How Do You Clean And Prevent Illness?

[EchoMom]

I know this is discussed often, but could you please give me an idea of your procedures/routines/precautions/repsonses to cleaning and preventing illness???

I just found out this morning that my DS has Hand Foot & Mouth, and an ear infection. I HATE him getting sick, and yet I also know it's normal, but I don't like it. Whenever any of my DCkids or DS get sick it always makes me seriously insecure that I'm not doing enough to keep kids healthy. Please help me think of anything I might be missing/could do better.

And, what do you all do about babies passing around toys and ****ing on them one after the other? How do you constantly keep toys clean with infants/toddlers/sneezes/drool/etc.??

Thanks so much, I'm seriously bummed...

[daycarediva]

I don't have infants. I have a dirty toy bin, as soon as something goes in a mouth, it gets tossed in there. I have to wash and sanitize that bin nightly. Weekly, I go through all of my toys and daycare space. Everything gets put in the dishwasher or soaked in a sanitizing solution. It also gives me a chance to check for loose pieces, broken toys, etc. I spray hard surfaces with a sanitizing solution several times a day, everytime the toilet gets used it gets sprayed, same with changing table, meal prep surfaces, etc. At the end of each day, I quick spray my toys, table, and deep clean the bathroom and wash the bedding. I have yet to have anything run rampant through my home.

[EchoMom]

I don't have infants. I have a dirty toy bin, as soon as something goes in a mouth, it gets tossed in there. I have to wash and sanitize that bin nightly. Weekly, I go through all of my toys and daycare space. Everything gets put in the dishwasher or soaked in a sanitizing solution. It also gives me a chance to check for loose pieces, broken toys, etc. I spray hard surfaces with a sanitizing solution several times a day, everytime the toilet gets used it gets sprayed, same with changing table, meal prep surfaces, etc. At the end of each day, I quick spray my toys, table, and deep clean the bathroom and wash the bedding. I have yet to have anything run rampant through my home.

Thank you, that was very very helpful! I love the idea of a dirty toy bin, that would be excellent! I do have 3 infants though, so by the end of the day there would be nothing left to play with! ! I love it, I'm definitely going to try that this week and see if works for us!

[Angelsj]

Kids do get sick, and things do need to be kept reasonably clean, but honestly, nutrition is more important than clean. A strong immune system will keep them healthy and make the illnesses they do get shorter.

Feed them all well, and you will be fine

[EchoMom]

Kids do get sick, and things do need to be kept reasonably clean, but honestly, nutrition is more important than clean. A strong immune system will keep them healthy and make the illnesses they do get shorter.

Feed them all well, and you will be fine

Well, I see what you're saying but that doesn't seem to be enough. My son is about to have his 1st birthday and he has been breastfed this entire time, never given formula ever. And in addition to breastmilk he also has plenty healthy food. However, he's been sick multiple times in this first year being around the other infants and toddlers.

[Angelsj]

Well, I see what you're saying but that doesn't seem to be enough. My son is about to have his 1st birthday and he has been breastfed this entire time, never given formula ever. And in addition to breastmilk he also has plenty healthy food. However, he's been sick multiple times in this first year being around the other infants and toddlers.

I know it seems rough right now, but in the long run, if you keep up the nutrition he will be stronger. Kids usually do this when they are exposed to illnesses, whether first daycare, first preschool or kindy.
And I am not saying you shouldn't clean, just don't beat yourself up about it.

[countrymom]

I don't "clean" because kids are sick. For all you know your ds could have picked it up anywhere. I had a dcb who caught hfm from a play area at a popular indoor play place. If you over clean then your killing the germs too. I open windows (even in the winter) I wipe down here and there. Oh, I nursed my ydd till she was 3 yrs old, she's like a brick house, but I never fed her baby food either, I made my own so I think it made a difference. Also, the first year is the hardest with kids, it will get better.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

This past spring I had a kido with hand foot mouth, one with strep, one had an ear infection, one a really good cold, one had a virus with a temp of 103and I had a case of head lice (all within a week) They all had different things but no one caught what the others had!!!
I switch out toys regularly and bleach them before putting them away. I use lysol wipes a couple of times a week on the toys that are out. Infant toys are washed daily and kept seperate.
I clean my carpets in the playroom monthly.. more often if I need to.

More importantly I wash my hands all the time and the kidlets!

[Annalee]

Well, I see what you're saying but that doesn't seem to be enough. My son is about to have his 1st birthday and he has been breastfed this entire time, never given formula ever. And in addition to breastmilk he also has plenty healthy food. However, he's been sick multiple times in this first year being around the other infants and toddlers.

I have two sons, ages eleven and nine. They both entered my child care program when they were seven days old. My oldest son has never been sick, but my youngest was born with a runny nose.:: I think some children just have a weaker immune system. When he was five, we had his tonsils removed and he has been fine since that time. I sanitize regularly with bleach water, have a germ box for toys that have entered someone's mouth, etc., but you can only do so much. We used to laugh when my youngest was small because if there was a germ in Walmart, it would find him.:: Again, just differences in children's immune systems......

[christinaskids]

The best way to prevent sickness is handwashing. This is a well known fact in the medical world and applies elsewhere. I have my children wash their hands many times a day and i would say the sicknesses around here are cut in half.

[Lianne]

I don't clean. Simple as that.

Oh, I do the basics. My floors are vacuumed and mopped once a week, bathroom cleaned once a week & the house is tidy (I hate clutter) but I don't wash toys regularly and I don't scrub my toilets or floors multiple times a day or even everyday. Oh sure, I wipe a toy down that feels or looks gross when I notice it but that's it. The kids in my care are rarely sick and when they are, it's never more than a simple cold so I must be doing something right. I think that a spotless home and disinfected toys do more harm then good where germs, illness and children are concerned.

[Blackcat31]

I don't clean. Simple as that.

Oh, I do the basics. My floors are vacuumed and mopped once a week, bathroom cleaned once a week & the house is tidy (I hate clutter) but I don't wash toys regularly and I don't scrub my toilets or floors multiple times a day or even everyday. Oh sure, I wipe a toy down that feels or looks gross when I notice it but that's it. The kids in my care are rarely sick and when they are, it's never more than a simple cold so I must be doing something right. I think that a spotless home and disinfected toys do more harm then good where germs, illness and children are concerned.

THIS! I am not a clean freak by any means. My house is tidy and cleaned just like Lianne said but I have never gone on an all out sanitizing mode simply because someone got a cold or something.

I think that wiping out all germs isn't always ok. I mean, we obviously need some germs in order to build up immunities so I clean if something needs to be cleaned and do daily chores but do I break out the bleach and the Lysol every time someone comes down with a runny nose? Nope, I don't.

I also think that nutrition plays a huge role in healthy kids. I am on the food program and follow their guidelines but I really push the veggies a ton more than I do the fruit. I know kids need fruit but I bet we have it only 2-3 times per week where as the rest of the time it is veggies, veggies, veggies.

My kiddos all eat great! They also all get a good nap/rest period too so combined with a few germs here and there, good nutrition and good rest/sleep....I RARELY have kids out sick.

Over the last year, I have had one or two kids with colds and that's it. We have never had HFM or croup, or strep or anything else come through rampantly.

The only thing I am really adamant about is we do wash our hands in between almost every activity. Overall my kids are all pretty healthy.

[daycarediva]

It's a regulation here to sanitize toys. Best practice is weekly.

[My3cents]

I am a neat freak want to be. My daycare is lived in. I clean as we go and as needed. If someone is sick I make more effort to disinfect and get the places that hands touch even more then the normal.

Every so often- I have no schedule to this, when it is needed or when I am moved. I will bleach my toys. I vacuum every day. I do my dishes daily- but I might not put them away. I empty trash daily. My bathroom, once a week or if I see something that needs to be wiped or cleaned. I do a couple of pick ups a day for toys. I lack organizational skills and try hard at it everyday. Some people just have a way of being so nicely organized, I struggle with this.

This is how I roll when it comes to cleaning.