Hi, What have your experience(s) been in regards to playgroups and the infant/toddler toys/gadgets? I was disturbed after observing three facilities and neither sterilize the objects after babies suck on them and play with them on the mats. I'm concerned about germs and diseases that can be passed through saliva, as well as hygiene. I'm still searching for a suitable facility.
Well, I don't buy the all kids get colds, she's only a baby, don't be germ-a-phobic. Bottom line, she is my child and I have to look out for her best interest and if I am concerned about her putting unsterilized toys in her mouth and catching germs then I have that right. She continues to go and I watch her actions and make sure she is not sucking on objects.
Try Gymboree Play centers. They are very clean and they sterilize everything between classes.
that seems kind of an unreal expectation to me. these kids are touching each other, breathing in each others' faces, even kissing and hugging sometimes, stealing each other's food, toys, there's just no way to keep everything sterile. that's why kids get sick. and it's why they build immunities. i read someone on here the other day saying that the only difference between preschool age kids who go to daycare/preschool, and those who stay home till kindergarten is, the ones who have stayed home take a year or two to stop getting sick constantly once they hit kindergarten because they haven't had a chance to catch up on immunities their bodies naturally build from being around other children. eventually your child will be around other children, now or in kindergarten. and the same germs will be there. sorry, but the world isn't sanitized :) and being sick generally doesn't do any more harm than allow their bodies to get tougher.
this must be your first child.. I kept my first child clean and germ free until she was 12 months.
she was basicly home with me or her nanny..
then she caught a cold at 12 months and a GI bug at 14 months.. and then the next germ.. and the next..
She is 4 now and catches the normal germs from daycare preschool. I laugh when I see the preschool teachers spraying the toys to clean them.
the kids all breathe the same air and share the same germs.. ther is no way they can eliminate germs in a child care or palygroup setting.. mostly they are very mild kid colds.. part of childhood...
Are you referring to a playgroup at a house, or an indoor playcenter? I know some of the indoor playcenters I've been to sterilize at night when they close. There was one place I went to that had a sink in the baby area, and they asked you to put anything in the sink if your baby put their mouth on it.
All in all, I'm not overly concerned about germs. it's healthy to be exposed to a few of them... otherwise when you finally let your kid into the "real world" without you to sterilize everything for them, they won't have had any exposure to anything, or built up any immunities.
If it makes you feel better, bring some hand sanitizer with you! :-)
Dear F.,
I'm just wondering...are you worried they don't sterilize an object immediately after a child plays with it or sucks on it?
Depending on the size of the facility, that might be humanly impossible.
Most places sterilize all toys and surfaces at the end of the day.
As far as germs, you can't keep your child in a bubble, some things are actually beneficial to be exposed to. It helps build antibodies.
If you are certain that absolutely nothing is ever being cleaned, that's one thing. But, expecting to race to clean every toy or gadget the minute a child has touched it isn't realistic, in my opinion.
I did daycare and kids played, shared, slobbered. Unless one of them was obviously seriously ill with a bug of some sort, they traded sippie cups and took bites of each other's food. They all survived. Quite nicely, thank you. They're all healthy and independent adults now.
I understand your concern, but there is likely more cleaning that goes on when the day is over than you realize. It's not a pediatrician office where 90% of the kids that go there are sick and they have to spray and clean every hour.
You will never find a germ free playgroup if that's what you're looking for.
Best wishes.
My daycare sterilizes at the end of the day. They even run them through the dishwasher every week for extra sterilization.
I agree with everyone about germs being a fact of life. The one question that you might ask, however, is what is their policy for dealing with sick children or denying entry to children who appear to be ill. For example, do they have a procedure for dealing with kids who appear to have conjunctivitis, are feverish, have a productive cough. You might ask them when is the last time they enforced it as a way of testing whether it's real or not.
Otherwise, roll with it. Children will share everything and that is a normal part of developing -- catching your share of little bugs and building your immune system.
