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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think worms could have been avoided?

61 replies

chainedtothedesk · 12/03/2011 21:00

to be annoyed that may dd has caught worms from my inlaws' kids?

We recently stayed at inlaws house and my dd shared a bed with her cousins. They didn't know they had worms at the time but hygiene never seems a top priority.

we found out they have worms a few days ago and the following day DD complained of itchy bum. i am mortified - and quite fed up of all the washing i am now doing daily.

i also have a newborn and according to the chemist it would be difficult to treat such a young baby if he caught them too. every time we visit i'm always the one that suggests the kids have a bath, wash their hands before a meal etc. so i cant help but think worms could have been avoided if the kids were just washed a bit more regularly. doctor said all kids get them at some point so am i being unreasonable?

OP posts:
QOD · 13/03/2011 11:14

My dd is 12 and never had them, I am 41 and same - I am phobic about worms though - so long may it continue!

valiumredhead · 13/03/2011 13:59

The shared fruit plate that used to be common in many nurseries was an excellent source of infection

Isn't that more likey to be because of unwashed hands rather than the fruit?

valiumredhead · 13/03/2011 14:00

likeLy

valiumredhead · 13/03/2011 14:05

After more googling I think the fruit worms are from parasite eggs - tape worms. THREAD worms are the ones kids get in nurseries/schools etc. I think.

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 13/03/2011 14:32

There's a really good video here telling us why worms are best avoided Here it is, quite interesting atch

cyb · 13/03/2011 18:39

QOD how do you know you have never had worms? IMO most are spread my people who dont know they ahve them in their family, or who do but cant be arsed (!) to treat

exexpat · 13/03/2011 18:50

Actually, worms might be good for you.

Makes me feel a bit better that DD has had them several times - and so far, she has a much better immune system than me (no allergies so far). Though I do remember having worms once as a child.

Onetoomanycornettos · 13/03/2011 18:58

I don't think you can keep up the level of hygeine required to get rid of worms all the time, we had them once (thank you to the very honest mum who told me she had discovered them and to watch out for them in my girls). We washed the affected child every day in the morning/evening, clean PJ's and sheets every day and Vaseline in the affected area, plus the worm medicine from the chemist and it did clear them pretty quickly and we haven't had a repeat performance. I don't normally wash the children twice a day in those delicate areas, nor wash things like towels fanatically (though I do do them on a hot wash), and would only do so if we got them again (god forbid).

goodbyemrschips · 13/03/2011 18:58

I believe I have never had worms not my son nor anyone I know.

CYB........can worms be cleared without treatment.

This is why I say I have never had them cause I have never been treated for them.

WorzselMummage · 13/03/2011 19:09

Worm eggs are airborne ?

cyb · 13/03/2011 19:12

I've always treated worms to get rid but I've always known when I've had them

When I've told colleagues at work they've said 'Oh my bum was itching I thought it was thrush/allergy/ignored it'

princessparty · 13/03/2011 19:19

yabu.It might have been Your precious little bunnies that spread them to their dirty little oiks.

exexpat · 13/03/2011 20:42

goodbyemrschips - apparently most people who have worms at any one time don't realise it, and yes, worms can eventually clear without treatment if the cycle of reinfection stops. So it is certainly possible you have had them (some people don't even notice the itching), and pretty much a sure thing that people you know have had them.

The NHS website quotes a figure of 40 per cent of children have them at any one time which makes them far more common, but less noticeable, than headlice.

annoyingdevil · 13/03/2011 21:29

Worms can clear without treatment if you don't put your fingers anywhere near the itch. don't ask me how I know! (obviously, not realistic for small children)

ragged · 13/03/2011 21:38

My 4 DC don't bathe very often, we are lax about hand washing, too.
Only 2 DC had worms, or symptoms anyway, just the once, about 2 years ago. That's once in the last 11 years.
And they had to have come in from somewhere outside the family anyway (they don't arise out of household dust).

DC do wear pants in bed, though, I find the British prejudice against wearing pants in bed... kind of weird.

The blighters are awful, truly hideous to think about, I do sympathise with anyone having to deal with them.

Original poster
chainedtothedesk · 14/03/2011 13:16

ok thought i should update.

when i said my inlaws don't view hygiene as a top priority, i didn't mean for it to sound sinister or anything. maybe i'm the one who is OTT but i make sure my kids wash their hands before eating, after they,ve been outside / to the loo etc. whereas they don't. if someone remembers then it'll get done but generally not. or the kids can go a week or longer without a bath, that kind of thing.

i don't have anything against them at all but feel a bit uncomfortable that the kids aren't washing their hands much (obviously unreasonably so going off the replies i've had) and then all the kids are playing together or sharing stuff.

i told nursery this morning about thw worms & asked that they made sure dd washed her hands well especially as they're baking today. the nursery nurse i told was very nice but did say she'd never known anyone have worms before - and she's worked there for 18yrs!!! if they are so common then obviously there are a lot of people not aware or owning up and the vicious circle continues.

OP posts:
gallifrey · 14/03/2011 13:24

My daughter has never had worms ever, and neither has anyone else's children I know!

AintMissBeehiving · 14/03/2011 13:31

Ha ha @ all the posters saying "I've never had worms". Yeah, right. The likelihood is that you just didn't recognise it as worms. It's no biggie, they're pretty easy to get rid off - unlike nits.

moonstonezoe · 14/03/2011 13:32

This is the best treatment we discovered with my DDs.
As soon as they wake up :-
Wash bottom with shower head and unscented soap.

Scrub nails with nail brush and soap.

Whenever they get an itchy bot squirt with shower head.

60 wash for bedding and towels.

Nasty tasting nail poish applied to finger nails, the sort they use to stop nail biting

Eat lots of garlic

Explain life cycle of thread worm if the child is old enough to understand.

Hope this works for you, it did for us.

KeepCalmAndCurryOn · 14/03/2011 13:40

I find Metamium spread in the dc's arse region a very good cycle-breaker under underpants at night - it is so thick and chemically pungent, the worms refuse to come out and lay eggs. True, really.

Tisallafaff · 14/03/2011 13:50

They just won't be owning up. I suppose having worms is still seen as something to be ashamed of by some people. It's a hazard of children being in close proximity. At least if we know about it, we can be vigilant. I therefore send mine to school with an 'I have worms' badge. Wink

(Truth is, I was mortified when dd got them but since then we've had nits too and I'm over it now)

AintMissBeehiving · 14/03/2011 14:19

I remember that about metanium. Tis wonderful stuff for a sore bot.

I don't get all this shame stuff about nits/worms Tisallafaff. I'm not sure hygiene will protect you. We're pretty clean here (baths/showers twice a day/handwashing before eating etc) - and we still get them. We've never had nits but I put that down to (a) having boys (less hair generally)
(b) luck

DS1 had impetigo last week though

reallytired · 14/03/2011 14:29

Worms are really common and not the end of the world.

Worms are hard to get rid of as they are not as visible as lice. (My ds will not cooperate with me looking up his arse at night and who can blame him.)

I think that primary school children need to be dewormed occassionally rather like cats and dogs.

janinlondon · 14/03/2011 14:33

We once did a fab project on how many eggs we could find on money. OMG you don't even want to know........I don't believe anyone in the Western world has never had them. Sorry.

AintMissBeehiving · 14/03/2011 14:50

That sounds like a fab project Jan Smile. Might suggest it for school.