Do your children wash their hands before every meal?

[Hayegernz]

We definitely did as kids and thinking I am too lax with mine. They wash their hands when coming in from outside and after the loo but that's it.

After just seeing a thread about worms I'm now a bit worried that my baby ate her dinner with her hands after playing with her big sister's toys and crawling around the floor all afternoon. Barf.

Is it just us?

Nope. We are very lax hamdwashers, even by MN low standards. Never ill.

I do always wash my hands before prepping food for guests, or if I'm out or a guest in someone else's house. I'm personally comfortable with what others would consider poor hygiene but I recognise other people have different standards and I respect that.

No, but they do wash after using the bathroom.
I do make them wash if they are helping me cook however.

Hmm that's a good point, I always wash my hands before eating or prepping food, and a few times during too (my hands are often red raw from all the handwashing) so I don't know why I'm not doing it with my kids.
I think I'm going to start it now though.

All these people who happily eat other people's snot etc. and spread their own around. This is why I don't massively like eating at other people's houses.

Son is like he has OCD washes hands a lot , won’t drink out of same cup as anyone else etc.
daughter is feral and I don’t think she actually ever does. She’s 23 now and she’s never had the worms I always told her she’d get from not washing her hands !

By what logic do you conclude that people who don’t wash their hands before eating are thereby eating other peoples snot?

Same. At work there's a group who often do a bake e.g. cookies, cupcakes and the like. My colleagues flock to the kitchen while I remain firmly sitting at my desk. The lack of handwashing is even the least of it, a lot of these people are pet lovers and would probably think nothing of baking with kitty on the kitchen counter.

I don’t have kids but I don’t usually wash my own hands before eating or cooking. I wash my hands after using the toilet and, since covid, I wash my hands when I come home from being somewhere. Otherwise I don’t tend to wash my hands when I’m at home unless I do something like take out the bins/ clean the bathroom etc. I don’t know anybody who washes their hands before eating either, at least nobody who’s ever been to mine for dinner or invited me to their house for a meal and nobody at work either.

You don't wash your hands before preparing food? This is why office cake sales are to be avoided!!!!

Yes, why wouldn't you take the opportunity? I remember a thread where most people said they didn't wash their hands after nappy changes. People are revolting.

No. I think it just depends how you were brought up, it wasn’t standard in our house when I was a kid. Plus we generally eat with cutlery, so not sure what difference it would make.

Genuinely aghast that so many people don't wash their hands before eating. Grim.

"I always wash my hands before eating or prepping food, and a few times during too (my hands are often red raw from all the handwashing) so I don't know why I'm not doing it with my kids."

Your hands are "red raw"? They shouldn't be if it's not a new thing, what on earth are you washing them with? I wash mine all the time, and the kids do too. None of us are "red raw"

Mine had to wash their hands as soon as they came in from school - they were always filthy. We wash our hands as soon as we come indoors. It's a way of life in our house, not just from a hygiene point of view but also because we have a cream suite 😊Have you ever noticed how dirty the arms are on some people's sofas and armchairs? It's usually because they don't wash their hands enough.

"these people are pet lovers and would probably think nothing of baking with kitty on the kitchen counter."

🤮

Only after the toilet or visibly dirty. I can't see the point before meals really. Most adults don't eg if going out to eat, having a snack etc.

They also pick their nose and eat it when they think I'm not looking so washing hands pointless

"No. They use a knife and fork to eat."

Bread, garlic bread, pizza, sandwiches, condiments bottles, seasoning, tongs for salad...I could go on. Why on earth wouldn't you want clean hands at the table? Fucking grim

"They also pick their nose and eat it when they think I'm not looking so washing hands pointless"

Unless they also scratch their arse when you're not looking. Or the dogs 😅🤮🤮🤮

Most kids pick their noses. The snot is on their hands. They touch things. The snot is transferred to the item. The next person touches the item. They have snot on their hands. They pick up a sandwich.

www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-fomite-transmission-3132826

Same for piss, shit, vomit, blah blah blah.

I would wash my hands I p before making food if I’d been doing something dirty but not if I’d just been sitting watching TV at home, I live on my own so not cooking for anyone else and I feel like if I have any germs on my hands I’ve picked up just from being in my own house I’m probably going to ingest them at some point in the evening anyway! I hate cooking/ baking so definitely not contributing to any office cake sales, I can’t remember the last time I cooked for anyone else. I also work at a special school and regularly eat food the kids have made in cooking sessions so I guess I probably have low standards, I sort of figure as long as it’s been cooked after anyones hands have been on it it’ll be fine!

Many adults do wash their hands. It is gross not to.

There is no problem picking your own nose and eating it. The problem is eating other people's snot.

Dh likes them to, I'm not bothered.

I wasn't brought up to do so.

(I do wash all fruit and veg though.)

Yes always, unless we're out, at a picnic or something and it's too hard.

I don’t have any kids in my house. I live alone so pretty sure nothing is covered in anyone’s snot aside from possibly mine. I wash my hands once I’m in the house and then figure I’m good to go (unless I go to the toilet or do something like take out the bins). Washing my hands every time I wanted to eat a snack etc when I’m just lounging around at home watching TV seems like overkill and I’m surprised at the number of people who always wash their hands before eating. Does that mean they never eat in the car or go for a picnic somewhere without access to sinks etc?

This thread is grim, makes me realise why I always feel like my hands are grimy when out in public. It’s basic hygiene at the very least to wash hands before eating.

Well if you live alone you are not passing snot back and forth, but surely you can understand the principle?

The car is one of the dirtiest places, they are dirtier than the average bathroom apparently

Personally I use sanitiser if no sinks. The COVID handwashing rules were just the standard handwashing advice and I didn't do anything new. The government had to push them very hard because, as you see on this thread, many people are very lax.