Avoiding germs?

[PirateD]

I have been thinking about this very thing for our trip at Christmas. Whenever we all get together, someone is always sick and then it spreads to the rest of us. I'm so determined to come up with a strategy for us all to have a healthy trip! Of course, I can't control everyone's choices but I do want to have some good tips for us all.

I think top on my list is to make sure we don't go into the vacation tired and stressed. I'm planning on early bedtimes the weeks before our trip.

Vitamins are on my list. For me personally, I do believe vitamins help my immune system overall. I especially notice a difference if I'm not taking extra Vitamin D in the winter, but that's because I live near Seattle where the sunshine can be scarce. I do take Airborne. I can't prove that it helps, but I figure it can't hurt. I like the new lozenges. I usually need a cough drop on the plane so I like that I'm getting some extra vitamins with it.

I'm totally a germaphobe! I think it's my teaching experience and constantly being around germs. I do think being conscientious about hand washing and using anti-bac gels and wipes when hand washing isn't available helps keep me healthy. BTW, I found hand wipes in cute Disney packages at the Dollar tree. They come in a set of three. I bought some for our December trip and have them ready to go!

I do the same as @ArwenMarie on the plane and wipe everything down. I also take a decongestant as the air system on the plane always impacts my sinuses.

I will be following along for any other tips!

 

[JennyDrake]

Airborne is a huge waste of money. It is completely ineffective.

What is effective is washing your hands (with soap and water, not hand sanitizer) regularly and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Being a germophobe is one of the best ways to get sick. Seriously.

As someone with a masters in microbiology I could not AGREE more! Wash hands often and teach your kids to not put things in their mouths--including their own fingers. And don't play with bubble gum while chewing it (personal pet peeve.)

 

[Kalliope]

Then why wash your hands at all at WDW? (other than after the bathroom)

We don't. The only time hands are washed at WDW is after a bathroom visit.

 

[gwb]

What is effective is washing your hands (with soap and water, not hand sanitizer) regularly

I have worked in a medical center for over 15 years and have to go into patients rooms with different diseases (some downright nasty) on a regular basis and we go by CDC and other health organization regulations. They all state in the regs that hand sanitizers are just as good as washing hands regularly and have ho side effects. As a matter of fact even using a hospial grade disinfectecnt soap you have to wash your hands a minimum of 1-2 minnutes to be as effective as hand sanitizers.
And in those 15 years of using hand sanitizers I and all my co-workers have never had any issues with hand sanitizers hurting our own "normal Bacteria"
It's true that over use of diinfectent can harm healthy needed bacteria but it has to be a constant very heavy use.

 

[DisTXMom]

I echo the cleaning on the planes - more germs there than most places. I have wipes and hand sanitizer- use wipes after dicier rides/interactive ques. Agree with everyone above- hand washing is #1 defense, but we do wipes/sanitizer in between. Also, you can put your hotel remote control in a ziplock bag to further protect from germs- as that is not cleaned as consistently as other things in hotel room. Yes, I know I'm ridiculous.

 

[dkrauss]

It's impossible to avoid germs..............as others have said wash your hands "all the time" is the best preventative tool. To many people and to many surfaces for full avoidance. But please don't let the fear of getting sick overwhelm and destroy your vacation..........if you or your son have known susceptibilities do what you normally do plus ............and be obsessive about washing your hands.............otherwise have fun!!!!

Doug

 

[anniemae]

We wash hands a bit more at Disney. We also use a hand sanitizer that is good for 24 hours or 10 hand washes. Most sanitizers only disinfect what is currently on your hands. Two seconds after rubbing it in, you could touch something and pick up germs. I also use clorox wipes to wipe down the plane seats and trays and to do a quick wipe down of the remote in the room and the bathroom door knobs in the room. I also have to keep telling the kids not to touch the hand rails etc. My kids also take a probiotic in the fall/winter months. I go a little overboard, but I am immunocompromised.

 

[ols386]

I try to wash my hands a lot with soap and water, not only at WDW, but just in general.

I bring Clorox wipes with me to WDW, and wipe the doorknobs and stuff like that in the resort room.

I also place the remote in a zip loc bag so I'm not handling the actual remote.

That's about it.

 

[Meriweather]

I wash my hands a lot....home and away.
I also use hand sanitizer on trips and when out and about around home. I hate my hands feeling dirty.
I try to sleep enough on trips, try to eat the best I can and I have never been sick on any vacation trip....Disney, cruises, other places.
We usually go to Disney for 2 weeks at a time.
DH, on the other hand.....doesn't wash his hands enough, slides them along rails. He does get sick on a trip at least once a year, and quite often at home.

 

[ShayBells]

Thanks everyone. I do the washing hands and hand sanitizer. I don't however wipe everything down but that sounds like a good plan. I have heard good things about airborne but it sounds not good with chances of upset stomach. I guess I'll nix the idea.

I will worry more about washing our hands and wiping everything down all through the plane and airport and hope for the best.

I do try not to over use hand sanitizer only when we're out in public so hopefully I'm not compromising our immune system haha but I am very much about washing hands after bathroom, before eating, coming inside, etc. I wouldn't call me a germaphobe but we have got sick on vacation in the past and I guess it has stuck and now I am a little fearful but I'll try not to over do it haha.

And I very much agree with rest and tons of water to help.

Thank you again.

 

[Superchikk]

Vitamin D is actually a huge building block of the immune system. Our pediatrician was able to give me proper dosages for my kids for a situation like going to Disney (according to age/weight - you may need a higher dosage than you think). So we make sure our vitamin D levels are optimized before we go (and during the winter as well). I also boost our probiotic intake a few weeks before we go, and we all take vitamin C. I take all of those things with us on our trip as well, and we continue taking them.

I also use essential oils. I know not everyone is comfortable with them, but I've found them to be a big help. We apply an immune-boosting oil on our feet at bedtime most nights. So we also take those with us.

I also focus on making sure we're all eating well and getting adequate rest before and during the trip. During the trip, we try not to eat a ton of junk (make healthier choices with meal sides, etc.) and get a good night's rest. We will also go back to the room to rest a few afternoons. We make sure to wash hands when we can, and periodically use a non-alcohol based hand sanitizer.

When we check into the hotel room, I take Clorox wipes and clean every hard surface I can. My kids like to TOUCH ALL THE THINGS, so I take five minutes at the beginning of our stay to help get rid of some of the germs. We also put the remote in the ice bucket liner - I don't think I can adequately clean all those buttons, so I don't even worry with it. I'm totally not a germophobe, but there's no way of knowing if the previous guest had a stomach virus and the germs are still floating around in the room. Better safe than sorry, IMO.

We actually travel a lot - and teaching your kids what you expect of them as far as touching hand rails, keeping their hands out of their mouths, away from face, etc. before you go is a big help.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Regarding Airborne, zinc lozenges, etc., I heard an interesting point-of-view from a doctor once. Some people claim these products either helped them avoid a cold, shortened the duration of their cold, or lessened the symptoms. The truth is that there is no way to prove those claims. How many times have you thought you felt a cold coming on and nothing really came of it? If you didn't take anything and didn't get a cold, you wouldn't have thought anything of it. However, if you took Airborne or zinc, you might think it helped you avoid the cold. But really there's no proof as to whether or not you would have gotten a cold if you hadn't taken it. You hear claims that these products shorten the duration of a cold. But how do you know how long that particular cold would have lasted if you hadn't taken anything? There's really no way to prove that any of these products do anything.

 

[larryz]

Actually, refillable soap dispensers in public bathrooms can deposit more bacteria on your hands.

http://news.discovery.com/human/health/soap-bacteria-clean-110506.htm

Well, there's an article with a mixed message... SMH

 

[ArwenMarie]

Well, there's an article with a mixed message... SMH

Seriously.

I can't remember what kind they use at WDW, if they are the refillable kind.

Might be worth carrying your own!

 

[xlxo]

Two things made a huge difference for me in reducing the number of annual sick days.

• exercise
• healthy diet

The biggest improvement? When exiting public washrooms... I use will a towel to open the doors. Statistically less than half the population cleans their hands properly when using the bathroom (insufficent water, soap and time). On cruise ships and tourist locations, the statistics are worse with different cultural hygiene standards.

 

[Tomh]

We have been to Disney World every year since 2008. Some years we've gotten sick, some we haven't. I can tell you exactly what the differences between those years are.

The years we got sick, well, we didn't really do anything to avoid it. Now keep in mind, my family is NOT germophobic, we are exposed to pretty much everything and anything, and don't worry too much about it.

The years that no one got sick, we carried Clorox wipes, and anti bacterial hand wipes, and every time we sat down at a counter service / fast service place to eat, we wiped down the table, and our hands before eating. Without fail, every year that we've forgotten to do this, we've all wound up sick, every year that we've remembered to do it, no one has gotten sick.

Cleanliness is the answer, and that, I think, goes double at the quick service / counter service locations where the tables are not necessarily cleaned between families. Clean them yourself, and make sure your hands are clean before eating, and I think you will be in pretty good shape.

 

[leahgoogle]

When we went last October my husband and I got sick. You know why......we were stressed and working overtime trying to get ready for the trip! I would say get proper sleep before the trip, don't stress. Supplement with Vitamin D3, vitamin C, probiotics. Wash hands and/or use sanitizer after using toilets or touching high traffic areas, but don't be obsessive. Being in line for a ride and having the person by you sneeze is enough to infect you. Building the immune system and relaxing is goes along way to being able to fight off exposures.

 

[jo-jo]

I wash my hands a lot....home and away.

DH, on the other hand.....doesn't wash his hands enough, slides them along rails. He does get sick on a trip at least once a year, and quite often at home.

Sounds like my DH.

A yr ago we got a stomach bug. The morning the grandkids went home, DH got sick. About 30 hrs later, I was sick... We had three days to spend by ourselves. Most horrible days ever. LOL So sick, just let lay on the floor and die sick.

Next trip we brought clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. Don't know if it was disney or the grandkids, but we aren't taking chances. At home we just use soap and water, at disney we kick it up a notch.

 

[JZCubed]

I'm hoping this question falls under "strategies."

The last thing I want is for me or DS to get sick on this upcoming trip. I've heard good things about Airborne but am unsure how it works. Do you just use it while you are there or before or start it how long before and keep it up throughout your vacation?

If you use airborne what kind do you get and what is your "strategy" for using it?

- Wash hands - USING SOAP.

- Consider hand sanitizer or washing hands after handling money.

- Avoid buffets.

- Shower/bathe after time in the Parks.

 

[AP1209]

It's amazing we all survived before anti-baterial wipes