PROPER HAND WASHING FOR BABYSITTERS

Having clean hands is one of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to children in your care. Many diseases are spread by not washing hands properly such as  diarrhea, the stomach flu, typhoid fever, cholera, and intestinal worms to name a few. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to wash your hands.

WHEN TO WASH YOUR HANDS

Before and after:

preparing food (especially after handling raw meats)

eating

Caring for a sick child

Dressing a wound

And after:

Using the restroom

changing diapers or assisting a  child who has used the restroom

touching your mouth, or nose or a child’s mouth or nose

coughing, or sneezing

touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

handling pet food or pet treats

touching garbage

WASHING YOUR HANDS

Wet your hands and apply soap.

Rub your hands together with the soap, making sure to get the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.

Scrub for a minimum of 20 seconds, you can sing the “ABC Song” as a timer

Dry your hands using a clean paper towel and use the towel to turn off the water spigot

WASHING A CHILD’S HANDS

Wet the child’s hands and apply soap.

Rub the child’s hands together with the soap, making sure to get the backs of the child’s hands, and between fingers.

Scrub for a minimum of 20 seconds, you can sing the “ABC Song” to the child as a timer

Dry your hands and the child’s hands using a clean paper towel and use the towel to turn off the water spigot

USING HAND SANITIZER

Caution! Swallowing hand sanitizers can cause poisoning. Keep it out of reach of young children.  

If possible always wash your hands with soap and clean water, if that is not possible you may use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. These can reduce the number of germs on your hands but they do not eliminate all types of germs and won’t remove chemicals. Also they are not good to use when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

TO USE

Squeeze sanitizer into the palm of one hand (read the label for the correct amount).

Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

http://www.healthhype.com/stool-to-mouth-or-fecal-oral-route-of-transmission-of-infection.html

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