The toddler stage is a beautiful thing. Not quite babies anymore, toddlers are chatty and gaining independence, and yet, they’re still really teeny tiny humans. They look up at you with their little cherubic faces and big round eyes and omg what are you licking right now? Nooooooo, Robert, that’s not food!
(I actually don’t know any toddlers named Robert, but roll with me on this one.)
Toddlers lack the innate sense of “Hmm, that’s gross, I probably shouldn’t touch it” that adults have. See a kid with a runny nose? Hug her. Find a full garbage can? Search for food like a raccoon. Toilet? That’s like the most convenient sensory bin, Mom! Splash splash.
Here are a couple of tips for keeping your toddlers healthy, even when they’re touching already chewed gum stuck underneath the table at your local Starbucks.
1) Teach them the fine art of washing their hands
Yes, they’re going to need your help every single time for a couple of years, but you’re teaching them a skill that is the #1 line of defense when it comes to warding off illness. A safe, sturdy step stool is great for toddlers and preschoolers.
2) Clean their toys
Regular wipe downs are great for books and big toys, I throw stuffed animals in the washer and dryer, and I’ll even run some toys (sans batteries, of course) through the dishwasher. They pick toys up. They put them down. They’re on the ground. Then in their mouths, and this is starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book, but you get the point.
3) Put an air purifier in your home
Indoor air can actually be 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, but a purifier removes odors and airborne particles.
4) Keep the bathroom door closed
A little simplistic, maybe, but if your toddler is prone to wandering, toilet splashing, and using the plunger as a pogo stick, a closed door is the easiest way to keep all of that germ-play at bay.
5) Wipe down your phone
If your kids are anything like my kids, they always have their hands on your phone. A simple wipe down protects them and you.
Kids are gross right. My boys will put anything in their mouth like a sticky food that they dropped and they will just spit out the pet hair stuck to it, ugh! No amount of explanation seems to get through to them. I think that’s why they say that 7 is the age of reasoning, by then probably they will learn what’s yucky and would know better not to stick disgusting stuff in their mouths.