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Thursday, February 22, 2007

Sanitizing

Sometimes I wonder if motherhood make some of us a bit crazy;-) I am not talking about restless days and sleepless night. Im talking about being overprotective & paranoid about kids related things. Sometimes my hubby thinks I am a bit too much but other times he will say, yes you are right, for the same thing;-)

For example, when we started going out with A, I didn’t want to put him in the shopping cart. It wasn’t that I was making him sit in the cart but I was only putting his car seat in the shopping cart, still we used to go through all the trouble to take out the stroller even if I was going for few minutes. When he grew old for the stroller and I had no choice but to make him sit or stand in the cart. There are shopping cart covers available but in my mind it’s the same thing because you put the cover on cart, which in a way is covering germs with cover but what happen next… You fold the same cover & use it the next time.. Now don’t you think you are taking few germs with you? Unless you wash the cover before use it again you might not waste $25 on that… So with these thought in mind I didn’t buy one. I started using baby wipes to wipe the handle of the cart & cart seat but now I can’t wipe the whole damn cart.. I see people putting their pets, sometimes old people putting their walking sticks there, which they take it in the bathroom & everywhere and I can’t tell how many times I have seen kids with runny nose, open laces sitting in the cart with those nasty, dirty shoes, where I make my kids sit. I know its part of life and you might call me crazy but I still want to avoid these things as much as possible.

Thinking of these things, most of the times hubby is assigned to do the shopping :-) Its not much anyway since we get cold cuts, 1-2 meat of hubby’s choice, salad & few other regular things And hubby can get whatever he likes and it is easier for me cuz I know Im making what hubby like since he bought it ;-)

We have different outside & indoor cloths. Even when we come home at 12 at night, we all take shower (we go out once a week;-). In India your stuff is exposed to sunlight but here it is not possible unless you drag things out & put it in ur backyard but its not practical.

We have separate shoes for kitchen, bath & outside. No shoes allowed in any other room.

I carry a pack of wipe with me everywhere. A pack is in the car, one near the front door & one near the back door. (After you put shoes, wipe ur hands:-)
Still before we go to sleep we wash our feet again because kids like to jump on pillows:-)

My house look like a tornado hit these days. No matter how hard I try, its always messy so now I gave up & enjoy the mess. When I come to cleaning I used to be like Monica in “Friends” but now Im a different person, vvveeerrryyy different person:-) My house might be messy but its ok for my kids.

We socialized a lot before kids but not anymore. Last time we had guest over, the guy was an attorney. Everything was fine until husband wife started talking about cleaning a room in their house
“Honey, I started cleaning the living room”
“I saw it, It was a little clean, you are doing great”

then she told me how she hates to cook & clean and things are everywhere in the room, sometimes her hubby does the cleaning when her MIL comes to visit & cook, her hubby cooks most of the time.. Then she continued telling me that her mother was doing some puja and she asked her mother if she needs help and you know what her mother said “No help from you will be the best help :-O”.. And I start to feel dizzy. Her kids are 9 & 6 (I think), they went in the play yard (I had put 2 blankets and a sheet & gates around it for) and played with every baby toy. I had to clean at 2 in the morning after they left & forget about washing blankets & sanitizing the toys. That was end of our social life and I don’t regret it.

Now every time A comes home from his 2 hr. school, he takes shower. The girl I mentioned in other post, she is 4 and already has vaginal infection. Im not saying its because of school but what if. They have 1 toilet for everyone there. So Im doing whatever I can to avoid things and I don’t care if their system develop immune to these germs or not Im gonna keep them away from bad germs.

Last September we went to “Chuckee Cheese” and as soon as A came out of there he coughed and after that everybody was sick till mid of dec. That’s the reason we go to another Chuckee Cheese, an hr. away from our place just because It is clean. And that’s why we have certain play areas we take kids to and certain food places we like to go.

This post was inspired by my last trip to Kmart, where they had put a box of wipes to sanitize the carts:-) and take a look at this article

http://www.komotv.com/news/5819736.html

12 comments:

Anusha said...

whoa! after reading this, I feel like an awful, germ covered parent. I stopped sanitizing long ago and am picky only about basic personal hygiene - we wash our hands with soap when we come home - but shower each time? I couldn't do that!...I don't get it, why did you have to sanitize toys after 9 & 6 yr olds play with it? I can understand if they put it in their mouths....
i do believe some amt of germ exposure is necessary, or they may grow up oversensitive...but that is just my personal theory and I can't prove it, so whatever works for you, 'Monica' ;-)

mommyof2 said...

@:lol! Im not Monica not anymore;-)

After She kept telling me that she hardly clean her house I didn't want my kids to put their mouth where they were standing with their socks on..

About germ exposure, he is getting that from school;-)But I tried my best for until now;-)

Anonymous said...

Kids and germs are best friends. How dare you try and seperate them? ;)
Poorni

Artnavy said...

some amount of immunity will develop- so maybe u can partially clean the cart- just kidding :-))

i know exctly what u mean- i do not take anush to people who have pets or houses where teh kids pee an dthey do not wipe with disinfectant but keep reusing the same old rag

Ganesh Ranganathan said...

Protecting kids from germs is very good. but it seems to me that you are overdoing it a little bit...If they are not exposed to germs now, how will they develop resistance...

When I was very young, my mom allowed me to get wet in the rain without making a fuss about me catching a cold...

I did catch a cold the first few times, but gradually developed resistance to it and now I don't catch a cold even If I get drenched in the rains

mommyof2 said...

poorni:I am not trying to separate them, just trying to pick & choose germs;-)

art: This is what Im talking about. Just picking few places or people you want to avoid. Its not that we are keeping them in some bubble or something but trying to avoid certain carriers;-) I am the same way about pets, too many germs:-)

ganesh: Oh no no no, you got the wrong impression, well not totally cuz I overdo sometimes;-) But we let them do everything minus a few. When we went to India he was playing like other kids too. Eating out & all too. But when someone tells you they are not clean, even I wouldn't want to sit next to them so why the kids?
And about sanitizing carts & all, well I gave the reason why I do that. Pets pee & poop and the next second they are on the cart, sorry but Im not that brave;-)

Anonymous said...

i have purchased a shopping cart cover(a floppy seat). and the way they are made it you dont have the insides to touch the cart unless you want to... and i leave it in the trunk of the car dont carry it every time inside the house. and wash it once a week. works fine..but was expensive though $40...

mommyof2 said...

su: No the idea of cover is to prevent contact with dirty carts but once its on the cart, its on the germs, you take it home or not kid is sitting on it for the whole week anyway. Its like rag, you clean your floor and bathroom & then sit on it;-)I still feel wiping the cart seat is better option;-)

the mad momma said...

wow! you would not be able to tell I have a child in my house because I am tidy. but I let my son eat off the floor, we wear shoes around the house and he even plays with dogs when we visit ppl....

he is cleaned up periodically but there is no question of much else!!!

Alan said...

I noticed your link was to one of our local Seattle TV stations. A lot of the stores around here are starting to provide wipes near the shopping baskets.

I think gas station pump handles are the grungiest things we have to deal with on a day to day basis. Probably not a big problem in New Jersey (or Oregon).

Anonymous said...

And I used to think I am obsessed with sanitizing !! jokes apart, It may look a bit over the top to some but if it works for you and makes you and you kids happy then its ok.

mommyof2 said...

madmomma: I did mention that its different than India because you get to mop everyday & wash the floor frequently but here it is different.. Rugs or carpets always have few dust mites or some other things even after u clean that why people here have more allergies.

Alan: I think its a neat idea:-) Thank God for no self service rule here:-)

NZ: I think it will even make their kids happy;-) Every time their hands are dirty, even after eating, they keep saying “wipe please” until I give them.. :-) Gudiya does more than A;-)