Sanitizing Toys

[Crystal]

I use the Clorox Anywhere daily hard surface disinfectant. I use this on all of the tables and countertops before and after meals and on all of my hard surface items and big toys at the end of every day. I use clorox wipes throughout the day for cleaning the bathroom sink and toilet, as well as the changing mat and napmats. Anytime a toy is mouthed it goes into a bucket in the kitchen sink for sanitizing - even the kids know if they see a friend with a toy in their mouth, they will tell them to put it in the germ bucket.

About once a month I wash all small toys.....legos, duplos, megablocks, toy animals, dolls, etc.

I wash bedding weekly, napmats daily. Throw rugs, dress up clothes and stuffed animals every week or two, depending on the need.

I clean the ENTIRE downstairs every morning before arrival.....toilets I use disinfectant pine sol and comet, and I pine sol mop the floors. All carpeted areas are vacuumed each morning and evening.

My kids are rarely ill.

[DanceMom]

Yeah...I don't really hyperfocus on sanitizing toys. I don't use antibacterial wipes or sprays either. No Lysol, nothing like that. Yuck. I can't imagine putting all those chemicals on surfaces that are so near kids and are bound to get in their mouths a lot.

Most germs don't live outside the human body for terribly long, anyway. Plus, there's PLENTY of research showing that plain ol' soap and warm water is sufficient to remove normal germs from things.

The kids in my daycare are very healthy, for the most part. I believe VERY strongly in the value of germ-exposure to build and strengthen a child's immune system. Dirt, germs, etc, not scary to us. The worst illnesses we've had in the ten months I've been doing this have been ear infections--nope, not contagious, not an issue. We've had runny noses and colds make the rounds, but they're gone in a week or so and everyone's back to being healthy for several months.

All of my parents know coming in that I don't clean with chemicals (the bathroom is the sole place I make an exception) and that we believe in letting kids get dirty--the dirtier the kid, the more fun they're having!

I agree with all of this. My kids rarely get sick here..if they do its ALWAYS from the weekend..they come in Monday with runny noses etc...they do spread it quickly to the others but I dont stop it as much as most providers might..I always remind my parents that unfortunately they are sick now BUT fortunately when they start kindergarten their immune systems will be built up pretty good by the time they start. Worst sickness we had that spread like wild fire was RSV last year..otherwise it has only been colds. With colds I am constantly wiping noses( make the parents donate kleenex) and washing their hands and using hand sanitizer.

I do Lysol or dishwasher and wash bedding weekly. I dont have stuffed animals at all ( only in daughters room which is hands off from daycare )
I spray highchairs, paknplays, and any hard big surfaces..I am constantly wiping down couters, door handles, doors , walls etc just because Im a neat freak. Mop almost daily with Pinsol, vaccuum daily etc.

[melskids]

My rep said to sanitize everything everyday after the kids leave and throughout the day. If not, I am doing a huge dis-service to my family who will be sick all the time due to my career choice.

well, i clean as necessary, and my family and my daycare kids are almost never sick.

now i'm not saying i dont do it, believe me, all i do is clean. but cleaning toys that werent even touched all week just for the sake of cleaning them is a little extreme to me. (thats what they expect us to do. and thats what i meant in my post)

[My Daycare]

well, i clean as necessary, and my family and my daycare kids are almost never sick.

now i'm not saying i dont do it, believe me, all i do is clean. but cleaning toys that werent even touched all week just for the sake of cleaning them is a little extreme to me. (thats what they expect us to do. and thats what i meant in my post)

I meant the same thing in my post. I was just commenting on what my rep said, not what I believe to be the only way. So, so sorry if my comment came off wrong.

We do what we can.