Hi Parents,
My two girls love to play in the tub for a few minutes after their shampoo and that's all it took to have my two year old lay one in the middle of the tub! I didn't see this at first and so, I have no idea how long it was there before i found it. Other then scouring the tub, rinsing the kids in the shower and slathering them with Cetiphil, is there anything else any one can recommend? I am absolutely certian my 2 year old swallowed water while chewing on her washcloth. I had only a small amount of chlorine in the tub (a treatment for their eczema). Is there any reason to phone the doctor before she gets ill from this? Any advice would help. I think I'm forgetting something.
Thanks,
C.
Wow, Thank you all for your re-assuring words. What's so ironic about my mommy moment is that I WAS an Infectious Disease nurse in my former life. All to practical knowledge in the world goes out the window when it involves your own family.
Many of you expressed concern about the chlorine in the tub. Please let me now re-assure all of you, it took a lot of convincing on the part of SEVERAL allergistS and pediatricianS for me to try using it. We went through several HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OF recommended creams--all worked for a short time then became too painful to the kids to apply. We've been using a tablespoon of chlorox in our bath water two times/week for a year and we're able to keep the eczema at a reasonable level. It's hard to get your head around it I know but, the analogy that the last allergist gave me was that it's really no different then the swimming pool without the sun.
Thank you all again, and while I can only hope that this is the last time it happens, I will at least be more assured when and if it does.
C.
Watch your kids for a few days, if they don't get sick...you should be okay. I would still at least call the doc to see what he says. Keep an eye on temperature or if they get lethargic, could be sign of bacteria in their system. It's a gross thing in the tub, but it does happen, Take care mom...you're still doing a good job.
CJD, truthfully as gross as it sounds, theres is nothing to worry about unless one of the girls actually picked the poop up and ate it. The germs are therem, but they were washed off when you cleaned the tub and rinsed the girls. The swallowing of the water may make us adults very squeamish, but it won't hurt her.
I offer this advice only because my Ped offered it to me with my first...I now have four and poop is just another one of those things. Make sure you have a strong stomach, plenty of paper towels, a lovign heart, and an understanding mind.
Keep an eye on things, but I suspect she'll be absolutely fine -- kids are AMAZINGLY resilient!! When my son was first crawling, he got into the bathroom, unsupervised (bad me!!) and I found him chewing on the TOILET BRUSH!!! GROSS!! And he survived, too!!! Kids are tougher than we think!! I think some of this stuff is just nature's way of helping them build up good immune systems.
My three year old has done this several times. I guess the warm water relaxes them enough to go. You have done everything needed to do. Relax mom!
I think most of us have had this happen at one time or another. And pretty much, cleaning the kids and the tub is all that is required. Pretty gross, sure but I am sure that both babes are AOK! One thing that you can do - just so that you feel confident, is to give poison control a quick call. They are ever so helpful and can offer suggestions and/or discuss whether anything further needs to be done. Good Luck! :o)
My two boys have done that a couple of times also... I wash them both off again with soap and water and wash out the tub afterward. Neither one has gotten sick at all. I know feces has bacteria, but I don't think there is a toxicity problem. This is just from personal experience. I have no medical opinion on it. It didn't occur to me to bring it up at the next Dr. visit.
Hope it all works out for you.
Hi C.,
Sorry to hear about the poop incident! My younger daughter got into a habit of pooping in the tub every night for a while! It's pretty gross isn't it?
I know you already posted a reply about the Chlorine issue, but to me it seems insane that your pediatrician would suggest that you use it in your children's bath water. For a start it is poisonous. Chlorine bleach is number One on the list of fatal poisonings in children This is something that I found in the medical encyclopedia: "Chlorine is a chemical that prevents bacteria from growing. Chlorine poisoning occurs when someone swallows or breathes in (inhales) chlorine."
The next biggest issue about chlorine is that it is a major skin irritant, which is why people who regularly swim in chlorinated pools are more likely to have skin conditions such as eczema.
You should get a second opinion on the use of chlorine to treat eczema because my daughters used to have a real problem with eczema and I have never heard of using chlorine for it and I think it is an issue of real concern.
Just as an aside, what cleared up my daughters' eczema was using natural laundry detergents and dryer sheets/fabric softeners and also natural shampoo and body wash. (The regular ones including popular brands such as Snuggle, Johnson and Johnson etc, while they lead you to believe with their advertising that they are mild and gentle, actually are chock full of chemicals which when you look them up are also listed as skin irritants).
Make sure you let us know what happens with this.
L. P
C., I think that you did plenty to ward off problems. Kids will eat alot of things that are gross, and most don't have any problems. I am concerned about using Chlorine as a treatment for the eczema, chlorine can be very harmeful, especially when swallowed. What I found that helps my sons eczema is Renew from Melaleuca. We tried many things before the Renew, but now he knows when it is acting up and he puts more on to help.
My daughter now 5 still tells a story about doing this in the tub when she was little, as did her brother now 7. I don't think I even went to the lengths that you did and they're both happy and healthy. I may be wrong but I would be very surprised if they suffered any ill effects from this, I would just keep it in mind if they show any symptoms.
R.
ps Both of my kids did this more than once!
hi C.,
obviously one doesn't want to encourage this sort of thing<G>, but please don't fret. it's the nature of kids to ingest all sorts of horrifying things, and they seem uniquely designed to breeze through most of it. they'll be just fine.
:) khairete
S.
I'd say...DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! Especially with chlorine in the water...
