymore.
Resources for Teaching about Personal Hygiene:
- Don’t Fret The Sweat Facebook page – A Facebook page from Unilever’s Don’t Fret The Sweat campaign (Unilever is the maker of of Degree® Men, Degree® Woman, Degree® Girl, Dove®, and Suave®) with educational resources, real-life stories, expert tips and tools
- Games to Teach Kids about Personal Hygiene – Games about hand washing, good and bad habits, and germs
- How to Teach Personal Hygiene to Teens – Great starting points for teaching teens about good hygiene habits
- GirlsHealth.gov – A whole website for girls and health topics
What have you done to teach your children about personal hygiene (whether it’s hand washing or underarm odor)?
Share your tips with us for the chance to win a $100 Visa gift card and a Don’t Fret The Sweat gift pack! (Sweepstakes runs from October 4 – November 4, 2011.)
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I am stressing with my 2 year old to watch “tops & bottoms” of his hands by singing a song. He’s getting much better at actually washing his hands, instead of just washing the soap off.
What have I done? You mean like nagging? I nag.
We have a chore chart for each child with gentle reminders to check off such as “brush teeth”, “brush hair”, “get dressed”, etc.. It is much easier than having to constantly remind them daily or nag about their personal hygiene. 🙂
LOL……..I have to stress to use soap in the shower and not just stand under the hot water while waking up in the morning! I sniff my child after showers to make sure he ‘smells clean’ lol.
Moe
http://adoptivemomhomeschoolinganonlychild.blogspot.com/
Our children use a chore chart that includes body care. For my daughter we got her a special bag that she keeps body lotion, deoderant & body spray in. We also casually read through Abeka’s health curriculum after lunch. Just a little reading here and there has made them more aware of health and hygiene.
This sounds like an inspired idea. With 2 tweens and a little guy in the house, this is a timely sweepstakes! LOL
Definitely! It’s a daily battle to try to get my 14 year old to take a shower. The boy must think he will melt. 😉 He has very oily skin so he really should wash his hair daily. He’s good about using deodorant, though, so at least he isn’t smelly even if he doesn’t have clean hair. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
My friends all told me that at about 14, when boys awaken to girls, we’d have a rush on showers and anti-stink product requests. I have three teen boys, ages 14, 16, 18, and the rush hasn’t happened yet. Yep, it’s a smelly house. We started dispensing deoderant at about 9 years also. Boys can have stinky sweaty heads; I ask for two to three showers a week. More as needed. No barefeet in shoes- and liberal use of baking soda as necessary. Wash faces with soap and water (I have had to demonstarte how to wash one’s face. Why is this not obvious?) Helpful was the co-op’s code of conduct which included a”Be kind to your neighbor” hygiene guide. Then I wasn’t the only one asking. My dentist told me boys are notorious about bad mouth care- scary pictures of yucky teeth didn’t scare them.
Warning, sox can really stink up the room while waiting for the laundry to be done.
we model good habits ourselves!
http://twitter.com/#!/DesMoinesDealin/status/121398156545101824
I just finished reading “The Care and Keeping of You” by American Girl, with my daughter. It went over all the body changes and how to care for your body as you grow.
We use baby wipes as a “quick fix” in our house. If we are on the go, or in a hurry, and the kids need a little cleaning, we bust out the baby wipes; for pits, hands, face, knees, whatever the case may be.
Here is my tweet URL: https://twitter.com/#!/startsateight/status/121421433321697280
We use “gentle” reminders :)!
I don’t remember, my daughter is 23 now!!! I sure we had all the appropriate discussions.
We use a point system for discipline and rewards. Things like showering and brushing teeth are easy ways for my kids to earn points to spend.
The teenager does a pretty good job keeping himself clean and smelling good… the younger one – not so much. I have to force him to bathe and put on clean clothes, not the dirty ones he just took off!
i teach by example
constant reminders and setting a good example
Nagging and leaving deodorant out in plain sight for extra reminders. I have double trouble with twin boys just entering high school. Oh boy!
My older daughter plays travel soccer and she knows that washing her face and showering thoroughly after practice/games is the way to keep away any pimples and stinkiness! 😉
I’m definitely dreading it- the stink and the rest of the teenage stuff! 🙂
My kids are teenagers and are old enough to know about hygiene and what they need to do everyday (shower, brush teeth, put on deodorant)
http://twitter.com/#!/susan1215/status/122055392418201600
I teach my kids personal hygiene about washing hands before meals; brush and floss their teeth at least twice a day, morning and before bed…etc. I think teaching by examples is the best way.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
I have 4 children. 3 of them are in Middle School! With each on I have used different strategies but I think my biggest obstacle was getting them to brush their teeth for more than two seconds. The visual of a sand timer worked great. They each have one in a different color.
I teach them to shower/bathe every other day, and brush 2x/day.
This is going to sound horrible, but I sent the boy to a movie with a girl one day. It had been a struggle to get him to shower very often, but apparently I was not a girl that counted. When movie girl commented that he needed some deodorant, the light went on. He now showers ever day… sometimes several times a day!
lead by example!
I began wearing deodorant when I was around ten years of age. I fear my children resenting me when they are older, especially during those teenage years. I really love the bond we share, and hope to always have that.
zelpuz77 at yahoo dot com
My daughter is grown, but she has a 7 year old son and teaching hygiene to little boys is a whole different animal–dirty fingernails, the toilet seat, and of course consistently using the deodorant–that’s actually been the easiest thing because he wants to be like daddy. Unfortunately daddy hasn’t learned the first two very well so its a constant battle with Day Day!!
http://twitter.com/#!/fostertam/status/122692730479587329
Model good hygiene habits while your children are young and want to do everything you do.
I used to teach in a k5 classroom, and talk about breath, and junk on teeth all the time. Yuck. I nag. I also require a very regimented brushing session every night. Seems to be working now, but they aren’t teens yet….
I don’t remember the exact age for myself or my son! But, boys seem to need it once they hit puberty!
Thanks! kmassmanATgmailDOTcom
Such great info!
When they wash their hands they sing happy birthday and then rinse. That way they are washing long enough.
Lots and lots and lots of reminding. Sometimes they just don’t want to be bothered, they want to put it off. I have two teens and one 1st grader who thinks he’s a teen too. We put our foot down when it comes down to it, and just keep telling them what needs to be done if they “forget”. It takes patience, but it is all worth it.
oh my word, my teen needs some help. we either argue and take a 30 second shower or we are in there a hour
we teach them to wash their hands after each potty use
We insist on daily showers and daily deodorant use. Living together is hard enough without BO making it worse!
DDs are still little so we set ourselves as examples to teach them the importance of hygiene.
tweet.https://twitter.com/#!/tcarolinep/status/124714413386252290
definitely to shower daily!
http://twitter.com/#!/aes529/status/124920750275706880
Since my kids are very little I have them put baby powder (or cornstarch) right after their baths…I teach them to put it under their arms, belly, etc., and make a big deal about yummy smells. I also teach them to wear baby cologne even when they are no longer a baby. Not sure if this is a Hispanic thing or just my family thing but we do that…so kids always smell good, lol. I also teach them from very little to look at their nails and hair before leaving out the door, make sure you don’t need a wash, trim or brush. 🙂 It’s not fool proof but it seems to work some! 🙂
http://twitter.com/#!/RaisingSaints/status/125439358034653184
I still have to constantly remind my two young daughter to brush their teeth and wash their hands, but on a good day they do it on their own so I guess their learning.
I tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/mom22girlz/status/125465713212276736
My daughter is still a baby but the time is coming that the “wash your hands” song is going to be in constant rotation!
Definitely to brush your teeth everyday and wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. That’s very important in our house.
Tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/disneyfan40/status/125775620197195776
That was so long ago but teaching kids was a day at a time. Personal hygiene is something they just learn as each day goes by. They had to be about 13 when they got their first deodorant.
gmissycat at yahoo dot com
Tweeted here too
http://twitter.com/#!/gmissycat/status/126223599370641409
gmissycat at yahoo dot com
I think my kids learned from example, my husband & I both shower every morning after we awake, its been our habit since we met 31 yrs ago so they’ve probably learned from us so I think it has influenced them to be the same way, and some days they’ve taken 2 showers if they did something & got sweaty doing it so thats great, we are happy about that
Thanks for the great giveaway
tweeted here
https://twitter.com/#!/deb126/status/126297685614538752
Here is where I admit to being somewhat of a coward. I bought books. I have both a daughter and sons and went out and bought What’s Happening to My Body in both the male and female versions and then scheduled a “date” in for questions. Most of the kids picked up the hint about bathing and deoderant once they started seeing it show up in their stockings. My teen daughter would live in the bathrrom if we let her and my older one showers twice daily. My two youngers are a little harder but the third is catching on and I’ve actually had to tell him to go easier on the body spray.
Christine
dazed1821 at aol dot com
Sometimes we do the funny little reminders with sticky notes, or on the bottom of chore cards.
Tweet:http://twitter.com/#!/roomofmyown/status/126763514101628929
We’ve instituted a mandatory daily bath/shower rule among our youngsters, And no, taking two baths if you skip a day is not allowed! (had to tell my youngest that!)
Christmas is coming and this would sure come in handy!
Tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/Readerwoman5552/status/127095295015272448
The little ones in our family know that they are not to sit down and eat unless they have washed their hands. They will not eat out either unless they have had hand sanitizer put on their hands.
I tell my son about when I was 14 and my older sister was sitting next to me and said “you stink”. I wore deoderant from then on.
Been teaching my toddler son to wash his own hands and brush his teeth. He’s getting pretty good at both!
take a shower daily
http://twitter.com/#!/HappyTina0115/status/127628977799053312
i tell him every time i take my shower that no one wants to see his mom or know his mom as the stinky mommy…and he has already learned all about deoderant..even though he is too young to use it himself, so that hopefully when he does need it..the transition to using it will be easy
nannypanpan at gmail.com
I never have been a bad sweater, but started using deodorant in about 7th grade.
the only thing i need to ‘nag’ them about is brushing their teeth. and i hate to nag about anything
I let them know that if they perspire that they will have an odor and that kids will pick if they smell musty and since I have girls it’s not a problem
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/ChelleB36/status/128693111282089984
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I don’t have kids of my own but my sister used hygiene charts for her kids when they were young and always made sure to set good examples for them.
We make it fun, like singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star while washing our hands or singing the alphabet 3x while brushing teeth.
Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/#!/livelovelynn/status/130030616208084992
We use a chart with things like washing hands, brushing teeth, etc. and they get to check them off as they do it. Sort of a game at this point, but I am sure that wouldn’t last.
Tweet: http://twitter.com/njhhb/statuses/130331246810251265
My kids know that it’s a MUST to wash their hands after using the restroom and before we eat meals. And they are really good at remembering on their own.
tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/KerryBishop/status/130345875728891904
No kids for me yet – maybe in a few years! Lots of good tips to keep in mind here.
My kids know that they have to wash their hands as soon as we get home from any public place- school, the store, the library. I am also teaching them that it is important to really scrub their hands well- we sing the “Happy Birthday” song three times through. If we can’t wash our hands right away, I make sure that we have hand sanitizer or antibacterial wipes on hand.
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/maybaby522/status/130373617082048512
This sounds like a great idea, we teach them by example
babitababita@hotmail.com
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/zbabita5/status/130382037935853568
My son and I have talked about the importance of personal hygiene and he now uses Purel in addition to hand washing. He also seems to like the body wipes I purchased when he needs a quick underarm swipe!
Tweet – http://twitter.com/#!/didyouyarnthat/status/130399723512274944
Im lucky to have girls, the have no problem bathing and using deodorant.
My son is only 2 so no deodorant yet, but he likes to wash his hands and when he takes a bath or shower, he knows to wash everywhere includibg his “stinky pits”.
i started using deodorant when i was in my teens
My son is at the age where I always have to remind him to use soap and deodorant and to actually lather his hair with shampoo
tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/fairydancer35/status/130702884428984320
i don’t have a teenager, so i haven’t had to do any teaching yet. and i dred the day that i do!! 😉
My children are grown buy when they were young I helped them learn good hygiene talkin to them about good hygiene. I let them help pick out their hygiene products and encuraged them to use them daily.
helenkeeler@comcast.net
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/helen1949/status/130798984645193728
helenkeeler@comcast.net
When my son was around 11, I simply brought deodorant home from the grocery store and told him how to use it. He used it every day after that–maybe he felt like it was a grown up thing.
The kids learn early that it’s shower first that’s best.
We began teaching our kids to regularly wash their hands when they became toddlers. They aren’t old enough yet for the deodorant talk.
I remember taping tissues to my armpits when I got smelly at 7
We have a bedtime routine that he follows and he knows that he showers, brushes his teeth etc and then we can read before bed!
Thanks!
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/lindabr1001/status/131183037655429121
No kids. I started wearing deodorant way back in the beginnings of time.. Or at least 50 years ago.
Thanks for the contest.
blogged: http://slehan.blogspot.com/2011/10/win-100-visa-from-blogher-unilever.html
i still struggle with my 6 yr old and brushing teeth so I have to smell his breath every morning and night to make sure he really did it. my 1 yr old already knows to wash her hands after potty time
http://twitter.com/#!/rsmc1/status/131581592526266368
I don’t have any kids of my own; however, I started using deodorant in the 5th grade, which is when I hit puberty! I just started using my mom’s and did so until I left home! She always told me to use deodorant every day. I put it on in the morning or any time after I take a shower.
I tweeted here: http://twitter.com/#!/FotoMacro/status/131816392411451392
I just have to stress she washes all parts of her body, not just what she wants. sweepmorey at gmail dot com
tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/mommysdizzy/status/131872117632401409
Trying to get my teenager who is special needs to understand the importance of deodorant is difficult.
Tweet: http://twitter.com/coriwestphal/statuses/131899603254648834
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Some days I’ve had to stand over the kids to wash their hands but they are finally getting it. As far as deodorant, it has been easy with my son. Now it’s time to get ready for a couple of girls.
Tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/chipdip2010/status/132058825518886912
Enjoying reading the tips – we have several years before we have to have the talk about hygiene.
Always be a good example.
https://twitter.com/#!/cjwallace43/status/132161410972127232
Ever since they were little, hand washing was always made a priority until it became a habit. As they got older and didn’t need my help in the bathroom, my first question was always “did you wash your hands?”. But now I have a stinky teenage boy, but at least his hands are clean. LOL
I am a role model to my kids.
We’re not to the teen years yet, so no big problems here other than just handwashing- I’ve taught my boys to lather through either the ABC song or the birthday song. My oldest (7) cleans his body well in the shower, but doesn’t do that well on his hair. I’m working on teaching him to really scrub his scalp and get rid of all the sand and odd things he seems to accumulate up there in his hair! lol
i have tweeted about this giveaway
i have blogged about this giveaway
I have four kids, a 14 yr old boy who took to hygiene pretty well and then there are my 10.5, 9. and 7 yr old girls… where we’re struggling just a bit. My youngest LOVES baths & showers and takes one daily w/o any prompting (bc she is part mermaid), but my middle two girls- not quite! I love the idea of a chore chart. I’m getting so tired of reminding them to brush their hair or take showers. My 9 yr old has told me before that she shouldn’t have to take a shower today because 3 &4 days ago she took one two days in a row (IE Today is Thurs and she tries to get out of showering bc she took a shower Sunday AND Monday!) I wish I had tips other than keeping them on a schedule for alternate day showers!
So far, we’re lucky, our older kids use it everyday (we have them leave one in their room and one in the bathroom that they use the most) and the younger ones have asked to start using just from seeing their siblings…..
I occasionally have to remind my eldest son, but he is pretty good about his hygiene. My daughter is quite the opposite. I have tried charts, rewards, schedules, etc. Nothing seems to work.
Frequent hand washing is a big deal in our household.
We have a special sand timer we made with recycled bottles for washing hands.
I just teach them by example, and lots of talking to them about keeping themselves clean.
karhostetter@verizon.net
I have a 3 yr old who loves to follow his daddy to the bathroom in the morning as he gets ready for work. He has a small pretend set of face wash, deodorant, and shaving cream w/ plastic razor. I am hoping that starting him early with the idea of taking care of himself will allow it to become natural as he gets older. I hope anyway lol
I have a 7 year old grandson and we are working on hand washing and how to sneeze correctly into his arm and not his hand. His dad started needing deodorant when he was about 12. I’m not ready for my grandson to grow up so fast. Thanks for the giveaway!
eswright18 at gmail dot com
tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/eswright18/status/132222546601971712
My oldest son is 12 and has been wearing deoderant for a couple years and we STILL have to ask him daily if he remembered to put it on! We do leave his sitting out in plain sight in the bathroom, but still have to remind him. He has extremely thick hair and we have also struggled with getting him to wash his hair well enough. He has recently been wanting his hair to be kept at a little longer length, so we told him that if he can prove that he can wash it well while it’s short then we will think about letting him have it a little longer. My youngest is 8 and doesn’t need deoderant yet but he does enjoy taking showers, so I’m hoping it won’t be so much of a stuggle with him!
We are big hand washers & users of “magic soap” (purell) whenn we are away from home. I luckily don’t have to worry about my 9 year old daughter (although, her showers are way to long). I also have a 2 yr old a 3 yr old who get a bath no less than every other day.
TWEET ( http://www.hsclassroom.net/2011/10/personal-hygiene-for-the-preteen-and-teen-years-plus-a-giveaway/) I LOVE THIS GIVEAWAY! Why? My 13 year old son is starting to become noticeably ”stinky” in the arm-pits area and I’m also promoting…or begging for good hygiene! He loves to use his Dad’s “already been used a 100 times after working all day” deodorant, rather than his own! LOL!
I am in charge of showers still my daughter only being 7 but I can tell this will be an issue in the future. She hates to get in the shower but then hates to get out again. The rest of the daily routine is on chore cards. I have known many adults including coworkers I would have loved to hand this article to 🙂 thanks for keeping us all on our toes that kids need to be taught.
Teeth have been more of an issue than underarms or hands. We just keep making regular dentist visits and insist on regular brushing and flossing.
We have a chart that we use to monitor which tasks have been completed, and we have a block of time that’s reserved for personal hygiene. Regardless of whether the chores are completed, he is not allowed to use his video games, tv, computer, or toys during that time.
http://twitter.com/#!/LuckyDuckyToo/status/132483354149920768
Always remind to bathe and use deodorant.
our oldest is a 5 year old and we’ve been reminding her on hygiene aspects and leading out in example. We’ve also told her that her little bro is watching her…that has helped a lot!
Oh yes…familiar topic! I have teens and a 20 something. My daughter rags her brothers for “MAN FUNK”. Frequent topic of discussion. “Don’t make Mom tell you that which only your Mother loves you enough to whisper lovingly in your ear…YOU STINK!” Said with a smile, and a bar of soap…and a nudge in the general direction of the shower!
I try to set a good example by my boy watching me wash my hands regularly & whatnot. I think when they don’t have siblings they look to parents for this type of info.
2nd entry tweet @ https://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/132500434274353153
My nine-year-old granddaughter lives with us, and we have always emphasized how important hand-washing is. She almost never has to be reminded.
Tweet.
https://twitter.com/#!/mgoss123/status/132512254586396672
i tried to make a pack with everything fro soap to rubber duckies lol
https://twitter.com/#!/purplelover04/status/132562439123374080
I don’t have kids yet, but I try to lead by example.
No kids in our household but I think I would have provided them with deodorant before I smelled that they needed it!
Thanks for the giveaway!
tweet- http://twitter.com/#!/js22222222/status/132564847069118465
Personal hygiene has seemed to come about naturally in our house. It seems like kids always want to do what their parents are doing so they started using our products before they got their own.
I always ask if the kids have washed their hands before eating or while cooking.
children learn best by example so good hygene should be instilled at an early age.
I always make sure they wash their hands before eating, when they first get home, after eating etc :O)
abitnerdygirl at gmail dot com
tweeted 🙂 http://twitter.com/abitnerdy/status/132654728936034304
abitnerdygirl at gmail dot com
For me as a mom, one of the most important first lessons was handwashing. We sang Old McDonald had a farm to make sure they are washing long enough. Also I taught that when in a public place – keep the paper towel you dried your hands with to open the bathroom door on your way out..many germs live on doorknobs..