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Parenting

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Original poster

washing hands before eating

54 replies

peppajay · 27/05/2015 10:18

How far or how often do you take hand washing or expect your children to wash their hands??? I expect to wash them before eating and without fail at lunch or teatime and also before having a snack. If we are out and eating ie a picnic I insist they use gel or a baby wipe before eating. My son has aspergers and is obsessed with hand washing and I think it is partly my fault for fuelling this obsession as very few other people seem to worry about it. Yesterday we went to town and I didn't have any gel or wipes on me and we bought a cake at the bakery and as I forgot the gel they couldn't clean their hands. I told them not to worry but my son had a huge meltdown as he was convinced he would be sick if he ate the cake when he had germs on his hands, so I ended up buying some gel so they could clean their hands. I always wash my hands before I eat and always have done I wouldn't say it is obsessive just good hygeine but no one else seems to worry so was just wondering what you folks do??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Artandco · 27/05/2015 14:52

How does no shoes on carpet = clean hands? Don't your children ever sneeze on their hands/ wipe stuff/ get pen/ play dough on them?
We have no shoes in house, no food anywhere accept at table etc. But ds1 has been sucking him thumb the last 5 mins and I'm sure ds2 has wiped his nose on his hand. I get them to wash after I see them do this but incase I miss it, it's just easier to have a rule of always washing hands before eating.

We all wash hands as soon as home after using public transport also. London tubes are disgusting, I will often wash hands after and black water runs of from the grime on tube poles and escaltors etc

Decanter · 27/05/2015 14:53

Bunch of mingers on this thread

TwiceAsNiceAsIceAndaSlice · 27/05/2015 17:15

Too right Decanter

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WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 27/05/2015 17:38

I tend to eat with a knife and fork rather than my hands anyway!

usualsuspect333 · 27/05/2015 17:46

No I've never made mine wash their hands before eating. [minger]

ishallnamehimsquishy · 27/05/2015 17:53

Nope.

Wash after toilet and whenever we come into the house. Not before eating unless I've seen them doingg something grubby.

WhispersOfWickedness · 27/05/2015 18:08

Nope, not here. Usual disclaimer that they wash them after the toilet, if they are visibly dirty and if we are at a farm/petting zoo. Both DC are very rarely sick.

snowaccidentprone · 27/05/2015 18:13

Always. Ever time.

Do you think bacteria aren't on your hands because you can't see it?

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 27/05/2015 18:22

No snow but they don't eat with their hands.

NotCitrus · 27/05/2015 18:55

Always after toilet (before they are old enough to wipe themselves, just after pooing), and before formal meals (about once a week). Apart from that, When I say So, so if I know they are sneezy, have touched animals, look minging, etc.

I always thought routine washing hands before eating was what they did at primary school because so many kids wouldn't have bothered after they went to the loo. And what I did when I was a lab scientist.

Original poster

peppajay · 27/05/2015 19:06

Wow what a response. Am astounded at the number of people that don't insist on washing hands. I was always brought up washing hands before eating so of sort if thought it was normal. I just think of all that bacteria on the hands that gets on food if you don't wash them. Lunch is generally sandwiches and most evenings they have bread with their evening meal and raisins for pudding so usually hands are in contact with mouth at some point but I now know I am in the minority insisting. Will keep hand washing though as us good hygiene but honestly thought it was the norm xx

OP posts:

FairyPenguin · 27/05/2015 19:16

At home, mine always wash hands before eating anything. Was a rule when they were younger and always dirty, now it's ingrained and I don't even have to ask them.

When out, we always do when eating in a restaurant, and try to remember wipes for general snacks but are a bit more lax (which actually doesn't make sense now I think about it). Will make a more concerted effort to at least wipe hands now!

odyssey2001 · 27/05/2015 20:14

Artandco, I consider traipsed in poo / contaminates etc to be what I want to avoid. Those are the things that will make him really ill so I consider our carpets where he plays to be clean.

His germs are his germs - he can't catch a cold off himself.

WellErrr · 27/05/2015 20:21

No.

Bacteria is not all bad. You need some on a regular basis to keep a healthy immune system.

We live on a farm. Dc play out in all manner of filth and frequently stop for snacks with just a wipe on the trousers.

And antibacterial gel is actively BANNED, it's evil stuff that is contributing to the downfall of the human immune system.

So yeah, my kids are filthy but hardly ever ill.

Haggisfish · 27/05/2015 23:46

I'm not minging-I don't believe in washing hands when there is no need to. I would also rather my kids built up immunity to most common bacteria by being exposed to small numbers of them on their hands. I consider people who over clean to be, frankly, too stupid to bother understanding the science of why you should not live in too sterile an environment.
www.nature.com/news/early-exposure-to-germs-has-lasting-benefits-1.10294
health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/myths/antibacterial-soap-outlawed.htm
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15021064/?i=6&from=/25584716/related
www.natureasia.com/en/research/highlight/9267

SirChenjin · 28/05/2015 14:57

Too stupid? How charming.

Article 1 - about mice
Article 2 - about antibac wash as opposed to proper handwashing
Article 3- about dust and link to asthma and allergies is not based on SRs or RCTs.
Article 4 - about mice again.

MrNedSchneebly · 28/05/2015 15:06

Find it so grim how obsessive people are about hygiene. How incredibly unfreeing, what will happen if any of your kids go on a walk and want to eat some blackberries or go travelling and eat a fresh coconut on the beach. Will the hand sanitiser be out?

I understand it slightly more when it's about spreading illnesses or whatever. What exactly do you thibk will happen if your child gets a bit of black dirt in their mouth?

fourchetteoff · 28/05/2015 15:12

I don't find it obsessive to be using hand gels and wash hands too much…but i do think that there may be unintended consequences.

For a while, any parent who didn't slather their DC in suncream was seen as borderline abusive (FEAR THE SUN!!!) even if there was very weak sun. Now, kids are actually vitamin D deficient because of these 'protective' excesses. I held out putting on suncream and would be seen as a bit radical because I didn't mind them getting a little tanned in summertime.

Same with hand washing. After handling bums and genitals, of course wash them! But day to day life we need some germs, as we are just too hygienic nowadays. It's found that people who live on farms etc have fewer cases of asthma, allergies etc. It's also found that having commensal parasites can actually be good for you (ew!) I think we'll find that we are annihilating many helpful bacteria for the sake of not getting the odd cold/tummy bug.

thehumanjam · 28/05/2015 15:15

I insist on it. My children always have ridiculously dirty hands and it would turn my stomach watching them eat with mud incrusted fingernails.

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 28/05/2015 15:19

I don't think anyone here is saying they wouldn't wash mud encrusted hands thehumanjam!

MerryMarigold · 28/05/2015 15:24

I'm pretty lax. If they've been gardening or playing football I'd get them to wash hands. Also if it was finger food if I remembered. Otherwise don't bother.

Haggisfish · 28/05/2015 17:19

Well yes, they are about mice because that's how scientific research works. Animals first, then humans. My insulting post was aimed at those posts who were insulting to others, simply because they have a different point of view. No need to call anyone minging because of it!

fakenamefornow · 28/05/2015 17:42

We're very lax.

After toilet and if they are visibly dirty and before doing baking or something like that. And we have a dog.

If we are eating at a friends house and they hand wash we just pretend that's what we do as well

My children never get sick, they never seem to pick up the tummy bugs or colds that are forever going round primary school, they don't have any allergies either. Maybe it's just a coincidence (most likely) maybe there really is something in this 'you can be too clean business'.

Pedestriana · 28/05/2015 17:48

If DD's been to the loo, or been playing outside/stroking the cat then yes, hands must be washed. If she's just home from nursery, or has been drawing/colouring then I don't bother.
We're very rarely ill here - the last time she was poorly was because she ate too much food, too late in the evening and went to bed too soon afterward.

fakenamefornow · 28/05/2015 18:09

Also, we are always putting our hands/fingers in our mouth or touching our face/nose, babies especially are always putting stuff in their mouths. May there's some sort of evolutionary reason for this, in that the people who didn't do this collecting lots of bacteria, didn't survive so much? (Bit of stretch).

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