In daycares and nurseries, the responsibility for clean hands among babies and young children lies with the caregivers. Thorough hand hygiene helps prevent infections, ensuring healthy children and a strong, resilient team!
Contents
- Hand hygiene in nurseries and daycare. Why it is especially important for the youngest
- Babies and young children in daycare: Typical behavior and hygiene risks
- Hand hygiene for babies and young children: What caregivers need to pay attention to
- Hand hygiene in nurseries and daycare: Differences across age groups
- Hygiene standards and protective measures in care settings: Hand hygiene in daycare and nursery
- Hand hygiene in childcare. Health protection through responsibility and leading by example
Hand hygiene in nurseries and daycare. Why it is especially important for the youngest
Most parents will be familiar with this scenario: just as their child is finally recovering, they bring home the next “daycare germ.” But it’s not only children and parents who are affected by the high transmission rate of illnesses among children. Daycare staff are also more frequently ill than average. Data from a 2022 survey covering nurseries across England, Scotland, and Wales showed an average staff absence rate of about 16-17%, which is significantly higher than the general sickness absence rate in the UK labor market.
In nurseries and daycare centres, all adults have the responsibility of ensuring the best possible hygiene standards. Babies and young children (0–3 years) do not yet have a fully developed immune system, while having a tendency to explore their environment with their senses and put a lot of objects into their mouths.
Thorough hand hygiene in daily daycare routines protects not only the youngest children but also supports the entire facility. It is one of the simplest and most effective measures to interrupt chains of infection early. The best part: with clean hands, there is more time for all the fun, lively, and joyful daycare adventures!
Babies and young children in daycare: Typical behavior and hygiene risks
Anyone who watches over young children in daily life knows: they explore their world with all their senses – usually leading with their hands! From colourful building blocks to sandbox treasures and favourite soft toys, everything is touched, handled, and often quickly ends up in the mouth. While this is beneficial for learning, it also increases the risk of germ transmission.
Especially in communal environments like daycares or nurseries, where many little explorers come together, viruses and bacteria are easily spread. After muddy adventures or energetic play with friends, children’s hands are often dirty and host numerous pathogens.
We recommend that everyone who interacts with young children wash their hands regularly. This is an important protective measure to prevent infections.
Hand hygiene for babies and young children: What caregivers need to pay attention to
Since babies cannot wash their own hands, the primary responsibility to uphold hygiene lies with the caregivers. Hands must be thoroughly washed or disinfected before and after any direct contact -such as changing, feeding, or comforting- to prevent the transmission of pathogens. At the same time, babies’ and young children’s hands should be gently cleaned regularly after playing outdoors, before meals, or after diaper changes.
Once children are old enough to move about, it is useful to teach them handwashing in a playful way. With cheerful songs, little finger games, or colourful soap foam, hygiene rules become easy and fun rituals. This way, even basic hygiene can be enjoyable.
CWS Hygiene Tip: Provide mild, skin-friendly soaps in your childcare facility (ideally free of fragrances and dyes) to avoid irritating sensitive children’s skin. After washing, gently dry hands with a soft towel or disposable paper towel. This helps to keep children’s delicate skin protected.
Even as children begin to manage many tasks on their own, handwashing in daycare remains a team effort! With caring guidance, the youngest gradually become little hygiene experts. The key principle: consistency is essential, but delicate skin should always be treated gently.
Hand hygiene in nurseries and daycare: Differences across age groups
Different approaches to hand hygiene in nurseries and daycare are required depending on the age of the children:
Babies (0–1 year): Cannot clean their hands independently; caregivers take full responsibility for cleaning and ensuring hygienic cleanliness.
Toddlers (1–3 years): More emphasis is placed on playful guidance. Children learn basic handwashing skills with support from caregivers, who supervise and encourage them.
From around three years: The focus shifts increasingly to independence. Regular reminders, positive reinforcement, and child-friendly step-by-step instructions help establish a solid routine.
It’s important to guide all age groups with patient role modelling, as this is the only way that handwashing in childcare and daily daycare routines becomes natural and consistently practised. This is also how little handwashing beginners gradually become proficient hygiene experts!
Hygiene standards and protective measures in care settings: Hand hygiene in daycare and nursery
In care settings, binding hygiene standards form the backbone of infection prevention and health protection. For staff, this means washing their hands before starting work, before and after any contact with children, after diaper changes, after using the toilet, and of course before meals. The care environment also needs to be well maintained. The regular cleaning of toys, tables, and changing areas is simply part of good practice.
Soap dispensers, cotton towels or paper towels, and, where necessary, disinfectants should be available for both children and caregivers in all washrooms and kitchens. Documenting hygiene measures is crucial. Checklists for cleaning changing tables, toys, and surfaces help create transparency and provide all team members with confidence. Additional training and hygiene briefings for staff encourage awareness and attentiveness.
It is also important to involve parents: transparency about hygiene processes, notices with easy-to-understand pictograms, and informational letters build trust and encourage adherence to hygiene standards at home as well. Creative activities, such as “handwashing theatre” or simply designed “hygiene stamp cards,” can increase motivation for both children and staff. This way hand hygiene becomes a colourful part of daily daycare life, rather than a duty. Everyone benefits in the end: healthy children, a relaxed team, and satisfied parents.
Rely on well-thought-out hygiene solutions from CWS Hygiene: providing reliable protection and making daily routines safer for both little and big hands!
Hand hygiene in childcare. Health protection through responsibility and leading by example
Babies and young children can't clean their own hands properly yet. Responsibility therefore clearly lies with the caregivers and all hygiene officers within the childcare settings. With consistent hygiene processes, lovingly practiced rituals, clear rules, and playful learning, you create a healthy and safe environment in nurseries and daycares.
Leading by example is crucial: by demonstrating and promoting hand hygiene, you instil lasting habits and effectively protect children, colleagues, and families. This way, hand hygiene is not perceived as a duty, but as a colourful and positive part of daily daycare life, with everyone benefiting in the end.
We recommend offering your team various practical options for hand hygiene, such as child-friendly soaps, fresh towels, or disinfectant dispensers. This ensures protection against infections while also minimising the risk of absences.
We at CWS Hygiene are happy to advise you!