Children are constantly on their feet after learning to walk. They are participating in physical education classes or playing sports. These reasons are why you must teach your children proper foot care. Poor foot care can lead to fungus infections, foot odors, calluses, verrucas and hard skin. Read on to find out three ways to help your child practice good foot hygiene.

Make a Habit of Wearing Clean, Dry Socks

Healthy feet start with good hygiene. After taking a bath, you want to make sure your feet are completely dry. Parents must show their children how to dry between each toe. Fungal organisms tend to feed off moisture. If your child is going to wear socks after a bath, then the socks should be clean and dry. Keeping your feet dry lowers the possibility of getting a fungal infection. You must show your children how to dry their feet before putting on socks. The socks also must be clean and dry. If the socks get wet and dirty, then you should teach your child to change them for clean socks.

Teach Them the Signs of Different Foot Diseases

There are different diseases that can affect feet. These foot diseases may include toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, plantar fasciitis and ingrown toenails. However, you must notice the signs to catch foot diseases in the early stages. A toenail fungus occurs when infection gets into the nails from cracks or cuts in the skin. It changes the color of your nail and makes the nail thicker. This condition can also be painful. There are different ways to get toenail fungus but treating it when found is the important thing. To prevent conditions like toenail fungus, you should encourage your child to change his or her socks regularly.

Develop a Foot Care Routine

It helps to establish a proper foot care routine with your child. You should tell your child to wash his or her feet regularly with soap as part of bathing or showering. After you finish cleaning and drying the feet, you should explain to your child how to apply moisturizer. It helps to develop a daily hygiene routine with your child and to stick to it. Children wear shoes most of the day with and without socks. This activity makes it easy to accumulate dirt and for bacteria to get on your feet. When this bacterium comes in contact with sweat, it can cause smelly feet. Parents must show their children tips on how to keep their feet clean. If you take care of your feet in childhood, you can prevent foot problems in adulthood. Here’s another article talking about health that we think you’ll find interesting!