Study Finds Hand Sanitizer Kills More Kids' Viruses than Soap

Let’s face it. Kids touch a lot of surfaces we tell them not to, and those surfaces are often contaminated. This makes developing good hand hygiene habits one of the most important skills you can teach your child.

A recent study published in Pediatrics features hand sanitizer as the must-have for this cold and flu season. Results from the study proved that children who used hand sanitizer had fewer respiratory infections, took less antibiotics and missed fewer days at daycare overall than the children who didn't.

While regular soap and water has been the recommended method for good hand hygiene, hand sanitizer has proven to be a practical and effective alternative. Soap and water are not always accessible, and if you don’t properly wash your hands the germs will still be present.

According to the CDC, children and adults should wet their hands, lather them with soap (including the backs, between fingers and under fingernails), scrub for at least 20 seconds (the length of singing “Happy Birthday” twice), rinse and then dry. Visit the CDC for the latest flu updates and activity.