Need help from fellow Germ-o-phobes

[boysmom5150]

Just FYI for those of you who fly to vacation destinations and like to clean hotel rooms: canned Lysol and other flammable cleaning sprays are actually not allowed in checked baggage because of the fire hazard. If they are found they will be confiscated.

We always use a luggage service and ship our luggage from home to hotel, I include all of my cleaning/sanitizing products in suitcase in ziploc bags. I'll have to call to see if thats ok, or if I should just order them once we are onsite. Although I have to take some clorox wipes with me for plane as DS4 has contact allergies.

 

[monorailsilver]

I didn't read the 5 pages of this thread but here is what I do:

I go to the baby stations when I am near them

I change standing up.

I change in the stroller.

I also bring a bigger blanket/sheet/towel & make sure I keep the dirty side folded out when I refold it again for that just in case.

As for the public potty, I have one of those plastic foldable potty seats that fit over the toilet.

And I have a potty seat in the back of my car (SUV) with lysol wipes & spray. So my kids use that pretty much all the time now.

In fact tonight was a first. I was in Brooks looking at Imodium for dh & my 3yo who I just made pee before we left states "mommy I have to go poopie".

Great. I was only hoping the way back to the car that I had plastic bags in there still & I did. He did his business & I tied up the bag & ditched it in the garbage (it's still chilly here so it won't get too stinky) & we went back to Brooks.

 

[ilovepooh]

Thanks to everyone who so kindly volunteered some great ideas on keeping ds clean and germ-free during diaper changes

I am going to pose yet another germ-o-phobe freak question and please don't laugh or criticize I know I'm crazy but I need to know how other germ freaks handle staying in the hotels. It sounds insane but I desperately want to bring my ds own PNP, but what's more is the fact that I can't seem to imagine bathing him in a hotel tub Would it be too bizare for me to scrub down the tub before bathing ds or should I bring a inflatable infant tub that I can pack?
I know, I'm insane - but seriously, how do all of you vetran travel germies handle bathing DC on the run?

I'm so happy there are other people who think like me! I was wondering the same thing tonight. I was worried that if I Clorox the tub, it may not be good for his skin, especially because he has severe eczema.

I was also thinking of renting a crib from A Baby's Best Friend www.abbf.com They have a reputation for cleaning everything really well. This way I don't have to use the PNP.

 

[LuvOrlando]

We always use a luggage service and ship our luggage from home to hotel, I include all of my cleaning/sanitizing products in suitcase in ziploc bags. I'll have to call to see if thats ok, or if I should just order them once we are onsite. Although I have to take some clorox wipes with me for plane as DS4 has contact allergies.

I've never heard of a luggage service but it sounds like it makes life easier. Who do you use & do they have a website?

 

[boysmom5150]

I've never heard of a luggage service but it sounds like it makes life easier. Who do you use & do they have a website?

I use luggage concierge their website is luggageconcierge.com. As I said in an earlier post have used them several times and it is just great and soooo convenient. They usually use UPS in my area but they get bulk rates.You get prepaid labels to attach. They p/u your bags at your home(you dont have to be there) anywhere from 1 week to 2 days prior to departure(depends on how much you want to pay) and they are waiting for you at your hotel when you get there. Just tell check in CM you had luggage shipped and bell service brings it to your room. Then when you leave tag the bags, call bell services and they hold your bags till the baggage service p/u. You see your bags at home in about 2 days. Much Much better than ME(although ME is free). For me it pays to use this service as we dont have to wait for the ME(which can be lengthy at times from what i understand). We just get off the plane and go right to our car service which is waiting for us. Usually 40min and we are at our resort. Also the car service puts a car seat and booster seat in car for us. Hope this helps.

 

[welovedisney7778]

It is so nice to know I am not the only one who does these things! Here's what we do:

Change in the baby care centers whenever possible
Change in the stroller when its not possible-just find an out of the way place-they are everywhere. No on has ever walked in on us changing DS. I put him on a restroom changing table ONCE-at Le Cellier, when it was smack dab in the middle of dinner and he needed to be changed NOW. Brought my Clorox wipes in, wiped down the table, wall, anything he could reach, put the disposable pads down, and then scrubbed his hands with AB wetones.

We wipe down restaurant tables with AB wetones, and then use the tiny diner placemats that stick to the table. We also use the Floppy high chair cover.

I wipe down ride bars with the AB wetones, and then his hands when we get off, and we use Purell ourselves after touching anything, before we touch him. We've rented cribs from ABBF twice, and were very happy with them. They were very clean. The last trip we used the PNP at Saratoga-it was brand new, I just wiped it down with the wetones, but used my own bedding. When we moved to a hotel for a few days at the end, the PNP's they sent us were GROSS-urine stains and gum stuck on the mattresses, after the second gross one I said forget it, and he slept in bed with us for the 3 nights. Next trip I will be renting the crib again. I also pull the bedspreads off and ask mousekeeping to leave in the closet. They totally gross me out. I bring Clorox wipes and wipe down everything in the room, each day after mousekeeping comes in. We brought an inflatable tub for the baby the first two trips-no way was I putting my baby in that tub-it worked great. Last trip my DH held him in the shower while I wiped him down. He's 21 months now so he thought it was a great time! Definitley recommend the inflatable tub for the really little ones! Some people think I'm nuts but its hard enough having a sick baby at home, never mind on vacation. We go away to have a good time as a family, I don't want someone else's germs (good bacteria or otherwise) ruining our vacation.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I have a question about mousekeeping.

Usually while on vacation, we request no housekeeping service - we just leave the towels and trash in one place and request replacements. We make up our own beds for the day, etc. Is this something we can do at one of the resorts?

 

[boysmom5150]

I have a question about mousekeeping.

Usually while on vacation, we request no housekeeping service - we just leave the towels and trash in one place and request replacements. We make up our own beds for the day, etc. Is this something we can do at one of the resorts?

Yes, we leave mousekeeping a note with a tip each morning with our instructions not to put bedspread or blanket back on bed leave in closet.
and not to fix the bed(i just pull up the sheet all nice and fix pillows) and whatever else might pertain to that day.
They are always very accommodating and I have never had a problem. I also leave the evening mousekeeper a note not to turn down beds, so she just leaves the lights and tv on and thats it.
However in my compulsive ways I still do give a wipe down every day to all handles/switches/shower/toilet and so on after housekeeping.

 

[sammyteach]

A little one touching a handle and then holding out her hands for a wipe that is a sad image! she should be thinking of fun not fretting about germs.
How does she play? I teach and I'm always saddened by kids who are frightened to play in the sand / dough / paint because they are not allowed to get messy or dirty. Life is for living not for worrying
Lets be sensible and keep things in perspective the human race survived for thousands of years before hand wipes.

And before anyone gets cross remember Disney is meant to be fun.
Also what do you folks do when your children go to school or socialize you cannot keep up these levels of surveilance forever?

 

[2poohbears]

sammyteach - a child under the age of 2 is different from older children. Their hands go into their mouths constantly & they touch everything. I don't see any problem with parents trying to prevent their children from catching some horrible illness while on vacation by wiping their hands down. They are at higher risk for infections than we are. It has nothing to do with getting dirty - it's about staying healthy. Every doctor I have seen says handwashing is the best way to prevent spreading of illness...so it IS sensible to do so.

About housekeeping - you might want to try calling housekeeping instead of just leaving the note. On our last stay at ASMovies, our housekeepers didn't speak English, so I had a hard time communicating to them our needs.

 

[Tiger926]

A little one touching a handle and then holding out her hands for a wipe that is a sad image! she should be thinking of fun not fretting about germs.
How does she play? I teach and I'm always saddened by kids who are frightened to play in the sand / dough / paint because they are not allowed to get messy or dirty. Life is for living not for worrying
Lets be sensible and keep things in perspective the human race survived for thousands of years before hand wipes.

And before anyone gets cross remember Disney is meant to be fun.
Also what do you folks do when your children go to school or socialize you cannot keep up these levels of surveilance forever?

Why do people like you continue to post here? If you don't like this image (and I pray you never have to deal with a seriously ill child), then go find some other board to play on!

Tiger

 

[Hannathy]

Why do people like you continue to post here? If you don't like this image (and I pray you never have to deal with a seriously ill child), then go find some other board to play on!

Tiger

Because most people don't become OCD from a one time occurrence and dwell on it forever. and because it is a PUBLIC playground and people are allowed to have differing opinions and express them.

 

[Tiger926]

Because most people don't become OCD from a one time occurrence and dwell on it forever. and because it is a PUBLIC playground and people are allowed to have differing opinions and express them.

Honestly, this kind of crap is why I don't frequent the DISboards that much any longer - full of rudeness and ignorance, instead of helpfulness, as it should be. Learn to read thread titles, if they don't pertain to you, then don't go there! The only reason you would be here is to stir up trouble - you have no business being here if this topic is of no interest to you except to upset those of us who it does interest. You have no right judging any of us who have had seriously ill children about our hygiene habits. How dare you!

I am in a very grumpy mood today and this kind of nonsense just puts me over the edge. This is beyond having an opinion - this is about judging others for something that you don't agree with and the fact that it deals with children even disgusts me more.

Tiger

 

[tjlovespooh]

A little one touching a handle and then holding out her hands for a wipe that is a sad image! she should be thinking of fun not fretting about germs.
How does she play? I teach and I'm always saddened by kids who are frightened to play in the sand / dough / paint because they are not allowed to get messy or dirty. Life is for living not for worrying
Lets be sensible and keep things in perspective the human race survived for thousands of years before hand wipes.

And before anyone gets cross remember Disney is meant to be fun.
Also what do you folks do when your children go to school or socialize you cannot keep up these levels of surveilance forever?

Hello, I am a fellow teacher. Have been in the classroom for the past 9 years, working with children ages 3 - 13. And I see the whole "germ" thing from a very different point of view than you(obviously, I started this thread). First of all, I have seen the spread of germs throughout my classroom because not all parents take the time to educate their children about proper hand washing and how germs are spread. I remember one day in particular when, out of a class of 21, I had a mere seven kids show up at school! Believe me, from that day forward I insisted that all students use a drop of sanitizer before eating thier snacks and lunch. I also did mini lessons on the best way to cough/sneeze so as to prevent others from becoming sick. And guess what ... not one parent complained that thier children were paranoid to get dirty or that they no longer wanted to finger paint, play with dough/sand etc. In fact, I had a dramatic reduction in the amount of absentees for the remainder of the school year.

Yes, kids still get sick and no, you can't clean the air, ground, etc. Am I or any other posters on this board suggesting that we attempt to do such a thing? NO. Just because I want my son to be clean, healthy, and safe - does that mean that I won't let him play in the sand, paint with his fingers, or even make mud pies? NO.

I think that you perhaps grossly misunderstood this threads definition of clean. A child can be kept clean from potentially dangerous bacteria/viruses and still have fun, even get dirty. I highly doubt anyone here would dare suggest depriving their child a safe, fun experience. We just plan to take a few extra precautions in order to keep them from getting sick. What's wrong with that?

Here's a thought, perhaps the children you speak of have sensory issues. Something that is inborn and not taught.

And just to prove that I'm not afraid of your germs here's a

 

[tjlovespooh]

Learn to read thread titles, if they don't pertain to you, then don't go there! The only reason you would be here is to stir up trouble - you have no business being here if this topic is of no interest to you except to upset those of us who it does interest. You have no right judging any of us who have had seriously ill children about our hygiene

Tiger

I agree, it's like this ...

If you don't want a drink, don't go into the bar

 

[Trixie15]

Please don't let the people who don't understand bother you. Ignore them and they will go away.

I have learned a lot from this thread and I'm glad for it. I never would have thought to wipe down the bars on the rides but it's such a good idea - and I'm not even a germophobe! I can see how those bars/seats would be really gross - so thank you!

I'm going to keep reading and picking up tips. Thanks again!

 

[annie1995]

I have never changed any one of my kids on a public bathroom changing table . And I don't plan to start while at Disney. I plan on using the stroller, my lap or where ever is out of the way and clean. Glad to know I am not the only freaked out mom out there

 

[sammyteach]

Tiger, I never meant to upset anyone but i am entitiled to an opinion.Just to let you know i lost premmie twins so I think i can understand where people are worrying come from, but i think that is one of the things that makes me look at germs from a more positive side. Life is for living, grab fun while you can, let children be children, try to see to hygiene without passing your worries on so your kids can enjoy life. To go back to my original point do we really want three year olds too frightened to touch any surface whilst out in public? I'd rather my children thought about playing ,fun and imagination than where the next germ might be.

 

[Kellyscrapbooks]

I just read through this entire thread, and I will be the first to say that I don't totally understand where everyone is coming from, but I also respect your rights and decisions to do so. To me it does seem a little obsessive, but hey, as parents I think we all tend to have our "stuff" that we obsess on. For example, my kids aren't even allowed to play in the backyard alone (and it's fully fenced in a fantastic neighborhood in a town with one of the lowest crime rates in the country) but... I just can't seem to make myself be ok with it.
I think what I would like all the self proclaimed "germ o phobes" (in quotes cause it's your term not mine!) to know from my perspective is this, even though we don't sanitize everything, I know that most people I know are still pretty diligent about hygeine and cleanliness. I knwo that germs still get spread, but my children know about proper handwashing, covering their mouths when they sneeze, washing after using the toliet and before eating. I think that the reason some people post and give you grief is that they might feel like you think that they don't do enough. (I don't know if this post is even going to make any sense, but in my head I know what I mean! LOL) I hope no one takes offense to my post in any way, I just wanted to say that even though it might seem over the top to some people, they probably have their own over the top stuff too.

 

[cedmonds]

I always just changed the kids in the stroller not the rest room, I would prefer to lay them down on the gound on a disposable pad and change them there instead of the bathroom...just me