Advice on How to Encourage/teach 16 Month Old to Wash Hands

The most creative I got, and this is because I keep the powder room very clean. I run the water just get his hands wet, then have him squirt the soft-soap in the sink and with his wet hands he "makes bubbles" "washing the inside of the sink" for me. At the end we "rinse" the inside of the sink with his hands, and both are spotless! It has to smell good, so at the end he can smell how clean he got!
This is the way we did it because it was such a terrible fight (POWER STRUGGLE) so then we came up with EMPOWERING him! Voila!
It's all about him!

My son is older (3 years old) but here's some of the things I've tried: letting him pick out a "special" soap at the store - they have all kinds of different Disney or other character soap dispensers, singing a silly handwashing song while we wash his hands to make it fun, doing a sticker chart where he gets a sticker every time he washes his hands the right way (did this in conjunction with potty training). Also, he tends to like the "foamy" type soaps or ones that are different colors or smells - makes the experience more interesting I guess. Good luck!!

I am a mother of a 4yr old boy and 2yr old girl and we did the same with both because hand washing time was a huge mess! We practiced a little song to help teach us what to do away from the sink just in everyday play and then applied it one day while washing hands and it worked like a charm!

Rub Rub Rub your hands as slowly as you can
Rub Rub Rub your hands as quickly as you can

Clap Clap Clap your hands as ...slowly... quickly

Roll roll Roll your hands as ...slowly... quickly...

Shake Shake Shake your hands as... slowly... quickly

Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle your fingers as slowly ...quickly

Once my two had the little song and moves down I applied it while they where washing their hands....

Fill sink with water...
Let him get one pump of soap.... (Kandu my kids loved in the beginning now I let them pick whatever hand soap they like at the store)
then sing your little song and do it with him in the beginning rubbing your hands together change the song up if you need to to get him to wash the tops and bottoms of his hands... I would just sing the rub and wiggle parts and apply them to the washing but do what works best. I would also have my kids clean up any water they got out of the sink.
After a while they would be no mess and they where so proud of themselves. Now at 2 and 4 they do this completly unsupervised. Son fills the sink and washes first then daugher goes next...they'll clean up their mess and come show me tops and bottoms with grins from ear to ear! Every now and then I hear them in there singing our little tune!

Good luck

Hello, C.! What helped my children was to have them sing each time they washed their hands. My aunt is a kindergarten teacher and she said to have them sing their ABCs because it is a great teaching tool to learning their ABCs and how long they need to wash their hands. Also, the Happy Birthday song twice is long enough to wash your hands. Just keep practicing and get some fun soap. I liked the idea to pick out their own. Help him wash up too and be prepared to get wet! Just a fact about having kids, either you get wet or dirty! My oldest child is 10 and she is our hand washing police now. She wasn't that way as a child, but she makes sure everyone washes their hands after they use the bathroom and we keep hand sanitizer in the car and as soon as we get in the car from going somewhere, church, grocery store, anywhere, we hand sanitize our hands and then wash then when we get home. My kids did not get sick except for little colds this past winter.

Keep up the good work and good luck!

C.,
I'm glad you're trying so hard and not giving up. It's not always easy to teach our kids what's best for them. Knowing how important it is can only frustrate us further when they don't understand the importance. My daughter really took to using foam soap. It's almost like bubble bath bubbles! This is how I would get her to wash up:
~She gets to pump some 'soapy bubbles' into her hand because she's a big girl.
~She has to scrub all the germies off her hands. We rub, rub rub all over her hands because the little germs try to hold on because they like her pretty hands!
~Next we use warm water because those icky germs don't like warm water.
~While rinsing, we can listen and hear them saying, "Nooooooo!" as they go down the drain.
~If you can, you may want to buy a character towel that your son likes and use that one just for when he washes his hands. Ours was Dora.
~Above all else, avoid fighting him and forcing him into it because it makes hand washing a dreaded task.
He'll get it eventually! If you make it fun it'll happen quicker! God bless!

My son did the same thing at that age...I just used a soapy wash cloth to wipe his hands off...or when away from home, I used diaper wipes. I started letting him practice washing his hands in the bathtub as a game and he eventually graduated to the sink. Once he could use a step-stool to reach the sink and turn on the (cold) water himself, he loved washing his hands.

Have you tried allowing him to do? Maybe using a different type of soap such as the ones that foam? Colored? Wiping with a soapy cloth then rinsing with a wet one? He is rather young.

Have you tried making a game out of it?? Maybe making up a silly song and dance on the way to the sink. Also try going to the store and letting him pick out his very own "special" handsoap and a stool to stand on, maybe even some of his very own hand towels too. I know if we make it exciting and seem really special and fun for our daughter she takes to things better.

I'd like to add another song idea - my toddler loves, "If You're Happy and You Know It," and although we don't use it to manipulate by any means, we do use it to teach sometimes. He doesn't always cooperate, but when he does, it's fun for him.

My daughter seems to really like the foaming soap???? It doesn't seem to be as messy either.

Cheat! Give him something extra every time he washes his hands. As time goes by it will become a good habit. You can also wash your hands along with him and make it a game. Buy soap with cool shapes or smells that "HE" likes. Good Luck and God Bless

My daughter is 19 months old and she loves to wash her hands now. But she doesn't like her hands to get dirty either. I started out with her at about a year making her wash her hands after I changed her diaper, especially if it is a dirty diaper. Then she started washing them if they got dirty throughout the day. Now she likes to wash them when she brushes her teeth as well. You can try to make a game out of it or give some sort of reinforcement (even if it is just praise) everytime he washes his hands. We also got the Johnson's foaming soap for kids (I can't remember the name of it). Anyway, she really likes that soap and it doesn't make as much of a mess. It isn't really a whole lot more and it's worth it if he will wash his hands. I hope this helps.
K.

We play Bubbles. I can usaully get my daughter to wash hands if I say things like lets go make bubbles. Then we do a rhyme from a book she likes. Bubbles bubbles on my nose bubble bubbles on my toes babbules bubbles in my hair bubbles bubbles everywhere. Sometimes it messy but thats all about the learning process. Hope this helps.

Hi C.,

My son is 19 months old and LOVES to wash his hands. I lift him up and sit him on my knee. For one, he LOVES water. Two, he LOVES to look at himself in the mirror! So luckily it's easy for us. I also sing him a scrub-a-dub-dub our hands song too. Just something I made up!

Try letting him watch mommy do it and kind of let him play around in the water. Explain everything that you are doing. After I put the soap in my hands is when I start singing the srub-a-dub song! If you have to you can distract him in the mirror while you wash his hands, that will at least keep you both from getting wet. Eventually he will get it!

Good luck!

H.

Try singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with him when he is washing his hands to teach him how much time he should spend washing his hands each time. It might also serve as a distraction so he will not fight you as much.
I agree that hand sanitizer is no replacement for hand washing.
Good luck.

I'm not sure yet how to teach them about handwashing, but I can tell you that in the hospitals now they recommend using the hand sanitizer unless hands are visably soiled. Even to scrub in the operating room, they scrub with soap and water the first time, but use hand sanitizer after that. They say it's more effective at killing germs than soap and water. So if you can get him to use the hand santizer, that's great! Just be sure you get enough on there that it takes 15-20 seconds of rubbing the hands to get it to dry. Hope that helps! Just wanted to encourage you a little. :)

You might try using wipes for awhile. He may just be too young or there could be something about it he doesn't like. Does he like his baths? Perhaps you could put a small amount of water in the sink and let him do it himself. Don't worry too much at this point, it's probably a stage. Good luck.

Get used to being messy and wet. I filled up the sink with some water for my kids. They didn't care for the running water.

I've l;aid my daughter on her belly on the counter. Then I ask her if she wants a squirt. I hold her hand palm up squirt some then I grab both hands and say "scrubby" repeatedly and I rub her hands together. then I wash them off. After a few times she picked up on it and does it all by herself and loves it. I started this around 11mths and she's great now at 16mths.

Good luck. When he gets good or sick of it break out the squirter in your sink. That brings them back to the fun of washing up.

Hello,
what has helped my children get in the habit of washing there hands is I took them to the store and let them pick out their own hand soap.(dollar tree had batman & barbie foaming hand soap)They really like the feeling of the foaming soap in their hands!Hope this helps!God bless!

C.,

Hi there. If you want to get him to wash his hands, Make a game out of it. You show him how much fun it is to wash your hands. Also you can sing a song but make it a fun one like ( Wash wash your hands, wash them germs away, Scrub a dub germs gos down the drain). Also try the Pampers Kandoo handsoaps There not like the other soaps and there fun to do and its also something that he can put on his hands himself I know at that age they want to do everything for them selfs. With the Kandoo soaps they can play in it. Have you tried putting him at a table and putting shaveing jell on the table and letting him play in it and then letting him play in the sink of water to wash it off. Water play is a good way to get your child to wash there hands. I hope this has helped you in some ways. Good Luck......

K.

lead be example. make sure to wash your hands on the same occasions you wash his. let him watch you and then let him practice. praise his efforts, even if it's not perfect. and get used to getting a little wet. it'll take a while before he gets the hang of it.

ynthia, Make it a game...get really silly and wash really enthusiactically..singing a silly song as you go.(Mine was something about fish, making a gerggulling noise, saying "Turn off the water").Giggle, then look into the mirror. Place him(sitting)on the counter (you ever beside him) as you get the water ready. Don't teach him to splash too much. BUT, Make it FUN!!!!
I babysit and I have begun teaching her to wash her face and hands while I am changing her diaper(she hates lying still). I give her a wet wipe and say "Wash your face" "Wash your hands". She is catching on.
Speaking of wet wipes... Use them as birds making them fly and then swoosh down to wash his face and hands. Teach him to wash his own hands with a wet wipe then graduate to a wash rag...less mess!
Have fun...play!!!!!
May God Bless You and Your Loved Ones, LaDonna
P.S. There is a DVD called BOZ... Boz has a song called "Skweeky clean...teaching them to wash their hands.
I am sure you can get it at any Christian Bookstore.
I Know Promise Land CBS in Paris, Tn keeps this product.

Hi,

Our sitter taught us a great way to get our son to wash his hands. First, we put soap on his hands (I like the foam soaps the best). Then we have him rub his hands together while we sing "Row, Row. Row Your Boat" At the end of the song, we turn on the water on low and rinse to another refrain of the song. At the end of the song, we shake our hands in the sink and have the towel ready to dry. The song really helps to keep him interested in washing his hands. I still keep hand sanitizer in my purse for when we are out since some public restrooms are too disgusting to use. You may occasionally get wet, but it definitely doesn't happen as often.

Let him use a baby wipe if it is just before and after meals.

Get some fun soap (such as the squid soap) it puts a dot of ink on your hand when you push the pump. You was until the ink is gone.

Try foaming hand soap.

Wash your hands with him. Wash your hands at the same time.

Sing this song twice as you help him...tune of row row row your boat...
wash wash wash your hands
wash them everyday
wash the bottoms and the tops
wash the germs away

My little one is 25 months and still makes a mess. That's just what toddlers do. They want to do everything on their own, which usually results in a mess. But that's how they learn.
Here's what we do...if only a little clean up is necessary, I just use a wet washcloth on his hands. I rub them clean first then let him do it himself. Which makes him feel like a big boy and I don't care that he doesn't do a good job since I washed them first. For the time when the sink is required, we use his stool so he can reach and we rub our hands together, both of us. He thinks he's washing my hands when really I'm washing his hands. And he likes to play with the soap. So I let him do the squirting.

It only feels like an ordeal to you cause you're the adult who's used to "control". We adults like neat, clean, orderly routines. Wash hands, dry hands, done deal. But he's still very young and it can be fun for him or a chore. How you react to it will determine how he behaves.