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I have a 13 month old who is turning me into a total germophobe! He is a constant drooler, chews on eveything, and this week he has a runny nose and cough on top of the other issues! I sent him home with a fever this afternoon so he won't be here at least tomorrow, but I am wondering how to deal with this realistically. I take any toy that he has mouthed and put it in a dishpan, and run everything through the dishwasher. I try to keep up with sanitizing the bigger toys that can't go through the dishwasher but I realistically can't sanitize every single toy daily. He fills at least a dishpan full of toys he has "gooked" every day! Not to mention the snot and drool he drips all over the room (he literally leaves a trail of drool wherever he goes) and wipes on my furniture and rug! This is causing me a lot of stress! Any advice for how to best manage this situation before I go insane? I wish they made Lysol bombs I could set off every night! I feel like taking a bath in bleach! Help!
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Can you limit the toys he has to a basket of things just for him? Cover his area of the floor & nearby furniture with blankets/sheets you can wash? If he is not already wearing them, put on some cloth bibs so you can easily wipe off the drool. Wear disposable gloves to deal with the snot/drool if it's really bothering you. -
I tried to limit his toys but without having a separate area to contain him (he is a good walker) it doesn't work too well. Without limiting all the kids to a bare minimum of toys, I can't think of any solution other than to keep hoping he outgrows the drooling. He tries to pull bibs off, which leaves marks on the back of his neck. Oddly enough, it doesn't usually bother me to pick up a toy he has chewed on or to wipe his nose without gloves. I just wash my hands a million times a day! I think it is more concern that he is contaminating my own family's living area (my house does not allow me to have a separate dedicated space for daycare) and my youngest one's toys and I don't think it is fair to them. My own kids are 2, 7 and 9 so I worry about them getting sick unnecessarily as well. Putting sheets down might work for the floor if I can keep the kids from pulling them up!Comment
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Love this idea!! Really though, try to relax about it. Kids need germs so I wouldn't go overly crazy in trying to disinfect everything the little guy touches(unless he is clearly sick). I find that almost everytime I do the whole bleach spray for bigger toys and bleach dip for little toys that this is when one of them gets ill.:confused: I have a friend who lysols every toy after we all leave her house and her phobias are spreading to her ds(age 3). He told my ds(age 18 mo) that he didn't want to see him putting any toys in his mouth:
:....I don't think that is a really healthy way to grow up. Kids should love to play in dirt, get dirty, and not worry about germs...they should leave that up to us adults! I don't even disinfect for colds anymore unless something is clearly sneezed or coughed on and have found that the kids stay healthier than if I clean the toys.
The immune systems need germs to build up immunities.
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Thanks Scout! Realistically, I know the kids need to be exposed to germs. I have never been this stressed about it though and that bothers me, because I know it shouldn't bother me, if that makes sense! I think what bothers me the most is that this little guy will chew on anything that he can get his mouth on! He was chewing on the baby gate yesterday, so then when I had to open it, I put my hand in a puddle of drool that was dripping off the edges (yuck!)! I say all the time jokingly that he is part puppy, because he also rips things apart with his teeth (he has shredded - yes, I literally mean shredded -many a book that the older dck's left in his reach)! I really think if I had a dedicated daycare space it wouldn't even bother me as much, but because it is also my living room and my own kids belongings (mostly my youngest ones things, because the older kids have to keep their things out of baby's reach due to small parts) it really bothers me. Short of moving in to a new house or building on a daycare space separate from the living space (I wish!) I guess I will have to learn to deal with it! I just wish I could ignore it and not be so bothered by it. I think yesterday it bothered me more because his nose was also running like a faucet and he had a nasty sounding cough (and of course, he ended up getting sent home with a 102 fever after nap)! I was just wondering if anyone had any additional tips for dealing with it, other than the ones I have mentioned that I do already because I hate being stressed about something I know is normal for his age!Comment
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Have you considered just getting a baby gate for him? You can fill it with a few toys and find him a sensory stick to keep in hand to help his oral fixation and limit his access to the soft, plastic board books that won't tear with chewing. Like Scout said, kids need germs. I still recommend that you sanitize daily, even if you just wipe with clorox wipes or spray with lysol. I only use bleach if someone is sick because I can barely handle the smell. Peroxide is usually my alternative. I don't play about that!Comment
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that sounds really excessive and I just couldnt deal with it. I don't do excessive screaming and I dont do excessive drooling so for me, I would just replace him. Its just too much of an ick factor for me. I know what you are talking about though. I had one kid for awhile that never grew out of it. He was almost 3 and still had snot running out of his nose ALL the time, he whole shirt front was soggy, he left puddles that other kids then stepped or sat in, its disgusting. and yes, I let him go.Comment
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Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will look for a gate like the super yard or something similar so I can set up a separate area for him to go when I am getting overwhelmed with it (I don't want him to have to be in it all the time). That would be good to have on hand for when I have smaller infants anyway so the older ones can be separated from the babies. Thankfully, cheerfuldom, I am taking the summer off this year (both my current families are teachers), so I won't have to deal with it, and then he will be home with mom on maternity leave until Jan. I think I might have to try extra hard to fill his spot while they are out (mom isn't paying to hold the 2 infant spots for when she comes back so she is well aware that there may not be a spot for them in Jan).
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