to think that toys in a doctors surgery or hospital should be clean and not dangerously broken?

[Hannah81]

Why is it that all doctors surgery toys are broken and filthy? I swear its just so that the kids pick up infections from them so that the doctors get more money by treating more patients???

I hate taking My DS to the doctors (very rare anyway) because he naturally wants to play, but the toys are disgusting - and most of them broken to the point of jagged bits sticking out of them - it's not just my docs either, I've seen it in hospitals too. All the fuss about using the alcohol hand gel (which i believe in 100%) and then they forget the kids toys - they really should be kept clean or not there at all - I wouldn't mind taking toys there from home.

Oh and the books all have a sticky feel to them too - with lumps of god know what stuck to them - [disgust emoticon] ewww PLEASE DOCTORS REMOVE THE TOYS OR CLEAN THEM!!!!

Am I being unreasonable or not?

[mazzystar]

In wanting toys to be clean and safe- yanbu
In making preposterous statements such as your second sentence - you really really are

[Guadalupe]

well, you say please remove them, but our surgery has because of health and safety and now there is nothing for the children to look at while we wait.

I mostly remember to take stuff with us but if I forget my 18 month old is a complete nuisance getting the gravel out of the plants and running out of the door. I'd give anything for a grubby toy then.

Why don't you donate some?

[crokky]

My DS picked up a broken toy at the docs as well. How old is your DS - can you keep him strapped in a buggy with a toy from home?

[Fennel]

I donated some toddler toys to my BIL's surgery. They got stolen the first day.

It could be a strategy - the grubby sticky ones are more likely to get left behind.

[falcon]

I agree with you that they shouldn't be filthy and broken.

I think though it's almost inevitable that they will be when you could have 20-30 kids a day, of various ages and abilities playing with them, some will be too young to play properly and will be content with gnawing on them.

Having said that Ideally they should be checked reguarly for damage.

[SoupDragon]

I assume you mentioned this to the receptionists?

[Guadalupe]

Fennel

Really? What a shame. Well, I suppose, that's why there are fairly crap ones in some surgeries then, no temptation to take them.

All of the toys in our children's day ward are quite good as far as I remember. Everything works and looks clean enough. The gameboys are attached to the table though!

[Hannah81]

The second sentence about the doctors wanting people to get ill was a ltlle sacasm on my point, but this obviously didn't read very well, sorry, but it does annoy me that the toys seem to be forgotten when it comes to cleanliness.

I will be donating toys when DS2 grows out of them he is only 11 weeks old so will be growing into DS1's toys soon (we can't afford to be buying all new with money the way it is at the moment.

There doesn't need to be mountains and mountains of dirty broken toys, just a few would be nice and maybe rotate them so that they can be cleaned once a week instead of never?

[Thisismynewname]

Do you really expect the doctors to remove/clean the toys as stated in your OP?

[Hannah81]

Yes, I did hand in a broken toy once, before we went into the doctor, by the time we came out, it was back on the pile! I made a complaint then too.

[Hannah81]

No I don't expect the doctors to clean them, but at least for themto be cleaned during the week by the cleaners - or is that too much to be asked? Surely this should be included in the cleaning rota?

[misdee]

our doctors surgery doesnt have any toys for little ones to play with.

[more]

Well we phoned up and asked if we could donate some of our children's christmas toys and were told that unless the seal has not been broken then they will not accept them. So it is not as if they are not trying.
If you find them that disgusting you just bring a toy yourself for your child to play with.
If you start complaining too much about this it is just going to end up with there being no toys in any kind of reception to entertain the children. I would find that sad and be very annoyed at the person who had had to make that decision.