Tell me about handwashing

[plain jane]

The whole handwashing "thing" confuses me.  I always hear during "flu season" that frequent hand washing is best to avoid disease and influenza.  I get that.  But then I also hear that washing hands too much is not good and kids need to be exposed to germs.  So... which is it?  Are kids supposed to not wash and get influenza or are they supposed to wash when they can?  Because I can't really do both train of thoughts.  So what is one to do?  I'm all for building immune systems but at the same time I do remember reading on a website that for things like stomach flu (norovirus and rhotovirus or gastroenteritis or whatever people call it) that you are never immune to it.  In fact, in my family, my oldest is the one who gets the sickest from a stomach virus even though she's had at least 3 or 4 more than most of her siblings.

 

I know people who wash hands whenever they get home.  I know people who never wash.  The people who never wash are always sick.  Always.  It's actually gross because whenever I would ask this friend if she wanted to get together she'd say one of her kids (or more) are sick.  Bleh.  Will this pay off for her in a few years?  Perhaps.  But for the first 8 years of her oldest's life he was always sick with the rest.  We've lost touch so I don't know how things are for them now.  I do know she gets sick with the kids too.  I really don't think never washing hands has worked too well for them but maybe I am wrong.  

 

My kids are quite healthy.  We do get the odd crap but it doesn't usually turn into worse things, if that makes sense.  But they do wash hands a fair bit.  Am I doing them a disservice?  I really don't know anymore because they still do get sick.  Were they not exposed to enough when they were little?  Did we not get enough "stomach flu" when they were young? Geez.  We have had our fair share of that crud.  Ugh.

 

I will admit that anxiety is an issue in my life- one that I have to be vigilant about.  And yes, the more kids I have, the more anxiety I have about one getting sick because, well, if one starts puking, those of you with big families know, it's a whole lot of puke that has to go around before it's safe to see people again.  :thumbdown:  A horrific cold can keep my family in isolation for weeks- a large part of this is incubation times and not being able to drive big kids around when I have very sick littles or am sick myself.  

 

And finally, is it just me but does "flu season" seem to last a lot longer than non-flu season?  :glare:

 

I'm rambling- but which is it?   Wash hands or no?

[gerka528]

We are in the camp of rarely washing hands.  The kiddos wash if they are physically dirty or grimy, but we don't wash before eating or just because we walked through the door.  We are all pretty healthy.  Maybe a cold once a year?  We have never had the flu. 

 

The real difference for my family seems to be if we live in a house with mold or not.  Our current house was newly renovated right before we moved in and none of us have been sick once in the year since we've lived here.  When we lived in a house with mold growing in the walls  the kiddos were sick frequently.  

 

My oldest was sick much of the year she attended K in a private school, but that was probably a combination of attending school and living in an old moldy house.  My youngest currently attends a Japanese preschool and was the only kid in his class who didn't come down with a cold/virus recently.

[Elfknitter.#]

Recently read some news about washing one's hands in cool or cold water has the same effects as washing them in hot water: http://lifehacker.com/cold-water-and-regular-soap-kills-germs-just-as-well-as-1488847107

[sbgrace]

Well, handwashing (soap and water) is effective for pretty much absolutely preventing those things spread through directly putting the germ in your body (mouth/nose/eyes). This would include cold viruses, many stomach viruses, and most parasites. Some things, and influenza is one, are air born infection agents. Hand washing isn't as effective at preventing them. Handwashing won't prevent flu. It drives me nuts that "official" sources offer it as preventative. It might, though, prevent other viruses that look like flu.

 

However, most people, kid and adult, touch their eyes/nose/mouth hundreds of times a day. So your kids are very likely getting lots of exposure even if they wash their hands at appropriate times! Most likely they won't catch anything horrible this way.

 

 

When they talk about the immune system needing activated to protect against auto-immune things like allergies, they are talking about things like parasites endemic in third world nations. I've got a child who, for whatever unlucky reason, has had some of those weird parasites (hookworm for example). At any rate, they are not talking about colds. Young kids get more colds than older kids. So the immune system work out does appear to do something. Of course we can always catch a new or mutated virus we've had before.

 

We hand wash when we come in from outside, when we're going to eat with our hands, and after bathroom visits.

 

 

[plain jane]

I believe in hand washing, but I don't use antibacterial soaps. It eats at my skin. I always wash my hands when I get home from a store. I wash after using the rest room. I wash several times while preparing food. But really I'm not excessive about it and, again, I don't use anything but regular soap.

 

I don't use hand sanitizers. No antibacterial anything.

 

I encourage my kids to wash their hands, but I'm definitely not all that hung up on it. They are kids. They are gonna touch stuff. They get sloppy. They don't always wash their hands.

This is a sincere question- I don't want to appear to be picking on you - but you said you're not excessive about it. What does that mean? Where is the line drawn into the being excessive category?

 

I'm trying to figure if I do too much, not enough? And if my kids would be healthier (or less so) if I changed my ways.

 

How do I know if what I am doing is working/helping or what if they don't get too sick because I wash their hands when we get home. And if I didn't do that they would be sick more? That wouldn't be because of their immune systems- it's just getting rid of germs before the germs get inside them. So am I holding their immune systems back?

 

I'm very confused.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

We wash hands quite a bit, and aren't nearly as sick as some relatives.  Nothing scientific about it, but it seems to work.

[Pawz4me]

I'm trying to figure if I do too much, not enough? And if my kids would be healthier (or less so) if I changed my ways.

 

I think maybe you're way over thinking something that in the grand scheme of things -- unless someone in your house is immune compromised or unless you've got a bug going around in your family, playgroup, etc. -- probably doesn't make all that much difference.

[plain jane]

We wash hands quite a bit, and aren't nearly as sick as some relatives.  Nothing scientific about it, but it seems to work.

 

Seems to work here too but I've been thinking lately that maybe I am doing my kids a disservice by washing hands?  I don't understand the difference between "excessive" and not and I certainly don't want to do harm to my kids' immune systems because they wash hands.  I don't think I am excessive- we wash after bathroom, when coming home, and before eating with our hands or preparing food.  Some would say that's excessive because it doesn't occur to them to wash when they come home and that it's unnecessary to. 

 

Would my kids be healthier, say 5 years from now if we all just stopped washing hands and came down with all the crud out there for the next 5 years??  Can you build immunity to things like Strep?  Or would we just be miserable for 5 years and still sick?

 

For example, we never got H1N1 the first time it came around in a big way in 2009.  We washed hands a fair bit then and spent more time at home (not excessively, but I did avoid the germier places like MacDonalds play place and I did wipe down the shopping carts).  Now that H1N1 is making headlines again (more so than last couple of years) we don't have that immunity from not having had it the first time around.  Should I have allowed them to just get it the first time or did I do the right thing but now we will always just be at risk.

 

Or maybe I'm just watching too much Walking Dead and feeling overly vigilant about things at the moment.  :lol:  :lol:   The thought has occurred to me as I watch that show- why fight so hard to live when eventually you'll likely succumb anyways?  :huh:   Yeah, I don't necessarily care to be the last person left on earth. :coolgleamA:

[Tammi K]

As with Unicorn above, we also don't use anything antibacterial. I think it removes too many bacteria from the skin and denies exposure to bacteria that builds immunity. It has also been shown to remain in the water source. We hand wash with soap - just plain soap.

 

We wash before we prepare food. We wash after using the toilet. We wash when there is obvious dirt on the hands. We wash after diaper changes (but since the youngest is 12, I haven't had to worry about that one for a long time.) The kids wash after cleaning the litter box for the cats. Otherwise, we take the grit and grime of life in stride.

 

We lived in Australia where every second commercial on television was for a product to 'hygienically clean' one part of your house or another. Yet, just about every child I knew had asthma. Peak flow readings were just something you added to every registration form for any event you child participated in. 

 

I have 6 kids. In all my years of parenting we have done antibiotics 6 times. Three times were for dental issues and 2 times were for one daughter who had several bouts of pneumonia. Once was for strep - for a kid who didn't even have symptoms but was infecting her class. Oops.  

 

I like to think that in part it is because we allow them to build a healthy immune system.

 

edit: 'to many bacterial'...what was I thinking?

[RoughCollie]

http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

 

It is important to wash your hands after feeding pets.  Dog food,for sure, can transfer salmonella to your hands.

[nd293]

We are in the camp of rarely washing hands. The kiddos wash if they are physically dirty or grimy, but we don't wash before eating or just because we walked through the door. We are all pretty healthy. Maybe a cold once a year?

That describes us, too. We wash when dirty, or after the toilet. I do usually wash before preparing food, but probably not if just throwing toast in the toaster or making a sandwich for someone. We never get stomach viruses (really - no one has vomited from a stomach bug in the past 10 years although ds vomits with any cold-related fever) and get colds twice a year. We have been really sick once in each of the past two years - perhaps flu - which is very unusual, but the kids are at school, so I think it's unavoidable.

[Laura Corin]

We wash after using the toilet, but that's about it.  We didn't do anything special when we lived in China either.  We are rarely ill.  I can't remember the last time that any of us had a stomach upset, and the last time I had flu was almost twenty years ago.  We were in the UK during the Mad Cow scare, Hong Kong for SARS and China for Bird Flu, but we didn't get sick at all.

 

L

[ErinE]

As with Unicorn above, we also don't use anything antibacterial. I think it removes to many bacterial from the skin and denies exposure to bacteria that builds immunity. It has also been shown to remain in the water source. We hand wash with soap - just plain soap.

 

We wash before we prepare food. We wash after using the toilet. We wash when there is obvious dirt on the hands. We wash after diaper changes (but since the youngest is 12, I haven't had to worry about that one for a long time.) The kids wash after cleaning the litter box for the cats. Otherwise, we take the grit and grime of life in stride.

Other than the litter box (we have no cats), we do the same as above. We are relatively healthy. I clean the house once a week, but I don't disinfect surfaces regularly except the kitchen and bathrooms. If we have a highly contagious disease (stomach flu comes to mind), I clean surfaces and wash clothes and linens after every incident involving fluids.

 

A mother down the street sprayed doorknobs, bathrooms, and the kitchen multiple times a day with disinfectant. She cleaned constantly and didn't like her children getting dirty playing outside. Her kids were sick all the time.

 

I think that is where environmental exposure comes into play. In my view, letting otherwise healthy children spend time outdoors playing in the grass, dirt, and trees is good for the immune system.

[Kathryn]

Not hand-washers here and we are rarely sick. As a pp said, my kids pretty much only get their hands washed if they are visibly dirty. If we've been to a children's museum, I will have them wash when we get home because after a visit there tends to be when they'll get sick if at no other time. My OCD husband gets sick much more than we do and he is obsessive about hand-washing.

[plain jane]

That describes us, too. We wash when dirty, or after the toilet. I do usually wash before preparing food, but probably not if just throwing toast in the toaster or making a sandwich for someone. We never get stomach viruses (really - no one has vomited from a stomach bug in the past 10 years although ds vomits with any cold-related fever) and get colds twice a year. We have been really sick once in each of the past two years - perhaps flu - which is very unusual, but the kids are at school, so I think it's unavoidable.

 

 

We wash after using the toilet, but that's about it.  We didn't do anything special when we lived in China either.  We are rarely ill.  I can't remember the last time that any of us had a stomach upset, and the last time I had flu was almost twenty years ago.  We were in the UK during the Mad Cow scare, Hong Kong for SARS and China for Bird Flu, but we didn't get sick at all.

 

L

 

 

So do you think that your kids get no stomach flu because you don't wash hands much? :)  I think we avoid it by sometimes by handwashing.  Maybe it's just genetics and luck?  I have not found a way to avoid that darn stomach flu- we get it at least once per year.  I don't know why. :(  I never had it after I was 10years old until after my first was born.  Not in high school or university or as an adult.  Now it is every year at least.  I did start having the kids wash their hands more the past few years but the first few stomach flus were back when I was far more lenient about washing.  I was rather clueless about hand washing and only washed after using washroom and before food prep.  I'm not seeing a correlation.  Maybe I'm not supposed to?  Maybe my kids are predisposed to it?  I don't know.  I would love an answer to this.  Why some families never get the darn thing and others (like my friend who never washes) get it 3-5 times per year.  Truly.  My friend who never washes- so much puke in her house. :(

[ErinE]

So do you think that your kids get no stomach flu because you don't wash hands much? :) I think we avoid it by sometimes by handwashing. Maybe it's just genetics and luck? I have not found a way to avoid that darn stomach flu- we get it at least once per year. I don't know why. :( I never had it after I was 10years old until after my first was born. Not in high school or university or as an adult. Now it is every year at least. I did start having the kids wash their hands more the past few years but the first few stomach flus were back when I was far more lenient about washing. I was rather clueless about hand washing and only washed after using washroom and before food prep. I'm not seeing a correlation. Maybe I'm not supposed to? Maybe my kids are predisposed to it? I don't know. I would love an answer to this. Why some families never get the darn thing and others (like my friend who never washes) get it 3-5 times per year. Truly. My friend who never washes- so much puke in her house. :(

I think the noroviris is highly contagious and lingers for a time. When it comes to our house, usually it's only one child who gets it. I isolate the child, designate a single bathroom to his/her use (which is scrubbed after every incident), wash linens in hot water, and generally care for him/her myself. If it spreads, I'm usually the one to get it. The stomach flu is a time where I disinfect surfaces constantly.

[VeganCupcake]

My first thought about too much handwashing being bad is that that would be related to true OCD and/or cracked, dry hands from too much washing. That hurts!

 

We wash when we come home from somewhere and after using the toilet, and if hands are visibly dirty. We also wash hands before starting to prepare food. We're not sick often. I have a thing about stinky hands, especially on kids--metal smells especially--but that is not related to germs, just my own perception of grossness. :)

[Dory]

We wash our hands after going to the bathroom, when they are dirty after spending the day outside, and before eating. I don't really overthink it, we just make it a habit. The kids are getting plenty of dirty time. It doesn't have to be on their hands all the time in order for them to get some of it in their life. They help in the barn, they help in the field, they play outside a LOT in the summer. When we are in the field, or out on a picnic I don't worry about washing hands or such things. One doesn't have to be dirty all the time to be exposed to dirt. Being dirty allows for all sorts of other issues.

[Ottakee]

We are in the more lax camp here. We do wash hands when we come in from the barn and after bathroom but otherwise only if they are dirty.

 

My kids are older but they have been the healthiest since we got horses and spent time outside every single day in ALL types of weather and with all manner of dirt, manure, etc. Our doctor mentioned that farm kids tended to be healthier than "city" kids.

 

My kids really are rarely sick---as in 1 cold or less a year most of the time, no flu (but we do get the shots), very rarely a stomach bug, etc. This is interesting as 2 of mine have documented immune deficiencies and as they are adopted we have 4 different bio families at play here (between dh and I and the kids).

 

We do have one that has asthma that is triggered by viruses and allergies. We do watch her very closely and start up all meds at the FIRST hint of an issue.

[WinsomeCreek]

Both. We use soap and water before eating or food prep, especially through winter. On the other hand, if at a beach, lake or river, we just rinse off dirt in available water. In a pinch, a wipe down on pants has to do. That tends to be summertime though. It seems we are sick less than those we know, but we get sick sometimes. My 5 yo is the worst. He doesn't like to wash. I sort of blame him for bringing the illnesses in.

[Ausmumof3]

Wash hands after touching pets, using the bathroom, playing in dirt and before eating, also after blowing nose or coughing in to hands. Don't use antibacterial soap or disinfectant to clean every surface in the house.

 

That's my strategy, though if I'm not onto it the kids slack off. I think outside dirt is healthy but shopping centres and areas with lots of people are great germ exchanges.

[Mom2TheTeam]

We aren't big hand washers here. I have dry skin and it hurts to wash too often. I have 6 kids.  My oldest is 8.  I think we've gotten the stomach virus once.  We get a couple colds a season.  My oldest wasn't on antibiotics ever till he was over 5.  We did go through recurrent strep throat.  But, one of us was a carrier and believe me, we were washing hands and all surfaces like crazy to try to not get it again.  It was awful.  We haven't had it in over a year now and it was the only thing we my kids have ever been on antibiotics for. 

 

I have no doubt that hand washing can prevent illness.  It's proven too.  But, I think overall genetics and the strength of your immune system has more to do with how often we get sick.

 

Anyway, not washing a lot seems to be working just fine for us.  :)

[Peaceful Isle]

I hand wash when it makes sense. After the restroom, before meals, after I shake a sick ladies hand at church, etc..

When I remember, I wipe down grocery carts, restaurant high chairs, line public toilets and such. I don't really freak out about things if I forget. I think, in life, everything in moderation. I am pretty laid back. We are not any sicker/ healthier than the normal family.

Now, I am getting a little worried hearing many of my friends have had this flue through their house. :p so far, we are good..fingers crossed!

 

Oh, and I haven't had a stomach flue in... Oh, I can't remember when. Maybe as a kid? It has hit my dh a few times in our marriage .Maybe I'm just lucky ;) watch, this next week I'll get it....

[nd293]

So do you think that your kids get no stomach flu because you don't wash hands much? :)  I think we avoid it by sometimes by handwashing.  Maybe it's just genetics and luck?  

 

I don't think it's luck, as I can't see why we'd be exposed to less germs than anyone else, and the fact that we do get colds and flu also suggests we are exposed. I'm inclined to think it's a combination of genetics and not washing hands that much. My son is the only one that vomits, and he does it when he gets a fever or when he has liquid medicines when he is feverish - it's an odd genetic quirk we've learnt to live with. I do have a sense - and I really can't back it up with scientific data although I know that the dirt-health relationship is supported by at least some research - that we have "strong stomachs" due to frequent mild exposure to germs.

 

I'm straying into dangerous territory here, but I sometimes wonder whether stomach upsets are not slightly psychosomatic. For instance, my stomach reacts to certain images - show me a child picking at their nose and I simply cannot stop gapping (although I don't vomit), and I'm the same with some odours. I've known two people who were particularly prone to vomiting, and both had very strong aversion to what they saw as "dirty food practices" - specific examples: sharing cups as happens in some Arabic social setting, where the coffee or tea cups are just swished in cold water and reused, or eating street food from vendors in countries with obviously lax standards of cleanliness. So I wonder whether they were averse to the thought of sharing cups and eating street food because they knew from experience they were prone to illness, or if, having been forced by etiquette into these situations they got ill by force of thought.

 

I find this whole subject fascinating. In another life I'd cultivate my science skills and resolve the question once and for all!

[Laura Corin]

So do you think that your kids get no stomach flu because you don't wash hands much? :)  

 

I think it's just that we have bumped into a vast number of germs and built up immunity to them.  Fairly unsanitary conditions in China probably helped.

 

L

[Zebra]

I read somewhere that hand washing was the biggest leap modern medicine ever made.   As in, it's has the biggest impact of any medical procedure or whatnot.  

 

It makes total sense to me.  

 

I had a preemie and washed my hands fairly religiously for 2 years.   I also made anyone who came in contact with my baby wash their hands.   What shocked me were the adults who had a fit because they had to "wash their hands".    They would protest and say their hands were clean.   I didn't wash my hands every time I held her, just if I had been out, or doing something dirty.   It worked IMHO, she was super healthy.   I believe that a preemie needs extra time to let their immune system catch up.    

 

Hand washing is a simple and effective way to prevent the spread of disease.   I think you shouldn't use anti-bacterial soap.   I also don't think you should become obsessed by hand washing.  You can't live your life and not get germs on your hands, so you will still be getting plenty of germs.   I don't wash my hands every time I read a library book, and I have no idea the condition of someone's hands who packed up a food item for me.   DH and I are still in the habit of washing our hands whenever we come home from somewhere.    Or when we are going to eat food with our hands or cook or something like that.

 

I just think it's common sense, honestly.

[Shelly in IL]

We do use and sanitizer in the winter after mass exposure - shopping carts, church, anyplace we are exposed to everything. We don't at home or at friends houses. Of course bathroom breaks or after handling raw foods, but nothing excessive.

[Hoot]

We are in the camp of rarely washing hands. The kiddos wash if they are physically dirty or grimy, but we don't wash before eating or just because we walked through the door. We are all pretty healthy. Maybe a cold once a year? We have never had the flu.

 

This is me exactly and I am rarely ever sick. My husband, on the other hand, is an obsessive hand washer. He washes them in scalding hot water with antibacterial soap dozens of times a day. He is sick far more frequently than the rest of us. In fact, he ends up with just about everything that goes aground.

[EKS]

We wash our hands after using the bathroom, before eating, before preparing food (and during as well, if food prep involves handling something icky), and every time we come in the house.  I get sick far less often than other people, my husband seems to get sick far more often (but that seems to be changing this year now that he's finally taking vitamin D), and the kids get sick maybe an average amount or somewhat less.

[Wheres Toto]

We're moderate hand washers I guess.   We don't wash every time we come in.  I don't wash my hands before I make the kids lunch unless I've been outside digging in dirt or something.  The kids eat lunch outside all the time in the summer without washing their hands first.  I'm not an obsessive cleaner and only use disinfectant products in the bathroom, and very occasionally (raw meat) in the kitchen.

 

We hardly ever get sick.  We all have a slight cold right now but I think it was inevitable when they spent the whole day, every day for a week at my mother's house while she was sick.  It seems like I have it the worst but I think that's because it's on top of allergies.  My kids have never had a stomach bug, never had anything that was more than a day or so of mild illness.  Dh is never sick and I get a cold once a year, and maybe an allergy-induced sinus infection once or twice if I'm not careful about taking my medications.

 

I don't think it's possible to narrow down the difference between kids who get sick all the time, and kids who never get sick to just one thing.  There are so many other factors that would come into play.

[Pawz4me]

We're moderate hand washers I guess.   We don't wash every time we come in.  I don't wash my hands before I make the kids lunch unless I've been outside digging in dirt or something.  The kids eat lunch outside all the time in the summer without washing their hands first.  I'm not an obsessive cleaner and only use disinfectant products in the bathroom, and very occasionally (raw meat) in the kitchen.

 

We hardly ever get sick.  We all have a slight cold right now but I think it was inevitable when they spent the whole day, every day for a week at my mother's house while she was sick.  It seems like I have it the worst but I think that's because it's on top of allergies.  My kids have never had a stomach bug, never had anything that was more than a day or so of mild illness.  Dh is never sick and I get a cold once a year, and maybe an allergy-induced sinus infection once or twice if I'm not careful about taking my medications.

 

I don't think it's possible to narrow down the difference between kids who get sick all the time, and kids who never get sick to just one thing.  There are so many other factors that would come into play.

 

:iagree: :iagree:

[OrganicAnn]

We generally wash once a day before dinner unless some activity has made our hands dirty (dirt, paint, etc).    Anyone doing food prep also washes his/her hands.   

 

If we were around someone that might have been sick or if we were sick and needing to visit someone elderly, we would do it more or even use anti-bacterial soap if necessary. 

 

I think that would be not excessive and not too grubby.  

[Trish]

My relative with the constant hand-washing and germ vigilance seems to be the one who gets sick the most. I take average precautions and we're sick an average amount, it seems. I get slightly more vigilant during flu season.

 

For the relative, it seems the worry about germs is more debilitating than the actual illnesses, but of course that's up to every individual to decide for him/herself.

[klmama]

Some of you have indicated you think your friends and relatives who wash more often get sick more often, implying that they get sick because of too little exposure to germs.  While that may be the case for some, please understand that people who get sick more often are also likely to wash more often in an effort to prevent it happening again.  Some people's immune systems just aren't as strong, regardless of how they care for themselves.    

[plain jane]

Some of you have indicated you think your friends and relatives who wash more often get sick more often, implying that they get sick because of too little exposure to germs. While that may be the case for some, please understand that people who get sick more often are also likely to wash more often in an effort to prevent it happening again. Some people's immune systems just aren't as strong, regardless of how they care for themselves.

OP here. That's what I'm trying to sort out in my head. :) if my kids would have better immune systems if they washed their hands less (although I'm not obsessive about it) or if it is what it is and my kids just have the immune systems they have regardless.

 

I don't care much for washing hands if the kids have been in dirt outside. It's more the grocery carts and children's museums and handrails that make me cringe.

 

I wish my kids had super immune systems like some of the posters in this thread. But, based on how many "dr hive" threads we get here I'm thinking my family is more like the majority and that those fortunate ones who never get stomach viruses are part of the elite to be envied. :)

[Zebra]

I also wonder how much dishwashing plays into getting sick.  I know plenty of people will say they wash dishes by hand, and never get sick.   But I grew up in a family that washed dishes by hand (and did a TERRIBLE job FWIW) and weren't washing hands enough and we were sick all the time.  We also lived in a high-stress environment.  But now my family uses a dishwasher, and wash our hands a reasonable amount(IMHO!) and we are rarely sick.   We also live in a low stress environment, so maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with washing at all.

 

I truly believe that a reasonable amount of washing hands and dishes are helpful in staying healthy.   But I can't prove it :) !

 

 

[Lisbeth]

Some of you have indicated you think your friends and relatives who wash more often get sick more often, implying that they get sick because of too little exposure to germs. While that may be the case for some, please understand that people who get sick more often are also likely to wash more often in an effort to prevent it happening again. Some people's immune systems just aren't as strong, regardless of how they care for themselves.

This. I had the terrible immune system first, and caught things constantly. Now I have trained myself not to touch my eyes, nose or mouth unless I have JUST washed my hands, which means I only get sick now once or twice per year, max. I also way upped my handwashing.

[Scarlett]

http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

 

It is important to wash your hands after feeding pets. Dog food,for sure, can transfer salmonella to your hands.

Wow. I didn't know that. Now I have to eat crow with my ds13 who is a bit obsessive about washing his hands after he feeds his dog. :/

[happypamama]

OP here. That's what I'm trying to sort out in my head. :) if my kids would have better immune systems if they washed their hands less (although I'm not obsessive about it) or if it is what it is and my kids just have the immune systems they have regardless.

 

I don't care much for washing hands if the kids have been in dirt outside. It's more the grocery carts and children's museums and handrails that make me cringe.

 

I wish my kids had super immune systems like some of the posters in this thread. But, based on how many "dr hive" threads we get here I'm thinking my family is more like the majority and that those fortunate ones who never get stomach viruses are part of the elite to be envied. :)

 

I'm normally fairly relaxed about handwashing -- after bathroom/blowing nose, before food prep, when visibly dirty, etc.  My kids usually get a cold or two every year, and we've had some mild stomach bugs (like, people throwing up once or twice, but not seriously down for the count).  I attribute the germs to having small children who put their hands on communal toys.

 

That being said, last winter I was pregnant and just didn't want to deal with colds and flu.  A cold isn't bad, but once it goes through all of us, it feels like it takes a long time.  So for the first time, I did do the extra stuff -- we really limited where we went (especially places like the library, where the small ones pick up trains and toys and such that have been touched by many people; I would send DD or DH to pick up holds), I told the kids they absolutely could not use public water fountains, and I wiped shopping cart handles (which I never did before, although I do try to keep babies from chewing on them).

 

Well, we had not even a sniffle the entire winter!  No flu, no colds, nothing.  It was lovely!  I think one large factor was that there was no winter co-op session last winter (co-op meets at a church, and I had a nursery-age child), and between that, and really limiting where we went, we just weren't exposed to germs.  And then a few months ago, the kids picked up a cold from the dentist's office, sigh.  So yeah, now we try to wash, even just a rinse, our hands after doctors' offices or the library, and yeah, I'm wiping shopping carts.  I normally don't mind exposure to dirt, and I do think that boosting their immune systems through exposure is helpful (so we have cats and live in the country, and they play outside a lot except in the winter), but sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with even mildly sick kids.

[ksr5377]

We get a few colds a year here. One year we did get the flu, but everyone we knew had it before us, so we weren't that surprised.  We use regular, not antibacterial soap.  We wash after using the restroom, when we first come home from being out and about and before we eat.  And of course if there is noticeable grime.  DH and I also wash hands before preparing a meal as well as several times throughout prep if we're touching meat. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Recently read some news about washing one's hands in cool or cold water has the same effects as washing them in hot water: http://lifehacker.com/cold-water-and-regular-soap-kills-germs-just-as-well-as-1488847107

 

I had read that it is best to use moderately warm or tepid water to wash hands.  The key is the suds, rubbing, and rinsing, not the water temperature.  However, very hot water and very cold water can be bad for the skin, leading to dryness and cracking, which can lead to infection. 

[regentrude]

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[regentrude]

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