Is there a neat way for children to wash hands?

[lukkykatt]

Since DS became potty trained, I spend a good bit of time cleaning the bathroom. Besides the dribbles, the culprit is liquid soap, which gets all over the sink, floor, towels, etc. I switch to the foam soap, but that is not much better, plus it is PINK. Has anyone found anything great? I was thinking of switching to little bars of soap?

[CherylT]

I recently switched to using watered down liquid soap from full strength due to the mess factor - it does seem to be less messy. Also, I keep a dry washcloth next to the sink for DD to dry her hands on - then she doesn't have to get off the stool and walk across the bathroom with wet hands to get to the towel bar. HTH

Cheryl
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[brubeck]

The bar soap isn't too bad. I taught my daughter to just wipe her hands across it (ie: not pick it up) and she does that. The only problem is when she decides to float it in a sinkful of water for fun. So I am using up a bunch of 'freebie' bars of soap, mostly the kind that you get in hotels. I haven't run out yet!

As for water splashing, the best thing is to have the child be able to stand tall enough. If they are reaching on tippy toes to get their hands wet then they are more likely to splash. If the child is high enough they can put their hands into the sink bowl and there is less of a mess. Notice I said LESS. There will still be a mess after all.

Another trick that worked for me was to leave a towel next to the sink and tell me daughter to wipe up the spills on the counter. It works pretty well.

[AmyE]

Here's a neat idea: http://delsiesoaps.com/potty_pals.html I haven't tried it myself but looks to be a pretty good idea. :)

AmyE