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.

[Changednamesorry]

YANBU I get grossed out by those toys too!

[kelj2]

I'm a germaphobe and get grossed out by doctors office toys too. I have anxiety too. Most people think it's unreasonable but from one germaphobe to another I get where you're coming from

[Azulejo9]

If your child was sick enough to warrant a G.Ps appointment and yet well enough to want to play once they were there, Are you sure Youre not being very precious to only be worried about dirty toys.

[SpudULiked]

We use hand gel on entering the building and as we leave.

[BusterGonad]

This is hilarious, it never ceases to amaze me how ridiculous people are these days about germs. I'm of the thinking that over use of anti bacterial anything is NOT good, I believe a few germs are good. You won't catch me using anti bacterial hand wash in my house, I hate it with a passion.

[BusterGonad]

This is hilarious, it never ceases to amaze me how ridiculous people are these days about germs. I'm of the thinking that over use of anti bacterial anything is NOT good, I believe a few germs are good. You won't catch me using anti bacterial hand wash in my house, I hate it with a passion.

[Pluto30]

Toys have been in waiting rooms for decades but only recently have people started to get their hackles up about it.

Didn't kill anyone in the past, and your child won't be the exception.

[Jengnr]

I can't get worked up about them tbh. I send them to nursery, which is basically a germ farm, and they've survived.

Sometimes they'll get ill. It's how it is. It's not nice but it's part of having kids.

[UpsyDaisyluvsIgglePiggle]

When my toddler suffered bad burns I let her play with the toys at the burns unit. It took her mind off the pain she was in for a bit.

[Jaagojaago]

The OP by her own confession is a germphobe.

Reasoning with her may not work

[Princecharlesfirstwife]

Frankly my dcs would have been more likely to catch some horrible lurgy from all the unwashed unwiped toys sitting in our own house than in the audiology/orthoptics/a and e waiting rooms that we spent a large proportion of their early lives in.

[Aroundtheworldandback]

To all the people saying op is being ridiculous, be interesting to see if you feel the same when your kids are ill for a week each and then you go down with the same, so 3 weeks taken out your life so that they could play with some toys... bring your own!

[Bohemond]

We have never had a sickness bug nor norovirus here. We clearly have strong immune systems which I put down to being a neglectful parent.

[Batteriesallgone]

How long does norovirus live outside the body, does anyone know?

I was under the impression that wood and plastic were particularly inhospitable environments for most bacteria and viruses so the chance of catching anything from them is low.

Unlike cuddly toys (and soft seats in waiting areas) which have topography that allows them to build up areas of skin cell deposits and other lovely biological material, making it a bit easier for germs to survive.

Although in reality I imagine sharing air with sick people is the real risk. Or accidentally touching someone who is ill.

[Eyedrophell]

To be honest this bothers me a bit too but I compromise, we wash our hands with hot soapy water when we leave the surgery. We also always do thus when we get in from outside too, so when we get home from school etc. No sickness for the kids so far this year but I had it from work.

Also norovirus won't be killed by antibacterial spray. Bleach/milton is the only thing that will get the bugger, so seeing someone give it a wipe won't help.

I know how you feel though.

[MsJamieFraser]

Yabu,

Shock horror OP, wait till your children go to school

[birdybirdywoofwoof]

Are you my dh?

We had a hushed row in the doctors about this once!
If they're with me, they can. If they're with dh, NO WAY!

[birdybirdywoofwoof]

Azulejo, you know kids might be at the doctors with hearing issues, speech issues, painful legs, frequent headaches, tummy aches, etc etc none of which precludes their desire to play.

[toomuchtooold]

You don't really take the kids to the GP for infectious stuff though do you? Except maybe chickenpox and stuff and our GP would put us in isolation when we turned up with a spotty kid so we didn't get to infect the practice toys anyway.

[TheFairyCaravan]

There was a woman moaning on FB the other week that when she took her child to A&E they had a 5 hour wait and none of the nurses came out to clean the "filthy" toys. .

I pointed out to her that nurses don't have the time to clean toys, and could she imagine the abuse the nurses would be getting if they were scrubbing toys while children were waiting hours and hours to be seen? She deleted her comment.

When my kids were little they played with the toys wherever.

[AwaywiththePixies27]

The outpatient clinics we sit in at the hospital are paediatric orthopaedics. I'm fairly confident the dcs aren't going to catch a broken leg.

sleepyhead

[adaisychain]

I'm fairly certain CQC have strict guidelines on toys in waiting rooms- they either have to be on a proven cleaning schedule, with a record kept OR not available.

[whyohwhy000]

Do you also take bleach and Dettol when you go to public toilets?

[AwaywiththePixies27]

True birdybirdy. My DS once had a double ear infection when he was about 5. He probably looked well to others as well say playing with the toys. (he was dosed up to the max on Calpol and Nurofen as he'd spent the night screaming in pain). Hr still needed antibiotics.

Tbh OP. I do understand where you're coming from but really. The toy station is the least of germ worries when in the waiting area. I'm immunosuppreessed and I'd love to get rid of all the patients coughing their guts up in the waiting room whilst sat next to me but I've had to suck it up

Thing is OP. Unless you wrap your children up in bubble wrap they'll catch things anyway, and I say this as someone who used to be a neurotic germaphobe.