When we were at the clinic, the doctor asked "Does she like to touch things that she sees?" I wanted to say which kid doesn't but replied with a "Yes, she does sometimes, out of curiosity". Then he goes on to say "The virus is likely to have been spread from her hands to her mouth". Uh-oh.
So, I concluded that one solution would be to restrain her from touching any foreign object for a fortnight. Which, if you are a parent with a vivacious kid, you would wholeheartedly agree with me that it is impossible. Thus, my next best bet, other than making sure she remains hydrated and takes her medication on time, is to make sure she practises good hygiene by handwashing.
The thing is, now that she is in the phase of liking to ask questions, backtalk or refuse to obey orders, it becomes a tug-of-war trying to make her do something at a time when she doesn't want to. Instead of doing it the hard way and causing agony to both child and parent, we decided to come up with an idea to make handwashing something fun and worth looking forward to.
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Presenting to you: Angel's Bollywood Shake
Well, it happens that she will be performing in her first ever school concert this weekend and her class will be dancing to the children's popular Hindi song Lakdi ki Kathi. Therefore, in the past weeks, we have been helping her to rehearse, or perhaps let her show off, her sassy grooves and moves whenever we get the chance. Yes, even during handwashing! That's what I call killing two birds with one stone.
So I would play the Hindi song while Angel would perform for me and the little sister, who by the way always watches in awe and admiration, then the saucy big sister would add in some funny, amusing moves out of the blue and we would end up in laughter and a huge applause.
Now, who says handwashing has to be dull and boring?
Disclaimer: No, we don't do this every time she washes her hands. No, she doesn't dress up weirdly at home. Yes, we like to do things spontaneously. Yes, we absolutely had fun. Yes, she can be a great Bollywood dancer.
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Lifebuoy Secret Wash – Handwashing Tips Contest
Want to receive a Lifebuoy Secret Wash poster featuring your child as the star?
From now to 23rd October, submit your child's photo at www.lifebuoysecretwash.com and the first 100 submissions will receive a Limited Edition Lifebuoy Secret Wash poster featuring their child’s face along with a free full-sized Colour Changing Handwash.
To learn more Secret Wash moves, check out the Bollywood Princess video for some inspiration.
Wash hands --> Kill germs --> Healthy kid --> Happy Parent
Let's inject fun into an otherwise mundane activity and keep those germs at bay. Now, will you have a go at coming up with your fun handwashing idea today?
Disclosure: This is part of a series of sponsored conversations between Lifebuoy and A Happy Mum. All opinions are my own.