Handwashing before meals

[perrinelli]

I admit it - I don't routinely get my DCs (4 & 1) to wash their hands before meals. I might think of it if they've been doing something particularly messy but might not. It just doesn't normally enter my mind. At least one of DD1's friend's mum is very hot on this & got me thinking as DD1 is going there for a playdate soon and found myself hoping she wouldn't show me up by saying "we don't do that at home"! So do we have sub standard personal hygiene in our house? Do most people actually do this?

We do.

How well it's done (often I'm serving up at the time) is a different matter!

I don't do it unless I spot muck on their hands ( I usually spot it after they ate though!).
In my defence, my dc have had practically no stomach bugs, but I do feel a bit slovenly when with certain friends who are washing hands or applying anti-vac gel before anything passes their child's lips

I don't always think, I am shit hot at nagging them after they come out of bathroom though.

DS's hands are washed before he goes into the high chair. He is 15 months. I very occasionally forget, but remember most times.

It's just part of the routine for us.

No, Im the same as you OP, but always wondered about others. A bit of germs dont hurt, do they? We never did it routinely when I was young. As you say, if they are particularly dirty then they will.

I am slovenly in all other aspects of parenting. DS eats pebbles and we have a 24-hour rule for dropped food - if I remember when we had it he can pick it up off the floor and eat it.

We don't really do hand washing before meals. And only after a poo, quite often not for a wee. . No stomach problems in this house!

I should have said that our ds's are 6 and 4 and only ds2 has ever had an upset tummy.

I'm don't own any of that antibacterial gel stuff, I like to think I'm not ott!

I'm a slatternly mother.

We don't normally do the hand washing thing unless they are filthy.

Germs are good in this house.

I think it's mainly because we never did it at home as kids. Obviously do drum it in about doing it after toilet. Mine don't get many tummy bugs either but yes have definitely felt slovenly when others whip out the antibac gel at soft play parties!

for Jolly - nice to see a bit of sense on one of these threads!

DH enforces the handwashing rule; I'm not bothered but go along with it to support him.

Yes we do always.

Unless I've been doing something messy I've never washed my hands before eating...I'm possibly slightly more vigilant if I'm going to be eating with my hands ie pizza. Only ever had 3 stomach bugs and rarely catch other stuff so I think my slovenly hygine has paid off. Will be the same with DS when he starts on solids.

It's usually the obsessive anti-bac'ers and febreze sprayers who get ill. About time people learned that germs are good - you need them to develop immunity.

We do. My chant as I'm serving or putting it on the table is 'off to the loo and wash your hands'. I can't stand it when they get down from the table mid-meal to go to the loo and this way it usually avoids it.

It used to be my Ma's chant too!

Yes, always before food. It's drilled into them. No anti-ba stuff though .

I don't care what they fiddle with in the garden but hands must be clean before eating.

I always wash my hands before eating now I have DC's. Can't risk a bug and time off work.

I remember to wash the kids' hands about 97% of the time. Mine have had thread worms a lot recently (think its off the little girl up the road) so I'm pretty militant about it.

My own upbringing was extremely slovenly and my parents never told us to wash our hands before meals. I'm glad that Bonzo has come out as not always washing after a wee - we didn't either, as children, although I do now!
I make my son wash his hands before eating, and DP and I do so too in order to set a good example. I always wash my own hands thoroughly before handling food, but I would not describe myself as particularly concerned about hygiene. We almost never have stomach upsets - not sure if it's because we are mildly grimy or just because we aren't prone to them.

Yes. Invariably. I've been trying to train my lodger to wash his hands after pissing, but little progress so far.

No we dont, i do remind them when they've come out of the loo but other than that no never... i dread to think what under their fingernails.

ALthough my kids have only ever had 1 tummy bug (about a yr ago) & they are 12 & 9 so think they must be so full of germs that the bugs cant get through

When they where babies, but both my dc now use a knife and fork and all dishes go through the dishwasher so why would they need to wash thier hands

We do in this house. No anti-bac in this house, either. Also washing after any toilet function. No tummy upsets here, either. Block soap here as well. No soap pumps.

See now, we're much the same as most of you and yet we ALWAYS seem to have tummy bugs...

Usually, but I'm a bit more lax about it now that she's walking & no longer crawling around on our grubby floor.