to think that it is mostly unnecessary to sterilise toys?

[silverten]

Have been pondering this since a couple of D&V episodes, and a mate asked me how often I bleached my floor.

Generally I don't make much of an effort to clean DD's toys- obviously if they've been vommed or copiously dribbled on, I'll give them a wipe with a clean damp cloth (I don't like sticky toys!), or if she or any other baby who played with them has come down with something a little nastier then they'll get a swipe with antibacterial spray. I honestly can't see the point of bleaching a floor (I don't have pets)- it gets swept/hoovered daily and anything sticky gets wiped asap. Eventually I'll give it a more thorough clean to get the more ingrained dirt that I can't see out, but it's a floor- it's meant to get dirty IYSWIM!

Am I being unreasonable to think that this is a sufficient level of hygiene with a not-quite-one-year-old?

[belgo]

Of course yanbu. I have never sterilised toys, and I would think that the bleach used is more harmful to long term health then then normal bacteria that is everywhere.

[overmydeadbody]

YANBU of course



There is no need to get obsessed about wiping out every germ in the house.

[Shodan]

I must say it has never occurred to me to sterilise toys. I did the same as you, OP -wiped them if they were sticky or unpleasant in some way but nothing more.

[pleasechange]

YANBU - I really don't think using a lot of cleaning products near young chidren is that healthy anyway (well that's my excuse!)

[silverten]

Oh good- it would appear that I am not a maternal slattern then. I thought that I was in the acceptably-clean-without-being-obsessive range.

[ZacharyQuack]

My lovely SIL tells me that you can sterilise soft toys by putting them in the freezer overnight.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that my freezer is too full of ice cream to fit in any teddies.

[Guacamohohohole]

I never bleach the floor, it would leave it all streaky? I use Dettol floor wipes on the kitchen and bathroom floors, everywhere else is carpeted.
I only sterilise/chuck in the washing machine toys after other children have been round and have been playing with them.

[MmeLindt]

I would never ever have thought of sterilising toys.

As to bleaching the floor - why would I put something as harmful as bleach on a surface that a baby would crawl on, and children play on?

And it must stink.

[OnlyWantsOne]

I think that in general, if you have common sense etc, wash hands regularly you shouldnt have a problem.

I certainly dont bleach my floors!! We have hard floors the entire down stairs, and they get hoovered often (daily) as we have dog and cats, and it gets mopped when its dirty...

YANBU

[Guacamohohohole]

LOL Zachary... I was under the impression that the freezer put bugs into temporary sleep and that when the toy thawed they woke up? Or am I dreaming this?

[llareggub]

Sterilise toys? I didn't sterilise anything at all second time around. No increases in D&V here, in fact, we've only had one outbreak since DS1 started pre-school.

[Chil1234]

YANBU I have a lovely little steam cleaner that I do my floors with every so often. In between they get the old mop & Flash treatment. Toys occasionally get a scrub in hot water with washing up liquid... The only thing I sterilise these days are jam-jars and that involves a turn in the dishwasher!

[muggglewump]

I'm not even sure I own bleach and I've never sterilised a toy in my life.
I didn't know you were supposed to.

[Ormirian]

Sterilise toys?

Never done it.

[Fibilou]

I never clean DDs toys. It hadn't even occurred to me. And I certainly don't bleach the floor !

[Fibilou]

And I have never sterilised things like bottles either - they go in the dishwasher.

I am a firm believer in the hygiene hypothesis
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis

[Poledra]

I have never sterilised toyd. I'll give 'em a clean in soapy water, or chuck 'em in the dishwasher/washing machine as appropraite after someone's barfed on 'em, but that's it.

My sadistic DDs love watching their teds go round in the washing machine

[Sidge]

Er no, there is no need to sterilise toys.

And bleaching floors is overkill - hot soapy water is adequate.

Putting soft toys in the freezer can be useful if a child has dust-mite allergy that triggers their asthma but otherwise is not necessary.

[muddleduck]

I once put some manky bath toys in the dishwasher.

Does that count?

[plainjanesuperbrain]

You must be mad to sterilize toys!

[Horton]

Anyone who is sterilising toys probably has too much time on their hands, IMO. Hot soapy water is all you need for floors, toys and pretty much everything else in the house, bar the toilet.

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

the only time I sterilsed toys was when DS was small and we all had a horrible D&V bug (norovirus, probably) so everything in the house got disinfected. Was easiest to chuck all his plastic toys in a bath full of milton. All stuffed toys just went in the washing machine.

[thumbwitch]

I was a bit worried that I woudl be odd, but apparently not - I have never sterilised a toy, nor even thought of doing so.
I have put grubby toys in the washing machine when necessary and appropriate; and washed plastic toys from charity shops - but never with bleach!

The only things in my house that get bleached are the toilet and buckets that have had vile bodily fluids in (nappy bucket, buckets that have been thrown up in) and the bins.

Bleach would trash my floorboards...

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

I have never sterilised toys, or bleached my floor - and I do give food back to my DD if she drops it. She's pretty healthy.

I had a friend who was completely mad about this stuff - my DD once picked up a toy belonging to her Ds and played with it. She went over it with a baby wipe before giving it back to him...

I don't see her anymore.

[silverten]

I certainly don't get the wiping toys with a baby wipe thing. Baby wipes usually have some kind of greasy stuff on them, so all you're doing is adding a nice, rich, nutritious layer for the bugs to feed on.....mmmm.....