Washing hands is one of the essential habits that is taught to kids while growing up. It’s for their excellent health and hygiene. However, a small baby wouldn’t be able to wash hands on his own, and it’s nearly impossible to roam around with soaps everywhere. hand sanitizer for baby can be used as an easy way of cleaning your baby’s hands. But is using a sanitizer on your baby might not be as appropriate as you think. As the ongoing pandemic, it has become a big concern for parents regarding their Baby’s hand hygiene and cleanliness.
Most Effective Ways To Reduce Risk Of Infection
- Washing hands regularly with soap
- The appropriate time to wash hands is 20 seconds.
- You should rub your hands with soap for 20 seconds then wash with water.
- Wash your hands before eating the food.
- After using the restroom, wash your hands thoroughly.
- If you cough or sneeze on your hands. Do wash it thoroughly.
- Do not touch your mouth or face. And even not anywhere until your hands are clean.
- The other most preferred method is the use of alcohol sanitizer. It should contain a minimum of 70% alcohol.
Is It Safe to hand sanitizer for baby?
- The most preferred way for babies is to wash hands with soap.
- If it is not possible. Sanitizer can be used as an alternative.
- With babies, you have to do it on your own.
- For kids, They can do under an adult’s supervision.
- Sanitizers are regulated OTC, and non-prescribed forms of medicine. So it should be used with full precautions.
The right amount of using a hand sanitizer might be of no harm to your baby. Make sure to put just a few small drops and rub them till it dries out on the baby’s hand. This way, the sanitizer wouldn’t be consumed by the baby in its gel form because babies tend to put their hands in their mouths often, so drying out the sanitizer is very important to ensure that it doesn’t harm your baby in any way.
How Can The Alcohol Content In A Sanitizers Be A Problem?
Most sanitizers contain alcohol content, which is usually much more than the regular alcoholic drinks. The alcohol content immediately vaporizes as soon as it’s put on the hand, but it is still necessary to ensure that the baby doesn’t try to get a hold of the sanitizer bottle and drink it. If your baby swallows some hand sanitizer or drinks even a little from the sanitizer bottle, it can make him nauseous and maybe even vomit. He is going to have irritating eyes, cough, a sore mouth, and tummy ache too.
It’s advised to call the doctor immediately and get him treated with proper medical attention to avoid any significant harm to your child’s health. Alcohol content lowers the body’s blood sugar level. If you see that your baby has accidentally consumed even a small proportion of any sanitizer, feed him something sweet to drink. Source
Is There Any Safer Sanitizer For Children?
Many hand sanitizers are alcohol-free, but they aren’t as effective as the ones containing alcohol in them. It’s better to use an alcohol-based product with the proper precautions. Soap and water is still the best choice for keeping hands clean! The non-alcohol based sanitizers might not make your baby ill even on swallowing some of it, but they aren’t as effective in killing germs as the alcohol-based sanitizers.
The better idea would be not to use sanitizers that come in bright packages because the baby is more likely to swallow it as it attracts his attention. Also, avoid using sanitizers with a strong scent because scents can make a sanitizer more tempting, and your baby is more likely to lick or drink it.
Alternatives For Using A Hand Sanitizers?
- The best alternative option for using a hand sanitizer is the baby wipes. Baby wipes are less harmful to children because they’re mostly alcohol-free. Suppose you are using alcohol-based sanitizers. You should take full precautions. Also, remember not to keep the wipes lying around your baby.
- Soap remains the most effective way to wash your baby’s greasy hands. Regular soap with water is probably the first and the best option. Use paper soap and keep a packet of strips and use it whenever you are traveling with a baby.
Yes Or No
Sanitizers are excellent options to keep a baby’s hands clean and hygienic but are preferred for children aged four and above as there are rare chances of them swallowing it than a toddler or baby. So it’s always better to wash hands with soap and water. Sanitizers can be used as an alternative in the case of babies.
Also Read: Find Out Simple Tips To Boost Immunity Of Children Naturally