ByPuja Gupta

August 31, 2020 (IANSlife) Hand hygiene is extremely important, especially at a time when we are fighting a pandemic. Despite knowing that hands are the main pathways of germ transmission, it is almost impossible to resist children from touching objects. So, it’s all the more crucial to keep their hands clean by washing them regularly with soap and water and sanitizing.

Rajesh Vohra, CEO, Chicco India (Artsana Group) shares a few tips to keep in mind while choosing a sanitizer for your young ones:

• As recommended by health organizations, a hand sanitizer with more than 60 percent alcohol content is the next best alternative to keep your and kids hands clean when travelling or are in some place outside where soap and water are not accessible (such as park, play-ground etc.)
• Choose a hand sanitizer that doesn’t dry their skin – Given that the skin of children is soft, it is preferable to use a hand sanitizer that contains Glycerin which keeps their skin moisturized and protected at the same time
• Should contain ingredients or extracts of natural origin such as neem seed, tulsi etc. that are known to have medicinal and anti-microbial properties i.e. anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties
• Must be gentle and safe on kids' skin – children have supple and sensitive skin, hence the hand sanitizer used for them should be dermatologically tested, free from parabens, sulphates and synthetic dyes etc.
• It should be non- sticky such that it easily gets dried up or evaporates after rubbing the hands for 10-15 seconds
• Light and mild fragrance - Don’t opt for sanitizers which have very strong fragrance for kids, always choose a hand sanitizer with a mild and fresh fragrance

Washing hands with soap and water still continues to be the best practice to ensure hand hygiene. And in case of young children, hand sanitizer should be used under adult supervision and should be kept in a secure location when not in use.

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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in