The 186 items YOUR child touches in a day: Image highlights the importance of hand-washing in the age of Covid-19
- Children touch a total of 186 items in 24 hours, including soft toys, dishcloths and pyjamas, research shows
- Comes as 60 per cent of parents have called on schools to better educate children about hand hygiene
- Frequent and thorough hand-washing is vital to help stop the spread of Covid-19
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From soft toys to school uniforms, this image reveals every item a child touches in just 24 hours.
The eye-catching display, created by UK soap brand Lifebuoy to mark Global Handwashing Day, highlights why it is vital children wash their hands regularly throughout the day, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Researchers followed children going about their daily lives and noted down everything they touched from the moment they woke up until the moment they went to sleep.
Everything little hands touch: This eye-catching image reveals the 186 items children touch in a 24-hour period
An average of the number of items was taken and a representative selection included in the flat-lay image.
It shows how tiny hands touch everything from playground equipment to the toilet seat; lunchboxes to dining room chairs.
The findings come as the majority of parents said they wanted children to receive better teaching on the importance of hand hygiene at school.
Today TV’s Dr Ranj Singh is delivering a virtual assembly to 426 schools across the UK about the important role handwashing plays in preventing the spread of viruses such as colds, flu and COVID-19.
He said: ‘Handwashing has become increasingly important over the last few months as it’s been shown to be one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of coronavirus as well as seasonal colds and flu so I am not surprised parents are calling for more hand hygiene education.
‘Forming good habits when young is critical in helping to reduce the spread of infection, particularly as Lifebuoy has shown, children typically touch hundreds of items every day.
‘This is why I’m hosting a nationwide assembly with Lifebuoy to inspire primary school children to take hygiene into their own hands.’