When your LO gets out of school or daycare, do you make them wash their hands?
I do, and I have since she started last year. I'm weird about germs though, so I could be in the minority! I'm curious what others do, if it's just part of the after school routine or done as you remember, or maybe just before they eat or something?
honeydew / 7444 posts
Yes, but only because they'll usually want a snack after coming home. DD's mittens also stink so i make her wash her hands.
nectarine / 2973 posts
No, we probably should though. I'm just not a germaphobe at all, I never think to make her.
pomegranate / 3768 posts
Yes, always! She knows the first thing she needs to do when she steps inside the house is wash her hands. Not only after school, but after we've been out anywhere...shopping, park, etc. I wash my hands too.
persimmon / 1345 posts
Same as @Dolphin.
Not just school but anytime we come home, she heads to bathroom to wash hands.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
@looch: oh yeah she does that too but usually to pajamas bc she wants to be comfy!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
@misolee: I use sanitizer in the car. Probably best to use soap and water but I like to do it right away.
nectarine / 2280 posts
She washes her hands at school and then sanitizes in the car if she touched anything on the way out. She also gets out of her school clothes as soon as she gets home. I probably would've been more lax on this stuff if I didn't have a newborn when she started school.
persimmon / 1316 posts
I am a germaphobe so it is something I would do. We pretty much wash our hands anytime we were out in public where she is touching stuff.
persimmon / 1458 posts
My intention is to do this everyday but reality is I almost never remember. With 3 kids it is complete chaos the minute we walk in the door!
pomelo / 5573 posts
Nope. Would never have occurred to me. Is it to keep the rest of the family safe from daycare germs?
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Yes! First thing she has to do. Mostly b/c she will eat, but also b/c of germs!
pea / 9 posts
Yes, always! It's the first thing we do when we get into the house. If I pick her up and we are going to be going somewhere else, we wash hands before we leave daycare. It's good habit to get into for school. I do the same-I'm a teacher and I wash my hands before I leave the building and when I get home. I really believe it has helped us not to get as sick! We also had a baby in October and I wanted to protect her from the onslaught of daycare germs in as many ways as possible!
grapefruit / 4455 posts
At first I gave her her bath right after preschool! I was much more strict about this last year when we had a newborn, but it really didn't help prevent illness anyway.
I no longer do this or immediate hand washing for two reasons: 1) if she's got something on her hands that she can/will catch, she's already been exposed/caught it, and 2) they wash hands and eat lunch immediately before I pick her up because she only goes for half days.
coconut / 8430 posts
Yep. We wash hands before we leave and then we also wash as soon as we come home from anywhere... not just daycare.
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
Nope. Only before eating. (And sometimes we forget that too!) Clearly not a germaphobe but he's a healthy kid so, so far so good for us.
pomelo / 5258 posts
No, I don't. The kids are there 10 hours a day. They've done (and licked) all sorts of disgusting things all day. I don't think hand washing at the end of the day is going to prevent anything. We do wash hands after going out other places where the contact wasn't so intimate and prolonged. Then I feel like there might be a fighting chance against the germs.
persimmon / 1233 posts
Nope! Just before eating (usually). Is there any evidence this works to prevent illness? My kids are both in full time daycare and have been surprisingly healthy with just a couple colds.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I am kind of surprised, reading this thread, but at the same time, I get now why so many kids are sick in school!
I mean, yeah, they're in the environment all day long, but hand washing is proven to reduce the spread of germs. I look at it this way, if my son doesn't wash his hands, he touches other things around the house, that my husband or I then touch. So, I do my best to limit the amount of stuff that comes in contact with germs from school, especially soft surfaces (like couches) that you can't easily disinfect.
honeydew / 7504 posts
@travellingbee: Same here. We wash hands before we eat, but it's not immediately when we walk through the door. But I'm not a huge fear-of-germs person and, on the contrary, believe exposure to germs is important to build up a strong immune system.
blogger / kiwi / 626 posts
Our preschool requires students to wash their hands upon arrival and before they can leave. It's nice because I think it probably cuts down on the illnesses being spread.
apricot / 343 posts
Yes, and it has made a huge difference since we started. Their preschool also makes them wash hands upon arrival. We also have them wash their hands when coming in from outside, home from the store, grandma's, anywhere really. We are not germophobic at all but it has been helpful in reducing illness.
grapefruit / 4584 posts
I'm with @looch: don't want the germs in my house! Someone threw up in DD2's class today, so I made both girls strip at the garage door and threw all their clothes, bags, and coats in the wash ASAP. I bleached the Dinosaur (thankfully hard, not plush) she took in for show and tell, and am contemplating washing her hair before nap.
grapefruit / 4085 posts
Yes - we always wash our hands whenever we come home regardless of where we've been.
pomelo / 5326 posts
Yes. I started making her wash her hands after daycare when DS was born in November.
coconut / 8483 posts
Sanitizer as soon as we get in the car and a good scrub as soon as we get home
pear / 1657 posts
@Purpledaisy: Exactly this.
However, it would probably be better for MY health if he washed them. He is exposed to so many germs at school, I don't worry about him, but I work from home and don't see many people during the day.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
I guess I should probably add that 99% of the time dd comes home and plays outside for awhile straight away.. so she's not really coming in until a potty break and/or a snack maybe after 30 mins, and then she'd wash hands for that. But she doesn't change clothes or anything so I'm guessing the germs are still on her and the house...
@looch: I'm surprised the other way, lol. I always thought (well, was told by family) I was being too germaphobic when I used to always at least wash her hands and change her clothes. Honestly it hasn't made a difference with illnesses going around our house but we also didn't have a yard then so she came right in.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
34 comments