Children are exposed to germs that cause a number of illnesses when they are in crowded areas like school where they’d be sharing or holding the same infected things and surfaces.

It’s also inevitable when a student would accidentally sneeze right after your kid. We can’t always shield our children from the possible sources of infection. But we can always do something about it. We can tell them to observe simple rules of cleanliness.

Like my kids, I let them bring a small container of alcohol or a hand sanitizer just in case there is no water in school to wash their hands before and after snack and lunch time. Aside from their hankies, I also put some tissue papers inside their bags.

But as much as possible I encourage them to wash their hands before and after they eat their lunch in school. Simple hand-washing can prevent potentially fatal infections from spreading from one infected person to another. Even when preparing food at home be sure that your hands are properly cleansed.

The proper steps to wash your hands:

1. Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
2. Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
3. Continue rubbing hands for 15-20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing “Happy Birthday” twice through to a friend.
4. Rinse hands well under running water. (Remember the birthday song?)
5. Dry your hands using a paper towel or hand dryers. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
6. Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.