to take my own toys?

[workinggally]

I take my dc to quite a lot of baby groups but the toys at some of them I think are quite unhygienic. Never washed and in all the babies mouths. One of the leaders at one said she washed them once a term as though this was really frequent, I'm sure some of the others might be even less frequent.

I was a bit shocked at the situation the first times I went but everyone else seemed to think things were ok so I just went along with it.

Anyway now my dc is unwell which could be due to unhygienic toys. (Although of course he could have caught it somewhere else).

Anyway to put my mind at rest in the future would it be ok to take my own toys for dc to play with? We don't want to stop going altogether as we enjoy the songs/ socialising.

Have other people ever taken their own toys? Tbh a lot of the stuff at these groups is older/ less nice than what he has at home, so it seems a shame to be exposed to infection unecessarily.

YABU - germs are good and repeat.

ONe day soon, your baby will eat stuff off the pavement when you're not looking.
YABPFB

Take your own toys if you want,, but you might have to share them. The toys at playgroups are for everyone, aren't they?

I took a pack of milton sterilizing wipes (happened to have them on me) instead.

I think it'll look a bit funny if you take your own toys and don't share them.

YABU -could have got ill from other child regards of toys
and what will you do when "your" toys is taken by another baby etc

YABU and precious.

Goodness... YABU.
My DD sucks the carpet!
Germs build up their immune system. My SIL miltons all her DS toys and he's always Ill.
I rarely wash DD toys unless she's sick on them! She's 7 months and never been ill.

I can cope with the idea of him putting yukky things in his mouth by mistake. But what I don't like is the idea that I am handing him toys to play with that I know to be very unhygienic.

Do you sanitise the slide and swings in the park because other childrens hands have been there before your child?

By all means make your own toys if you want to, but be prepared for your child to want to play with something else anyway... it will not stop your child from picking up some germs, and kids need to build an immune system anyway!

ok maybe milton wiping the toys might be a less extreme compromise. I could do that quickly before he touches them. Thanks WowOoo - that's a good idea.

YABU.

You have a lot to learn.

YABU and PFB.

I don't sanitise the slide and swings because they don't do in the mouth but also he is too young for them.

Unfortunately it's just the way it is, whether it be at a friend's house, or at a playgroup or at pre-school. I think you'd find it difficult to keep your own toys to yourselves and would come across as very odd if you took them off other dcs. It's far better to get a few bugs and build up immunity before starting nursery/pre-school.

This is insane not just unreasonable (unless your baby has very specific needs and then I withdraw all of my comment!). When I had my first child 5 years ago a very wise GP said to me to make sure that they were exposed to a healthy amount of germs in order to build immunity.

Is this for real???

Yabvu and precious and other muns at the groups will probably think you're a bit odd.

I'm shocked that no one else thinks these toys are unhygienic. Seriously so all this washing up of water glasses etc we do as adults why do we bother why not just shove things that aren't obviously dirty back in the cupboard?

I think the other mums will think you are a bit weird. Germs are part if life. Why don't you donate some toys your child has grown out of so there are newer toys for the group. You could also volunteer to help out and wash the toys yourself.

*mums not muns

Children "touch" and then the next place their hands go is into their mouth... you can not expect to keep your child away from germs, so you are being very silly I'm afraid, and a tad neurotic.

"I don't sanitise the slide and swings because they don't do in the mouth but also he is too young for them" - how old is your son? Dd's been going on swings, etc since 6mo and putting her hands in mouth - which is same thing surely!?

Are you anxious about lots of things?

is this the time to say I never clean my kids toys - unless of course sick on them
ohh and just realised you are changing nappies 10 times a day lady - never got back to us on that thread - what did you decide to do about nurseries?

I genuinely am shocked at this. I am even thinking of forming my own baby group in my house where toys could be sanitised often by mothers on a rota basis. Although you atll think IBU a lot of my friends have similar concerns.

Regarding the nursery I think it will be a rota of relatives to provide care of sufficient quality.

Save this thread and read it again in a year. You'll understand why.