Advice for toddlers
Advice to protect your toddler
As your baby grows, they will begin to explore the world around them and be ready for their first new experiences. They will begin to grasp objects, learn to roll over and will spend less time asleep.
As you help them through these developmental stages, it is important to remember that their immune system is still very immature and you must maintain the sterilisation practices you adopted during their first few weeks.
As your baby grows into a toddler, they will begin to explore the world around them and touch everything they can. It is important as soon as you can to help and teach your little one to wash their hands and make it fun.
They can start washing their hands:
- Before and after eating
- After going on the potty
- After playing outdoors
You can find many small occasions for them to wash their hands.
When your little one plays outdoors they can easily get very dirty and touch everything in the garden and on the ground. Always carry with you some wet wipes or a hand cleanser to clean their hands and face regularly.
If your toddler uses a dummy, always take some spare sterile ones out with you.
Never give your child a soother that has just fallen on the ground. You just don’t know what items may have fallen in this area; there could have been cigarette butts, dog poo and other rubbish.
It is normal for your toddler to discover the world around them. It won’t cause them harm to chew a little bit of grass or inspect little bugs. The main thing is to use common sense, to avoid your child touching some dangerous and dirty items (litter, animal food, mud, uneaten food, cigarette bugs, glass bottles).
If you eat out with your toddler, think of taking some disinfecting surface wipes with you to give the high chair a quick clean. Also think of everything that you will need to bring for their lunch or dinner, such as their food, bowl and two sets of cutlery (in case it gets thrown on the floor), bib and little toys and books to keep them amused during the meal. Ensure that the restaurant is child friendly and that it won’t take a long time to get your meal served.
Potty training can be a challenge and sometimes a bit messy. When you start training your toddler you must ensure that the potty is cleaned and disinfected after each use. Always wash both yours and your toddler’s hands after your child has been on the potty.
If you are not careful the potty can harbor lots of bacteria which could potentially be harmful to your toddler.
Always wash your toddler’s hands for them each time they touch the potty as their fingers will soon go straight into their mouth again. They will probably be quite fascinated by it and want to carry it around.
To teach your little one to wash their hands always do it with them and use some fun hand wash to make it more enjoyable.