athena1277 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I know it is bad to use had sanitizers on babies because of the alcohol in it. However, I've never heard at what age it is ok for kids to use them. My ds is 22 months and I've wondered if it's ok to use it occasionally. What is the OK age for use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I started using it on my kids as soon as they started touching stuff when we went out (about 18 months I guess). We only use it when we are out in public, and then we wash with soap and water as soon as we get home. Alcohol dries very quickly and the hands do not absorb things as well as say the torso does, so there should only be a small amount if any that would get into their mouths. My .02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 One thing to consider is that alcohol or hand sanitizer only works if it's left to air-dry completely (you can't hurry it or pat it dry). If that doesn't happen it's not effective. So problems that might arise with alcohol aside, could you reasonably expect a toddler to keep his hands still for the time it takes for his hands to dry? Personally, I think soap and water and probably better options for young children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfbourne Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 There are several recipes to be found to make your own natural hand sanitizer. Maybe that could be an option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 There are several recipes to be found to make your own natural hand sanitizer. Maybe that could be an option? :bigear: I would love the recipe. I did find a kids sanitizer on Rainbow Research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Keep in mind that in order to be effective, it has to have a concentration of 60% alcohol or higher. Many store brands have less than that, and are basically useless. NYT article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 There was an email circulating that snopes has as confirmed by the poision control center denies. Snopes was very unresponsive to my attempts to give them information to correct their misleading affirmation. The average sized 2 year old would have to ingest a whole teaspoon of handsanitizer to get alcohol poisoning. (The milder end of which is just treated with sugar to counter the drop in blood sugar.) Most moms put much less than that on hands anyway, so if they licked it ALL off, they would be below the unsafe amount. If you are concerned about the effects of the alcohol being absorbed, or your dc licking it, call poison control. They take nonemergency info calls and you could reassure yourself that you were within safe limits and make your decisions based on facts. You can get info our your own dc based on their weight, so you'd know what was okay for your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Just make sure they don't lick their hands before the stuff is dry. There was one case that I can recall where a child in preschool got alcohol poison from hand sanitizer and that child licked a good amount of it off his/her hands when no one was watching. Used with parents who are mindful and watchful, it is FINE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Keep in mind that in order to be effective, it has to have a concentration of 60% alcohol or higher. Many store brands have less than that, and are basically useless. NYT article That's just frustrating :glare:. Why do they bother to make such a useless product? Why not make it so it will be effective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 That's just frustrating :glare:. Why do they bother to make such a useless product? Why not make it so it will be effective? Cuz people buy it.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerie in Chicago Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 (edited) I saw that Snopes e-mail too. When DD1 was about 3yo, DH & I happened onto her licking hand sanitizer off of her hands. We weren't sure about how much she had ingested, so I called Poison Control. The guy there calmly said that he had never sent a child into the ER over hand sanitizer. We kept an eye on her; she was fine. Of course, we moved where we keep it now and to this day remind her that "a dot is a lot." But if that helps add any perspective..... Edited April 29, 2009 by Valerie in Chicago typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 We just carried a plastic food container (or ziplock bag) with cheap washcloths that were wet with warm water and a few drops of tea tree oil and a few drops of soap. If you mix the solution before adding the washcloths, the soap emulsifies the tea tree oil, so it's dispersed throughout. Angela - who, now that her children are older and sometimes lick things, often finds herself pondering why carrying a spray bottle of grain alcohol for tongue disinfection is a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Cuz people buy it.:D One WM I went to today had none and none at the warehouse :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 There are also hand sanitizers that use a different antiseptic and not alcohol, which are much gentler on the skin. Vick's makes one sold at Wal-Mart, and PureWorks, which can be found online if not in stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 There are also hand sanitizers that use a different antiseptic and not alcohol, which are much gentler on the skin. Vick's makes one sold at Wal-Mart, and PureWorks, which can be found online if not in stores. Yes, there are, however these are not a good thing unless you have an allergy to alcohol, for the same reason antibacterial soaps are a bad idea. They lead to more resistant strains of the desease. Better to use the alcohol-based in small amounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I have to be very careful with the alcohol-based ones, because using them too much irritates my eczema. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I know what you mean; I only use it myself when I have to use a public restroom or am eating out and need to clean kidlet-hands. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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