GAC Question..searched but didn't see anything to help me

[mom2zandjsquared]

All of these questions are coming up now that I have planned our trip; we live only 2 hours away so usually take day trips but have cut back to Special Events for smaller crowds because of our DD who is 2. My DD has a lot of health issues hence the allergy room cleaning post; she has some auto-immune problems and the responses aren't good. I am curious what could a GAC really do for us; I saw it will help if I need to take her stroller into a ride wait. I don't even know where to start for her health issues as we are undergoing more testing currently. Her current diagnosis are celiac disease, dermatitis, alopecia, chronic hives, asthma along with food and environmental allergens. All together doesn't sound half as bad as what other people go through but this is enough to give her a weaker immune system and worries me what I may encounter this trip that we are taking to WDW. We happen to be going at what appears will be one of the busiest times of the year this year. I just want to make sure she is kept safe; the hives and asthma worry me the most. Any advice would be appreciated!!

Thanks!!
Heather

 

[bopper]

Before anybody can answer you, you need to tell us what your daughter needs are, not her diagnosis. She may have alopecia, but how does that affect her standing in a line? Does she need to wait in a shaded area? She has allergies...but to what? Anything or anybody in a line? Does the asthma tire her out? Then would she need to sit in a stroller as a wheelchair? Would she possibly need to leave a line immediately? I believe those are the type of questions to ask yourself before requesting a GAC.

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

Sorry she was waking up from a nap so I wanted to get something posted real quick. Due to her alopecia she needs to be in shade which isn't really a concern since most of the waiting areas are shaded. She is basically allergic to everything and everyone but not to the point she needs a mask or anything; she takes meds so it is under control but can break out in hives at any point especially if she has a break down in line (just happened at P&PP). I am the crazy woman you see wiping down a ride really quick when we get in it for fear of a CC issue. All of this is new to me as my 2 ODC don't have concerns of this type. I don't know what to question of myself before going to request a GAC.

 

[livndisney]

Quick question, when you "wipe down the ride" what do you wipe it with?

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

I bring wipes with me; probably the Mr Clean wipes now and a towel to sit on unless she has pants on then no towel since her legs aren't exposed. Most of the time I try to hold her on the rides so I only have to wipe hand bars then we get off and hand sanitize. I don't bring the whole container in with me usually just one or two wipes in a ziploc bag then refresh the bag upon exiting the ride as the container is in the stroller.

 

[livndisney]

Thank you for your answer. You may have just explained reactions I have had at theme parks. I always thought when someone "wiped" down a ride they used a regular wipe or an alcohol wipe. It never occured to me that "stronger" wipes were being used.

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

No problem; I guess I have never thought of anyone having a reaction to a wipe I have used. Traditionally I see most people using baby wipes but that doesn't kill anything off so I don't use those any more. I have never seen a large alcohol wipe just little pads so that is why I don't use those as I would need a ton of them to get a job done. It was suggested to me by a CM that we use a clorox type wipe if we were going to be wiping anything after they saw me use a diaper wipe. I will have to figure something else now because I would hate to be the cause for someone else's reaction.

ETA: Just did a quick search and found these - http://www.amazon.com/Super-Sani-Cloth-Alcohol-Large-Wipes/dp/B0008IVZR6
Would something like these bother you?

 

[livndisney]

No problem; I guess I have never thought of anyone having a reaction to a wipe I have used. Traditionally I see most people using baby wipes but that doesn't kill anything off so I don't use those any more. I have never seen a large alcohol wipe just little pads so that is why I don't use those as I would need a ton of them to get a job done. It was suggested to me by a CM that we use a clorox type wipe if we were going to be wiping anything after they saw me use a diaper wipe. I will have to figure something else now because I would hate to be the cause for someone else's reaction.

ETA: Just did a quick search and found these - http://www.amazon.com/Super-Sani-Cloth-Alcohol-Large-Wipes/dp/B0008IVZR6
Would something like these bother you?

No, alcohol based is fine. A CM suggested you use a clorox wipe? Wow! When I have asked at Guest Services I have been told the CM's ask people not to use Clorox as some people have reactions to them. (Like me). I suspected awhile ago that the reactions I was having was due to wipes being used. (Who knew Disney really could make you sick ). But I listened to what GS told me. I am so glad we had this chat! I am going to send you a PM

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

That is so weird we had different info told to us but now I know.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't know if you saw the portion in the disABILITIES FAQs thread about GACs, but if you haven't, that might be helpful to you. Bopper is exactly right about needing to think of what she needs. Some of those needs might be helped by a GAC, but some not at all.

From what you have written, I think bringing the stroller in the line with you would be helpful. Think of it as a little 'cocoon' for her; kind of bringing a bit of safe place with you. Using the stroller would also give you some separation from other guests.


One thing to think about (besides other people's possible reactions) is what exposure to the different types of wipes might do to her. A lot of people have reaction to the Clorox type wipes because of the bleach that is in them. Bleach fumes can be an asthma trigger for some people. Other strong chemical wipes (like the Mr. Clean wipes) can also cause respiratory problems for some people. Personally, I have to be very careful what types of cleaning supplies I use since many of them cause trouble for me.
Also, the disinfectant wipes are meant to kill germs on clean surfaces. Many of them do not work very well on surfaces that are soiled - which would be the type you are talking about. And, touching surfaces that are still damp with disinfectant can cause skin irritation.
For example, the SuperSani Cloths that you found, recommend wearing gloves to use (we use products like that in the hospital where I work).

One thing people forget is that germs on the hands can't cause any problem. They need to get into the body somehow in order to cause an infection. Unless your child is mouthing the bars and/or chewing/sucking on her hands during the ride, I wouldn't worry cleaning or disinfecting the surfaces of hand bars, etc.
Instead, I would concentrate on keeping her hands clean. The hands are what will be carrying germs to the points of entry to her body - the nose, eyes and mouth. As time goes on, you can't disinfect the world, but even a 2 yr old can be taught to clean their hands. Doing that will also help to limit her exposure to chemicals.

 

[DevilDuckie]

Sorry she was waking up from a nap so I wanted to get something posted real quick. Due to her alopecia she needs to be in shade which isn't really a concern since most of the waiting areas are shaded. She is basically allergic to everything and everyone but not to the point she needs a mask or anything; she takes meds so it is under control but can break out in hives at any point especially if she has a break down in line (just happened at P&PP). I am the crazy woman you see wiping down a ride really quick when we get in it for fear of a CC issue. All of this is new to me as my 2 ODC don't have concerns of this type. I don't know what to question of myself before going to request a GAC.

So it sounds like good things to request might be a shaded waiting area and the option to wait away from other people as needed. If someone is wearing a perfume she reacts to or has a service dog it sounds like she might need to wait elsewhere.

Try this: close your eyes and visualize Disney and what you do and who is around you. Try to think about everything that might cause her problems and what would make it better. That should give you the tools you need to tell the CMs how to help her.

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

Thanks everyone!! She is a thumb and finger sucker for comfort so that is why I worry abot what she touches; we have hand sanitizer with us everywhere. I am going to have to really sit down and think about this trip very different than other trips since they are usually daytrips and we just get up and go not since we have had DD though!! I have only taken her 4 times - one she was 3 months old, another she was 18M old and we were still discovering her problems, then for MNSSH and just recently for P&PP.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks everyone!! She is a thumb and finger sucker for comfort so that is why I worry abot what she touches; we have hand sanitizer with us everywhere.

in that case, I would be especially careful not to use strong chemicals. The chemicals need to air dry in order to kill germs. As she touches the surfaces you have disinfected, she is also picking up chemicals.

If you are still worried about her touching things like the handbars on rides, something to cover them might be a better choice. Or, just use baby wipes on both the surfaces and her hands. They won't disinfect, but the friction will remove most of the germs she picks up on the surface of her skin and at least baby wipes are the least noxious chemical you can use.

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

I guess I never thought of that as we have only recently had to worry about it. I will probably opt for baby wipes and hand santitizer then since well I will have both things with me already. Has anyone ever had a reaction to baby wipes? Until recently we had used the Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Wipes but since I barely use them now we switched.

The finger sucking is her calm down in situations; she does not like crowds or strange people so I am sure most of our pictures she will have some finger or thumb in her mouth in all of them. Plus most of the time we are at Disney but she loves Disney and Mickey plus all of the princesses so I am hoping we will have a good time and great memories!! She also twirls her hair which is not good since she is losing it.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

One thing a lot of people find works well for their kids who don't like crowds, is to drape a blanket or towel over the canopy of the stroller, and down across the front. This provides a little 'cocoon' that she can feel safe in. It will also give her more shade. Just make sure she has a little fan or something in there to keep her cool!

 

[SueM in MN]

I guess I never thought of that as we have only recently had to worry about it. I will probably opt for baby wipes and hand santitizer then since well I will have both things with me already. Has anyone ever had a reaction to baby wipes? Until recently we had used the Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Wipes but since I barely use them now we switched.

The finger sucking is her calm down in situations; she does not like crowds or strange people so I am sure most of our pictures she will have some finger or thumb in her mouth in all of them. Plus most of the time we are at Disney but she loves Disney and Mickey plus all of the princesses so I am hoping we will have a good time and great memories!! She also twirls her hair which is not good since she is losing it.

I was looking for an article about hand sanitizer and children, but didn't have time to find it this morning and could not find the one I was looking for. This one isn't as good, but does point out the possible dangers of using alcohol hand sanitizers with children, mostly if they lick it off instead of rubbing it in.

Also, there are some interesting theories about possible connections between cleanliness and autoimmune diseases, which are basically an overactive immune system that attacks the body when there are not things outside of the body to attack. I'm not saying that this is the case with your child (and I also don't know if she is on any medications to treat her condition that would make her more likely to get infections). I just thought you might be interested in the information.

 

[mom2zandjsquared]

Sue ~ Thanks for the info thankfully DD rubs it in and it was suggested to us by all of her doctors that it is safe after watching her use it. I am thinking about buying the sanitizing wipes though instead for this trip if I can find them. This is where its becoming overwhelming and I just learned last night I have to do Disney on $100 or less per day except the days we have Character Meals planned out.

 

[Schmeck]

Are the baby wipes the ones that get soapy when you use them? Does anyone know what kind of soap they put in those things? We're finding out that my DD14, who was allergic to a lot of bubble solutions, (could still be now, but she's really not into bubbles anymore!) and who was very allergic to the standard babywipe, is developing an allergy to a facial cleanser now too. We're trying to find the type of emollient used in the standard baby wipes, as we suspect that it is the same ingredient in wipes and maybe even bubbles?

 

[SueM in MN]

Are the baby wipes the ones that get soapy when you use them? Does anyone know what kind of soap they put in those things? We're finding out that my DD14, who was allergic to a lot of bubble solutions, (could still be now, but she's really not into bubbles anymore!) and who was very allergic to the standard babywipe, is developing an allergy to a facial cleanser now too. We're trying to find the type of emollient used in the standard baby wipes, as we suspect that it is the same ingredient in wipes and maybe even bubbles?

Glycerine is a common ingredient in soaps and also in play bubble solutions.
I don't know how common allergies to Glycerine are, but it's a very commonly used ingredient.