Eldest with stomach bug - am I being OTT?

[Cheshirewife]

So, quite early this year, but eldest DS (7) appears to have come down with a nasty stomach bug. I obviously kept him at home on Friday and he appears to be managing ok. However, I really don't want to come down with it myself or pass it onto younger DD.

So far, I have insisted on wearing surgical gloves (rather fetching purple!) when checking up on him and also keep my stash of disposable aprons for bathroom duties etc.

DH thinks that I'm being neurotic and that the gloves/ apron thing is a bit silly. Interested to know AIBU?

Yes you are. I am actually laughing at the idea of you all scrubbed up to check on your poorly kid!

You’ve been doing this since early in the year?! OTT.

That is insane, and very damaging to your child.

You sound like a maniac

God the poor kids gonna think he’s got the plague!

yes i think you are been a bit ott, you are at home not in a hospital.

One of my children is immunosuppressed and even we don't "scrub up"
Just general hygiene will be enough.

I probably wouldnt go so far, but if you have health anxiety and this helps, and youre still attending to him, then its not a huge issue.

Gloves and apron for cleaning the bathroom...ok, can understand that.

Gloves and apron for checking on your child? Very OTT, completely unnecessary. Just wash your hands regularly, especially before making food/eating.

If there’s no convenient drip feed about emetophobia (which seems to be suffered by almost every other person on mumsnet ) or severe health anxiety then yes - YABU.

Oh dear, your poor child will probably be panicking about how poorly he is.
He will remember this 🤔
It's strange behaviour

I’ve been having anxiety about 7 yr old ds getting newborn DD sick and this along with a number of other things has got me diagnosed with severe anxiety.
If this is how you cope with that anxiety I’d say that’s how you cope with it but you do need help. Your dd will need an immune system as she grows up and unless she has a compromised immune system or is very young you need to see this for what it is. It’s your anxiety doing a number on you.

You can also stop the spread of illnesses with simple washing of hands. Do not rely on gloves.

Yes, OTT I think, sorry.

I'm Emetophobic and even I don't go that far. I've contained every bug to one person with basic hygiene measures, hand washing and bleach cleaning if someone is sick.

I don't want to frighten my kids and I most certainly don't want them having this fear so I try to normalise it as much as possible.

I can see the logic maybe in wearing gloves to do the clean up but not just to go near your child.

You can only catch these bugs by ingesting particles so by just being around them you are not going to catch it unless they are actively being sick next to you.

When was this? Early this year or last week?

Crikey gloves/apron for cleaning up mess I the bathroom yes but to check on your child god no!! That could have a rather damaging effect on your son and could cause him to have issues with illness/germs.

Wash your hands! seemingly an unreasonable concept

Do you have a bio hazard suit so he can at least get a cuddle while unwell?

Agree with your DH, you're being neurotic.

Norovirus is also airborne when there sick it's the spores so unless you have a nasal covering mask your failing tbh

I think it would make any kid very nervous about how sick they are as they’d associate it with a hospital, and also perhaps be a bit hurt that mum doesn’t want to touch them.
If you wash your hands and practice good hygiene you should be fine, but the reality is sometimes your kids get sick and it spreads around the house no matter how hard you try. It’s just part of the job!

That's hilarious. Just wash your hands with soap.

Also if it's norovirus you are all pretty much doomed anyway as he will be shedding a billion particles everywhere all the time.

Way OTT

Are you not worried about causing your child to have health anxiety?

I don't know much about it but I imagine memories of his mum in surgical gloves and plastic apron, because he's got a tummy bug would probably cause something like that.

I can’t believe this is accurate tbh.

Yes and presumably quite off putting for your poor ill child