to ask for some perspevtive on baby poo worry

[hgggp]

I am quite over the top so hygiene. I have a ds 3 months and worry so so much that he will come into contact with poo. His hands go all over the place when I change him and today he touched some poo before I had chance to clean it. I don’t think it went in his mouth but obviously I can’t start washing his hands all the time with anti bacterial stuff and I worry all the time that he’s going to be unwell from the poo. Sometoems it’s everywhere and I usually bath him if I can but if we are out then obviously I can’t. I throw away anything that may have poo on and also don’t know if that’s rational!! Would you just wash it in the machine? Feeling so anxious.

OP, chill. My DD once ate an undigested tomato out of her own poo. She was just fine.

@Itsbytheby thanks. Presumably it’s difficult to adult poo then? And I shouldn’t be thinking of it in the same way? I am constantly wiping his hands with baby wipes and today I’m just exhausted. If he even goes on the carpet where a dirty wet wipe has fallen I panic.

It's healthy for babies to get some germs. It builds their immune systems.

*different

You can buy changing mats which keep the hands away and help prevent wiggling - might be worth looking into.

I’ve had 4 boys and I can’t say this is something I’ve worried about, I don’t remember if they’ve ever stuck their hands in whilst I’ve been changing and I’m sure if they have I’ve washed hands and carried on. I think maintaining good hand hygiene isn’t a bad thing but perhaps you’re a bit more anxious than is usual.

Is your health visitor approachable? Could you have a chat and is there other things you are very anxious about? I had pnd with 2 of my babies and my hv and gp were great I was quite anxious about something happening to my babies and various other things.

It was in his own body a few moments ago, it's not going to hurt at all to go back in.
Other people's poo is a different matter, but I'm assuming you can keep him away from that.
Poo actually isn't a problem unless the person is sick. It's just gross.

I once found my oldest child who was 9 months at the time smearing poo out of his nappy he had taken off into his arms. I had literally just taken him out the bath, put a nappy on him and put him on the floor while I went to get his clean clothes. He was very happy with himself, where as I was not as I had to bath him again. He is 27 now and came to no harm.

While eating excrement is not advised and rarely, it can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.... diseases or illnesses that are transferred through contact with excrement are more problematic through contact with the excrement of another person who is carrying a communicable disease. In short.. if it's his own poop.. then he is already contaminated with everything that is in it..

Panic not - children finish up eating all sorts of things that are not ideal.

Don't throw away tings that get poo on them - think of the planet - scrape it off and bung it in the wash.

He is three months old. In another three months or so he is likely to be moving himself around the house finding all sorts of interesting things to put in his mouth, rinse and repeat for the next two years at least. it’s what kids do. They have eyes like hawks and the reflexes of cobras. Poo is pretty disgusting, but vigilance and wet wipes when changing are your friend.

!!!!

I give him things to hold while changing him to keep his hands away