Nursery World - Nursery Management: Hygiene

Washing hands is the first step to a clean nursery, but there are other vital hygienic practices, says Iain Stewart, founder of ToyGuard.

Good hygiene practice relies on good facilities - especially in washroomareas - for both staff and children. It is important that everyone whoenters the nursery understands their responsibilities, and that startswith correct handwashing, as infection through contact is one of thebiggest risks.

There are four simple rules for effective handwashing:

1. Educate the children

Regularly raise the topic of hygiene awareness by discussing germs andhow they spread. You could even ask children to draw what they thinkgerms look like under a microscope. Or, for the more adventurous orscience-minded, grow a colony in a petri dish from a swab of a child'shand. You can also download bathroom hygiene and handwashing charts tocolour in and display in the washroom areas (laminated if possible).

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