Hand Sanitizer

[Country Kids]

On my last visit, my liscensor informed me there is to be no hand sanitizer used with the children unless water is not available-field trips, etc. I use to use it between visits to the restroom if a child sneezed, coughed, etc. We even discussed how in hospitals more and more staff actually use hand sanitizer than washing their hands. A week later when visiting someone in the hospital I watched as the nurse came in, hand sanitized and when on with the patient.

My question to everyone is how do you wash everyones hands when they cough, sneeze, etc. especially when its cold/allergy season. I have actually been in the bathroom every 5 min. with some children because they are sneezing or I'm having to wipe their nose. That is why I went originally to using hand sanitizer.

[MNMum]

I am a RN in the NICU. We regularly use hand sanitizer any time we are going to touch a baby. We always begin our shift with a 2 minute hand wash. Wash hands anytime we come into contact with body fluids even though we wear gloves (ie diaper changes, sneezes and nose wiping would be considered the same). We also wash hands after 8-10 applications of the sanitizer. I'm too new to daycare to comment on what I will do here with cold season. Right now I have been washing hands every time.

[Crystal]

I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.

[morgan24]

I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.

I agree that hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for washing your hands but, with cold and flu season coming up and it being only me with 6 dcks under 4 I will be spending most of my day in the bathroom. So I do use hand sanitizer sometimes.

[mismatchedsocks]

I carry hand sanitizer in my purse, but thats about it. I have it here if parents need it, or visitors ( state people, etc) before they come in.
I use handwashing in sink all the time. Even with cold/flu season coming, its better to wash with warm water and soap then hand sanitizer to wash germs away.

[heyhun77]

I use hand sanitizer for me for the helping with tissues and such or if I need to walk a child to the bathroom after a diaper change but I don' tlet the kids use it. Mainly because of the alcohol content. I have one child with a liver condition so hand sanitizer isn't an option repeatedly throughout the day for him. Plus, it doesn't take much of it in their system to cause health problems so I keep it up for only adults to use and let the kids wash their hands many many times throughout the day. For some it's that repetition that breaks bad habits like coughing on their hands or using their hands as a tissue or sticking their fingers in their nose/eyes/ears/ect.

[snbauser]

Hand washing every time. It is a pain but we do it. The only time we use hand sanitizer is if we are outside and an adult going in to wash their hands would put us out of ratio.

[Sunshine44]

Schools here cannot use it at all because it is danerous to kids.

[Country Kids]

Schools here cannot use it at all because it is danerous to kids.

Wow!!! Our schools were actually requiring for our kids to bring it and keep at their desks and such. Most teachers have a huge bottle on their desks as well. Also, they have a dispenser on the wall in the cafeteria at one of my childrens schools. Its funny you find it in all the hospitals, doctor offices, schools, etc. but we aren't allowed to use in childcare.

[snbauser]

Its funny you find it in all the hospitals, doctor offices, schools, etc. but we aren't allowed to use in childcare.

I think the difference is that most of them are alcohol based and therefore dangerous for young children. We can have it here but it has to be out of reach of children (6ft up from the ground) and can only be used when water isn't an option.

[Crystal]

Wow!!! Our schools were actually requiring for our kids to bring it and keep at their desks and such. Most teachers have a huge bottle on their desks as well. Also, they have a dispenser on the wall in the cafeteria at one of my childrens schools. Its funny you find it in all the hospitals, doctor offices, schools, etc. but we aren't allowed to use in childcare.

They are wrong for doing so. Hand sanitizer has been known to cause alcohol poisoning in children:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp

[youretooloud]

We just wash hands.

Funny story though. I had a girl named Riley. I noticed that every time I put hand sanitizer on her hands, she licked them. One day, the mom called me and said "Riley is sick... I think she's drunk". "Um.... drunk?" ..."She kept using the hand sanitizer over and over again. It was about 30 minutes before I noticed that she was licking it off, then reapplying it". I said "yes, I probably should have told you she licks that stuff off".

So, she was totally drunk for most of the day, spent a good part of her day in the ER because they wanted to make sure she hadn't poisoned herself.

I rarely use it here. When I do it's not really in place of a hand washing, it's usually in addition to one when they've done something gross. Like sneeze a big snot into their hands.

[Unregistered]

We just wash hands.

Funny story though. I had a girl named Riley. I noticed that every time I put hand sanitizer on her hands, she licked them. One day, the mom called me and said "Riley is sick... I think she's drunk". "Um.... drunk?" ..."She kept using the hand sanitizer over and over again. It was about 30 minutes before I noticed that she was licking it off, then reapplying it". I said "yes, I probably should have told you she licks that stuff off".

So, she was totally drunk for most of the day, spent a good part of her day in the ER because they wanted to make sure she hadn't poisoned herself.

I rarely use it here. When I do it's not really in place of a hand washing, it's usually in addition to one when they've done something gross. Like sneeze a big snot into their hands.

I dont like the alcohol based sanitizers they can do things like that to kids and they only work while they are still wet which is only about 15 seconds. i like the anitmicrobial no alcohol sanitizers. i found one (Home-rid, get it online) that works for 24 hours so i figure its just easier to put that on once a day and wash my hands as i normally do all day. Feel extra protected.

[Meeko]

I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.

Amen to this.

Our licensing rules state that if running water is not available (such as at the park or something)...then we are to use wet wipes to remove the dirt and then hand sanitizer after. The hand sanitizer by itself does not remove dirt, boogers etc! But nothing is better than soap and water.

I don't use it as I find it dries my hands out too badly. I already have to use gallons of lotion!!!

By the way.......haven't found anything better than Gold Bond Ultimate Healing lotion and I have tried EVERYTHING!

[daycare]

I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.

ditto....

Especially after sneezing....the thought of bogars flying onto my hand and then rubbing hand sanitizer into the snot and my hand.....YUCK no thanks....