Do you think this is overkill (germ phobes come in)

Zenya · February 2012

Our pedi suggested this at my baby's appointment this week.[Poll]

AZ_Erica · February 2012

I do think it is overkill, unless something really gross...like stomach flu...is going around, then I may actually consider it. But in reality I would probably forget to have him do it by the time we got home.

Jessys_Girl · February 2012

I worked in a mental health clinic for a while and I worked with many homeless individuals with severe mental illness and a lot of them had very poor hygiene. Many of them even had bugs of all sorts (it was not uncommon to see roaches or bed bugs crawling on a client), and they were susceptible to a lot of illnesses like pnuemonia, flu, etc. So I would always change my clothes in the bathroom at my office right before leaving for the day and put my work clothes in a garbage bag and bring them straight home to wash. I didn't want ANYTHING brought home.

We didn't get a lot of germs (or any bugs, thank god), but I'm not sure if it was my changing clothes that prevented it or just me washing hands or whatever, but I still felt better when I did it.

Rebekah1021 · February 2012

If he's covered in grime I could see it. I think it's a good idea, but pretty unpractical.

DevonPow · February 2012

If there was a bad bug/illness/lice/whatever veryactive in DS's school and I had an infant (especially a preemie), maybe. Otherwise no way. But, I am a big believer in dirt/germs being good for us and not being over sanitized.

Mrs Manners · February 2012

My SIL teaches 1st grade and had a preemie (2 lbs 10 oz at birth). When she comes home, she showers and changes clothes before touching him. It's what they advised her to do when she asked about germ prevention. My brother works in an office environment, he changes clothes (but doesn't shower) after coming in and before going to the baby.

We often change ds's clothes when he comes home because he likes to play in our muddy back yard while I fix dinner and because we eat a lot of salads with olive oil dressing which stain his clothes.

MrsSR · February 2012

I teach and when I come home I change my clothes.

I don't think it's overkill.

AnnapolisLari · February 2012

I have enough laundry to deal with already without creating more.

AndiG · February 2012

I voted SS just because I wouldn't do that unless lice or bed bugs were a problem at school or if there was someone in our household to whom being sick could be life threatening.

EastCoastBride · February 2012

DevonPow:
If there was a bad bug/illness/lice/whatever veryactive in DS's school and I had an infant (especially a preemie), maybe. Otherwise no way. But, I am a big believer in dirt/germs being good for us and not being over sanitized.

This.

j-w · February 2012

Since preschool, I have had my kids change clothes after school. And, they are always the ones who get sick the least.

Chapter79 · February 2012

Normally I would think that's complete overkill. However, my DD is in grade K and is literally sick every other week since starting and I may just try this lol.

shopgirl78 · February 2012

It's not practical for us as all 3 kids are in the same daycare (the big two do 1/2 day and afterschool), mine all have immune systems (knock on wood) of steel. My big kids have not missed a day due to illness (or anything) yet though DS2 has been out. Currently, he is having stomach issues : (

Ilumine · February 2012

Are ou trying to stop the spread of disease from entering the house or keeping the school child healthy?

Becuase if he / she is going to come in contact with something that gets on his clothes, he / she will have already been in contact enough to be infected. So changing the clothes is sort of moot.

karen6784 · February 2012

My pedi suggested DD changing her clothes when she comes home from school. It doesn't make sense to me. I have to take DS with me to drop off and pick up DD. Her school doesn't have a pick up lane so I have to bring him into her classroom twice a day.

I do keep DS covered in his car seat. DD's teachers have also taught the kids not to touch him because of germs.

EastCoastBride · February 2012

j*w*:
Since preschool, I have had my kids change clothes after school. And, they are always the ones who get sick the least.

I doubt this is cause and effect. I don't change DS's clothes and he gets sick the least...

hopanka · February 2012

This is how I grew up, so it's natural for me to continue what my mom started. We change into clean house clothes when we come home. It makes me feel like my home is cleaner. I also make guests take off shoes, we don't wear outside shoes in the house. It's gross.

Leila'sMommy · February 2012

I don't just change DD's clothes before coming home, I change my own, Purell both of our hands, and run us both through a full body scan to make sure we haven't missed anything. We jump up and down five times before entering the house to knock the remaining germs loose, and then light matches to kill any bugs in the air before closing the door. Then we change our clothes again. You can't be too careful.

soontobemomma · February 2012

The norovirus is going around so many areas right now, is yours one of them? Our preschool was shut down for 2 days and it still kept going. All our school systems are on alert in this area. Perhaps they are concerned about that, since it is so contagious.

I don't do it, but DD1 has had a 104 plus for 4 days. Maybe I should have, and wouldn't think anything of someone who did.

We change clothes if we are at CEC or a playplace or airplane/train, so not much different.

justEK · February 2012

I make the kids take their clothes off. For some reason DS needs to take all of his clothes off to take a sh!t, so his clothes are on the bathroom floor just about every day.

I also make them take them off because they both still nap (3 &5) and I don't want them in their beds with their germy school clothes

soontobemomma · February 2012

justEK:
I make the kids take their clothes off. For some reason DS needs to take all of his clothes off to take a sh!t, so his clothes are on the bathroom floor just about every day.

This made me LOL DD2 does this every day!

penguingrrl · February 2012

I think it makes sense if there's a newborn, but otherwise no. My SIL and BIL are both physicians and when their children were newborns they came home and showered and changed before holding the baby, which made total sense to me. But once their kids were in daycare they stopped since the kids were going to be exposed regardless (obviously if there were something particularly strange or virulent they would shower and change) so they stopped showering when they came in.

winomom22 · February 2012

DevonPow:
If there was a bad bug/illness/lice/whatever veryactive in DS's school and I had an infant (especially a preemie), maybe. Otherwise no way. But, I am a big believer in dirt/germs being good for us and not being over sanitized.

This.

justEK · February 2012

soontobemomma:
justEK:
I make the kids take their clothes off. For some reason DS needs to take all of his clothes off to take a sh!t, so his clothes are on the bathroom floor just about every day.
This made me LOL DD2 does this every day!

It drives me crazy! lol

Littlejen22 · February 2012

Ilumine:
Are ou trying to stop the spread of disease from entering the house or keeping the school child healthy?
Becuase if he / she is going to come in contact with something that gets on his clothes, he / she will have already been in contact enough to be infected. So changing the clothes is sort of moot.

My thoughts too

HAFranklin · February 2012

My nephew had a heart transplant when he was 3 (he is 6 now), so my sister does this with both of her boys when something is going around. He is doing great, but the smallest cold can turn into something much much worse because his immune system is not so great.

We did it once when there was a bad lice outbreak. All clothes and backpack come off and into a sealed garbage bag.

meglew · February 2012

I think that it is a bit overkill. I voted SS because DD does change after school, but she wears a uniform at school, so she changes into play clothes when she gets homes out of her jumper and tights.

Ilumine · February 2012

The thing is, your purse and cell phone provides as much, if not more access to transmit table diseases than your school clothes or even shoes. Do you change them out when you come in the house, do you never ever bring them into the kitchen or living room?

Every time you walk into the bathroom, you track feces right on out the door, into your living area, do you wear disposable slip ons?

Your husband (for the SAHM) comes into contact with the parents of the possible infected children every day at work, do you demand that he changes into clean clothes immediately upon arrival?

And really, if the diseas is on the clothes, it's on the arms, legs and hair of your kid too...at least when you are doing the change of clothes. If your child has enough of the microbe in his clothes to get up himself or anyone else in the house FROM WHAT HE BROUGHT HOME, he will transfer it to his house clothes too...

And really, even if your child gets sick or even transfers it to another family member, the odds that he contracted the disease WHILE IN SCHOOL is much greater than contracting it from the swab on his right elbow...hours later.

CubbyMama · February 2012

I don't consider myself a germaphobe, really, but I always change out of my teaching clothes as soon as I get home. I think of it this way: if doctors/nurses do this with their coats and scrubs after treating sick people, how could it hurt for me to do it after being around (and sometimes kind of groped by) nose-pickers and grubby-handed little ones for 6 hours?

I try to change K out of her preschool clothes and wash her hands or give her a Wet Ones wipe right afterward, too. FWIW, we rarely get sick, but that could be coincidence. I figure it's an easy preventive measure and worth doing if there's a chance it'll save us from someone throwing up all night...you don't usually know something is going around until you've been exposed to it anyway, so I don't feel like it helps to only do it when you know other kids are already sick.

WBs_Bride · February 2012

A neighbor's baby wound up with a fever at less than 2 weeks old, and was hospitalized (he was fine). When the baby got home the doctor told the parents to make their kids (grade school, maybe grades 4 and 6 at the time?) change immediately when they got home from school, before going near the baby or touching things he used. This was also January, when a lot of germs are around. It's not an issue of getting the germs off the kids themselves but carrying them home with/on them. I think it's advised most often when there are babies at home who are too young to be immunized against certain things.

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