How to Make a Two-year Old Wash Hands

At age two, you need to be helping her wash her hands each time she uses the potty. She can't be expected to just remember at this age. After time, it will become habit.

Go in there and do it for her. She's too little to do it effectively by herself every time anyway.

At least she's honest.

You don't ask "Did you wash your hands?" She's too little for that. You are putting ADULT expectations on a little child. She is not disgusting for not washing her hands. The real offense is you thinking that.

Make it a game. Make up a song. Be in the bathroom with her and both of you wash your hands together. You do this for a child who doesn't like to brush teeth, too. An extra measure until she complies is "Oh honey, we can't play with the blocks until our hands are clean! Let's wash!" and continue singing your song and acting happy and light about it.

Fighting with her over this is a battle you shouldn't have. Be light but keep saying that she can't have the next fun activity until hands are clean.

Remember, she is ONLY two. Really.

Dawn

She's just a baby. I would think at 2 you would be in there with her each time, helping her wipe correctly and wash hands.

She's 2. Which means that she shouldn't be pottying alone, nor should she be expected to wash her hands on her own. You should be in there with her, helping her to wipe, helping her with her clothes, and helping her to wash.

She'll get into the habit if you're in there teaching her what to do. She's not going to learn by osmosis...you have to show her.

Sing this:
Top and bottom
Top and bottom
In between
In between
Rub them both together
Rub them both together
I'm all clean
Squeaky clean!
To the tune of the French song....Frere Jacques

Go when you believe she is finished going potty and wash them with her. Take her to the bathroom with you so she sees you do it, you're her best role model.

My daughter is 5 and I still ask her as a way of reminding her. I've also had to remind her that she needs to wipe herself, that she needs to flush, AND even that the toilet paper has to go INTO the toilet, not just next to it! So I think what you are going through with your 2 year old is normal and your expectations have to shift a bit. I would just go into the bathroom after she's gone potty, stand her at the sink, and wash hands with her together so you know it's been done right. Then it might be more likely to become enforced as a habit. At age 2, she needs a lot more guidance and supervision from you and probably will for some time.

They must be taught. Over and over and over and over again.

When I did my stint as a lead teacher in with old toddlers (20-30 months) my hands were practically raw from constantly helping them wash their hands after diaper changes/toileting, before meals, after meals, etc. We'd sing 'hands, backs of hands, fingers, thumbs' and then sing the abcs while we rinsed.

Get in there and to it with her. Remember, she doesn't cognitively understand what is so important about washing her hands. Germs are abstract-- she cannot see them. One person I know used to dot their kid's hands with washable markers and tell them to 'wash off the dots'. That was a good visual aid for that child, even if it did end up in water play without the adult guidance. At least the child could see 'when' they were done.. when the dots and bubbles were gone.

A two year old shouldn't be in the bathroom by herself. My son was fully potty-trained at that age, too, but that doesn't mean we sent him off to toilet unsupervised.

So... first... get in there with her and tell her to wash her hands (not ask her after the fact).

As far as helping her do it, get her a stool so she can reach the water. Get the foamy kids soap and hang a poster on the wall illustrating proper hand washing.

HTH
T.

A 4 year old can be expected to do it by themselves if they've been taught consistantly with a verbal reminder.

A teenager might remember with a verbal reminder too.

A 2 year old????? No way, it's the mom's job to be in there doing it for them and teaching them every time how to do it. We sing the alphabet song with the water turned off.

We get the hands wet, put a squirt of water on their hands, add a tiny bit of water, turn the water off so they don't hold their hands under the water to rinse the unused soap off, then we make bubbles and bubbles, it's a race to see who can make the most, and sing the alphabet song.

When the song is done the water comes back on and the bubbles are rinsed off both mommy and child.

A 2 year old is very very very young to be potty trained and it's very unlikely she'll wash her hands after going potty until she's much older, some don't even do it until they get a job in fast food where they learn they have to.

It's just not one of those things kids remember to do. It's also one of those things in child care that we have to break the method of "how" to wash their hands they learned from their parents. Rinsing the unused soap off their hands is one of the worst. They get their hands wet, add the soap then just rinse it off without even starting to wash their hands.

OK - she's 2. She's learning, she's not a grownup. Heck, some grownups forget. Cut her some slack and just remind and help her.

By the wording of your question it sounds as if you aren't supervising her. My dauughter is four and a half and I consistently remind her of the steps like wiping flushing and washing her hands and am always right nearby to supervise except when she is at school. I also bought her a cute hello Kitty soap dispenser and a stool for by the sink...makes it a little easier and more fun. I would recommend supervising and constant reminding! Good luck...

There is no reason to ask her a question when you know the answer. That is simply setting her up to lie (look at it as entrapment on the toddler level). I think it is more likely she will start to say 'yes' than to spontaneously remember to wash her hands each time.

When my son was two, he was fully potty trained but we always washed hands together. She should wash for the length of time it takes to sink 'Happy Birthday' twice. I don't think there is a kid on the planet who doesn't like to sing Happy Birthday, so just sing it. Also - two year olds do NOT have the manual dexterity to wipe as effectively as they should, so you should be keeping an eye on that as well.

egads, she's only 2! help her!
khairete
S.

You help her wash her hands, that is what you do.

At 2y/o she is too little to be expected to do that (and do a good job of it) all by herself...especially if it is not something she thinks is 'fun'!

Buy some bubbly, fun smelling soaps that pump.

You have to show her. It will take more than one time. She will get it. Persistence is the key.

Stop her and show her how to do it. Make sure she can do it on her own and if she can't, help her. My DD couldn't use our old faucet, so when we got a new one installed, I made a big deal of letting her help pick it out (a style I knew she could use), that it was special for her, and made sure she knew which side was cold, etc. My MIL gave DD a special heart shaped soap that DD loves, so I tell DD to remember to use the heart soap. If your DD doesn't like that, get a fun hand soap dispenser. Ours has a parrot inside and if DD uses it like she should, slowly the parrot appears, like a reward (I fill it with white soap to hide him). I tell DD she must wash her hands to get rid of germs and other nasty things that linger on one's hands. If she hasn't done it, I send her back til it's done. DD is 4 and at 2 there was no way she was self-sufficient in the restroom.

First suggestion: Don't ask. Tell. For a 2yo, the default answer to any question is always no. They might change it to yes, after they think about it, but their gut reaction is No. So don't make it optional--don't ask. :)

When my LO was 2, I would help him do and sing "This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands" or some other song. Just keep at it and be persistent. It takes a while to develop habits (good or bad). So lots of practice and reminding/helping her do it is needed.