Preschoolers have immature immune systems, which makes them vulnerable to getting sick more often. 

• Your child is frequently interacting with new environments and different people such as childcare, public playgrounds, and libraries.
• As a result, your preschooler comes into contact with new germs and bacteria that can easily spread and make them sick.
• Good hand hygiene and handwashing can prevent many infections. 

See the Hand hygiene factsheet for more information.

Bathing your preschooler helps keep them clean and hygienic with two to three times per week being a sufficient amount. However, you and your child may like to have baths more often as part of a bedtime routine, water play, or bonding experience. It is important to ensure that you clean your preschooler's face and genitals daily. Here are some tips on bathing your preschooler:

• use a gentle cleanser instead of harsh soaps to avoid drying out or irritating your child’s skin
• wash your child’s hair about once or twice a week or when it is visibly dirty, oily, or they are more active than usual
• try to avoid products like bubble baths for as long as possible, as these can increase the risk of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in some children
• for girls, wipe your child’s vulva from front to back with water to reduce the risk of infections - it isn’t necessary to use any soap or cleanser as the vagina cleans itself
• for boys, wash the penis and scrotum as normal; including under the foreskin. Don’t try to forcibly retract the foreskin, as it may cause pain, scarring, bleeding or infection
• as your child gets older, you can give them more independence with cleaning and self-care activities
• if you have difficulty getting your child in and then out of the bath, try giving them time cues or warnings and making bath time fun
• gently dry your child completely before getting dressed to avoid rashes.

It is important that you always stay within arms’ reach of your child in the bath and encourage your child to sit in the bath to avoid slips and falls. Primary carers need to understand the major risks when your child is near a bath, including drowning and hot scalds. 

All babies and children under the age of 8 years old must be supervised in even the smallest amount of water. Children can drown quickly, quietly and in just a few centimetres of water.

See Water safety – Bath time for more safety tips.

At this age, your preschooler is likely to know the names of many body parts, like their eyes, nose, arms, and legs. Being curious about private parts and asking questions is a normal part of a child’s development. It’s also normal for children to touch their private parts as a self-soothing strategy when they are anxious or because it feels good. 

You can help your preschooler learn more about their private parts by teaching your child:

• the correct names of their body parts, including all private parts
• the differences between male and female bodies
• the difference between private and public body part
• how different body parts function.

You can also teach preschoolers the difference between a secret and a surprise and help them understand their private body parts.