Research of 500 kids aged five-11 and their parents found youngsters typically wash their hands nine times a day.
And 41 per cent of children even revealed they have had to remind their mums and dads to wash their hands – putting parents firmly on the ‘naughty list’ this festive season
A further 28 per cent believe Christmas will be different this year because Santa will have to use sanitiser.
And parents have planned new ‘traditions’ to put in place this festive season including almost three in 10 (29 per cent)planning to leave out hand gel for the big man.
Another 43 per cent admitted they’ll have to remember to clean their hands more regularly this festive season.
Benoit Roger-Machart, spokesman for Lifebuoy, which commissioned the research, said: “This research shows how well children have understood the changes in 2020 but it is clear that we all need constant reminders and a helping hand now and then – even Santa.”
“Handwashing is still the first line of defence against COVID-19, but when you’re not able to use a sink and water, hand sanitiser is a great option, so we are encouraging families to leave one out for Santa, so he can leave presents safely this year.”
The study also found a fifth of parents admitted their child currently washes their hands for the full recommended 20 seconds more regularly than mum or dad do.
But despite families getting to grips with hand washing, a third of parents are still concerned good habits could slip over the Christmas holidays.
It also emerged seven in 10 parents are proud of how well their children have coped with the demands of 2020, with almost four in 10 kids understanding why after school clubs were cancelled.
More than a third of youngsters also understood why they couldn’t have a proper birthday party in 2020.
Benoit added: “We created free hand hygiene kits for parents and their kids to download over the holidays and continue their hand hygiene education at a home during a critical time.
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