to wonder why people let their DC play with the toys at GP/hospital?

[thewintercene]

Today we spent 3 hours in a paediatric waiting room in our local hospital.

Unless someone disinfects those windy wires and beads several times a day, the logic of having one or two toys in a doctor's or hospital's reception or paediatric rooms completely defies me.

Tens of (high probability ill or carrying something from a sibling who is doctor-worthy) children passing through every day, fingering everything.

Obviously soft play is like this too, but it's not a doctor's or hospital where people go when they're ill.

Also, why, when you have a child who is ill already, would you want to risk compounding the problem by having them potentially catch something else?

I'm thinking mainly vomiting bugs here, which are of course highly contagious, you can't ever have immunity for long, and are at a 5 year high this year. There were warnings about it all over our local hospital, and reminders about hand washing, yet nobody seemed to bloody disinfect the toys the whole 3 hours we were there, and when about 20 different children there for different reasons played with them - including one who pooed on the floor then played with the toy. Obviously the poo was cleared up, but the toy was never cleaned.

[robindeer]

at 'disenfranchised' AndNow

Aren't we all these days?!

[CatsRidingRollercoasters]

Do you touch the door handle, touch screen check in, seats etc?

Yabu

[BumWad]

This is the most ridiculous thing I have read in MN yet.

[MrTCakes]

I spent 3 hours in the Children's A&E this week with DS. There are lots of toys there and obviously he was bored and played with them. He is 2 years old, how would I stop him? I wasn't expecting a trip to a&e so didn't have toys to entertain him with.

[londonrach]

Tbh the seat will be worse than the toys and its all about building a good immune system.

[Swirlingasong]

If a child is admitted to hospital with a vomiting bug then a) they are isolated and b) they are not capable of playing with toys in the waiting room.

Of course one of the children might be about to vomit, who knows, but the risk of such infection s will be far greater at nursery or school where, I presume, you allow your child to play with toys.

[HomeJames]

I am quite germophobic and I go to the doctors very rarely as a result. I cringe at the toys in my GPs as they are visibly dirty so I know they are not being cleaned. On the odd occasion I have had to go with my kids, I take toys and books from home and try my hardest to keep them away.

[Madeyemoodysmum]

Even worse the new I pads in mac Donald's now that's a tummy upset waiting to happen!

[Ohdearducks]

You better learn to hover at the doctors then and throw in some telekinesis for good measure because everything, chairs/door handles/magazines/pens/auto check in computers have been touched by sick people. Good luck.

[EnthusiasmIsDisturbed]

I've never given it a second thought

Obviously a neglectful parent

[BearFoxBear]

Op I think I know you! You're the mum with the sad looking child sitting in the corner while the rest of the kids play and have fun, aren't you?

Ffs whose toddler doesn't touch the toys in a hospital waiting room?! We've spent quite a lot of time at our children's hospital - my ds hasn't caught a single thing and thinks it's great fun going to see the doctor

[LostInMess]

Never occurred to me to worry.

All good for the immune system. Much bigger risk in my opinion from their school mates (especially the loos!) and DH when he comes home having spent 1.5 hours on the train/tube.

[Yoarchie]

My doctors surgery removed the toys and put a notice up saying it was to avoid spreading germs.

In answer to your question though people let kids play with these toys because if a 2yo sees "new" toys they might well have a tantrum if you don't allow them to play with them. Tantrum in public or risk cough/noro/whatever. Crappy choice! Also it seems some people are too cool to worry about getting coughs and Noro from the GP surgery. It's different in places like fracture clinics but in general, small children are well known to be germ factories.

[Retweet]

YANBU

Dreadful germ ridden things

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

I agree with you OP (shudder).

[MrGrumpy01]

I let mine play with them because it never crosses my mind about germs.

I have only been to the general children's outpatients and the eye outpatients so unlikely to be full of germ ridden children.

[Starlight2345]

OP..My DS was in and E been assessed..Nurse thought it might be chicken pox..It was infected eczema... But he was isolated from Triage....
I let my DS play with them because the other options are far worse..

When my DS had life threatening illness that I would of worried him catching anything else he had no interest in anything..

[Ameliablue]

They are being exposed as soon as they enter the surgery anyway so why leave them bored too.

[thewintercene]

You're right I am a germ phobe. I wish I could be like (most) of the rest of you and not worry.

However I think that these toys are a really overlooked part of germ spreading. I keep my 2yo in her buggy and bring small toys from home for her to play with.

I said before, there is no immunity to "build" when it comes to norovirus. It mutates all the time. The amount of times you get it is the amount of times you are exposed to it. Which is increased the more places you go that don't disinfect things properly.

[SpeakNoWords]

Do you know that they don't disinfect the toys?

[Fireandflames666]

I have emtophobia as well. And I've seen spewy people in the doctors office before, yuk.

[WhirlwindHugs]

Mine have never caught a bug after being at the gp/hospital! Ours certainly do clean everything regularly, and most of the kids there are not sick with anything contagious.

I've had two kids hospitalised while infectious. In both cases they were kept isolated. DD2 who was in there for a while had a playworker visit and bring some toys just for her as she wasn't allowed in the play room.

[SpeakNoWords]

She was in the buggy for 3 hours?

[Ankleswingers]

I'm the same OP. Wouldn't dream of letting my children play with hospital or GP toys.

No fucking way.

YANBU

[BillSykesDog]

They're more likely to catch something touching the door when they walk in.