who will be asking guests to use hand sanitiser?

[bounceyboo]

i think its a good idea esp oh family r smokers n i dont want them touching baby reaking of fags/ciggarettes, i have a little bottle of the new carex 2 hr hand sanitiser and a mini milton one too, gonna get the four of the 2hr carex handwash too for the kitchen and 3 bathrooms, so i know some1 will have to use them at some point lol!oh thinks its rude to expect people to use hand cleaner coz he thinks ur saying that their r dirty but its not that the baby wil have little or no immune system when he comes, a girl back home i grew up with her 4 wk old nearly died from whooping cough at 4 wks old, i wanna protect him as best i can, also what do u do on the smoking thing oh smokes, his brother, mother father r all heavy smokers, u cant say change ur top to his family but i will to oh i dont want babs stinking of cigs, why do people have to smoke god damn it!! also what comes with oh family smoking is them smoking in their house and then going to visit n the house full of smoke or smoking around my baby, arrrgggggg!!!!

 

[AngelofTroy]

My friend used to smoke and whenever she went to stay with her sister and her newborn nephew she took a hoody that she'd put on when she went to smoke (outside). That was she could take off the smoky layer when she came back in. She actually quit soon after because it made her think.

Personally I don't think I'll be asking people to use hand sanitiser, but it's a tough call. You want to protect them from germs, but also they need to experience things to get their immune system. I think if someone has a cold or something, then I might ask them to use it, and I always have antibacterial handwash in the bathroom anyway.

 

[beth_terri]

Ill keep a bottle of sanitiser on view. My dad always washes his hands after a cig which is good. Ohs family are just awful though. (Although saying that his mum has quit for the last month). But I barely ever visit their house. I hate the smell so if they want to see their grand kids they come to us! Which is very rare. Xx

 

[hastbury]

I will be asking everyone to do this...there's actually only one person that I really want to ask to do this but don't want to be seen to single someone out so it's gong to have to be the same rule for everyone.
OH's best friend (who will be a godparent to our baby) Just has filthy hands all the time! We love him to bits, I just can't fathom how he gets them - it's like he's a mucky 8 year old that's been out playing the mud all day! So whilst I understand that there's plenty of unseen germs on everyone, he's the one I'm really targeting.
My OH has OCD too so I really have to manage the boundaries so (as above) it doesn't turn out that LO is exposed to nothing at all, resulting in potential problems later on...my MIL is also this way and used to bleach floors/carpets and go round on her hands and knees ahead of OH crawling about with antibacterial wipes...even in public places! OH has allergies and asthma and whilst MIL does recognise her behaviour at the time was OTT, she can't promise she won't feel the urge to do it...guess I won't need to prompt her to wash her hands!

 

[bounceyboo]

see i never see any of oh family washing their hands after smoking its gross, i have never smoked i hate the smell etc, what my midwife was saying in our antenetal class was that the smoke still stays on clothes for up to half hr after a cig so what do u say there if the smoked a cig on the way over n then want to hold baby ill be murdered for asking them did they smoke u cant hold him u just had a fag etc, sounds silly but im kinda worried bout it, mw drummed it into ur first time mams that babs will suffer from sids etc because of cig smke, oh no longer smokes in our house since ive been pregnant n n fairness oh family go outside to smoke if im at thier house, am i being silly or do you agree with me about the hand sanitiser and smoking?i could say will u hold on a while to hold baby coz u just had a cig and wash ur hands if thats ok?how does that sound?none of my family smoke i cant say it to his sister shes pregnant too doesnt smoke but her oh n his family r heavy smokers but cant say it to her coz at the end of d day ill be talking bout her family too,

 

[izzy29]

my nephew was premature and once he got home the hospital told my sis that everyone was to use hand sanitiser. they also had to use it everytime they came to visit in hospital.

 

[rubysoho120]

I don't care if people smoke or not...although I think its nasty and wish to never be around it, but I will be making everyone, smokers and non smokers wash the F* out of their hands and arms before coming near my child. They also know they are not allowed over if they have and sign of becoming sick, cough, tummyache, etc.

 

[leahsbabybump]

No i wont im sure all my family are pretty hygeinic lol My sister is a smoke she wont be having cuddles after a smoke as the smell lingers on clothing and baby can inhale it but the rest of them are non smokers so no i wont ask them to sanitise i would be pretty offended tbh if someone demanded i wash my hands before i held the baby im a clean person i wash my hands regular anyway babies need to be exposed to some bacteria to help build up their immune system no point wrapping them in cotton wool

 

[freddie]

I don't see the need for hand sanitiser if baby is around normal, hygienic people!

 

[Nurse1980]

The problem with hand sanitiser is that it doesn't work on physically dirty hands and not against everything either such as norovirus.

So if someone had just had a cigarette I would be asking then to wash their hands with soap and water.

 

[tinytabby]

I don't think there's a place for hand sanitizer outside hospitals and the homes of immunosuppressed people. We need a few bugs here and there!

I'd like to hope that people would wash their hands before handling my baby though. You're well within your rights to ask them to.

 

[bounceyboo]

its not that im thinkin our family n friends r dirty is just alot of them smoke i know babies need to be exposed to some type of germs im not a germaphobe lol but i think the main thing thats bugging me id the smoking thing.ill e using the sanitiser myself for after nappy changes/making bottles even though ill have my hands washed aswell,

 

[JoulesRulez]

For a newborn I definitely will make people use hand sanitizer, but as soon as she had her shots and is a little more developed I don't think the exposure to some germs is all that bad...

 

[fidgets mammy]

me!!!

i did with my son too, mainly if they smoked. they had to wash their hands and werent allowed near him for 20 mins from havin a dirty tab

mainly in the first few weeks when theyre immune systems are picking up. mine are likely to be special care babies so ill be very vigilant about hygiene.

 

[M&S+Bump]

Everybody used it in the hospital as Joe was in NICU so it just became second nature. We didn't use it at home though and I wouldn't expect anyone to use it this time either.

For smokers I'd be more worried about the smoke on their clothes, hair, breath etc - I have never smoked and not really been around it much so I don't understand how using hand sanitiser would do anything to protect the baby from a smoker? I wouldn't be taking the baby to a house where anyone smoked inside, I don't care whose house it is. If a smoker wanted to see us, they can come to us - if they've had a cigarette on the way they won't be coming close, it stinks

 

[ferens06]

I won't. My dad was never a hygiene freak (he wasnt dirty either but you know what I mean) and I have an awesome immune system and was rarely ill as a child. I don't believe in trying to hide baby from every germ in the world because it's just not practical.... I will keep things clean and sterile that need to be

Luckily I don't know any smokers that will be visiting the baby so don't really have to worry about that!

 

[lou_lou1979]

I wouldn't ask people to use a sanitiser.

But with smokers if they've just had a cig then they wouldn't be allowed near my baby at all. I think if they can't manage a short visit to see a new baby without having a cig en route or during the visit then they can sod off!

If someone turned up and had a cold I wouldn't let them in. People should know better than to visit a newborn when they're ill so they can sod off too.

Maybe a bit harsh but Ive got no tolerance lol!

 

[LAenne]

I'll just ask people to practice good hand washing. Wash your hands when you arrive and if you use the bathroom (lil hopefully they all do that anyways) I'm not a germ freak but as a nurse I know the #1 defense again t's communicable diseases is proper hand washing. Much better then hand sanitizer.

 

[Liesje]

With a healthy, full term baby, you shouldn't need to after a few weeks, in the first few weeks, people should know enough that they need to wash their hands.
With my son we had all kinds of people over, smokers, non smokers, etc, he hasn't been sick a day in his life.
Don't drive yourself nuts worrying about germs, healthy babies need germs to build their immune system, it doesn't mean you're a bad parent if you don't disinfect everything in their world

 

[kit10grl]

I used hand sanitiser with my LO for about two months. Mostly for after nappy changes tbh but my Dh works nights at a pretty dirty job so a lot of the time his finger nails are horrid and it was mostly to get him thinking about his hands being cleaner round the baby. I never asked anyone else to use it but they did see me using it out of the house after nappy changes etc. After the first two months or so we let it fade out as the bottles ran out so he would be gradually introduced to more germs.

We will be again this time and will probably use it for longer and will insist for others as well. LO has a potential heart problem and so will need surgery early on. I wont risk anykind of infection in her operation sites etc so will be very vigilant about germs till she has properly healed. I think there are a few people who may get offended when i ask them to use it (mostly DH's family tbh) but im hoping that when they see im using it too for holding her etc that its not a statement about their cleanliness just something i want to be extra careful about.

And honestly Dh looked concerned when i said its non negotiable (we live with BIL and honestly i think he will object about it) but if i wont hold the baby without sanitiser im sure as hell not going to let anyone else do it. DH has been told no sanitiser, no holding. end of. I feel the same way about smoking, i wouldnt do it why would i let anyone else.