Are you an anti-bacterial queen?

SmlSave

Just wondered how many mums clean everything and try to kill all those bacteria - especially new mums or mums-to-be?

I've just got my last bounty pack which includes Dettol wipes and informs me:

" their (my baby) immunity will be low for the first two to three months, so a germ free home is a must"

Is it just me but how is my child supposed to get any sort of immunity in a germ free house?

Plus they are trying to encourage me to buy anti-bacterial laundry detergent - which I'm sure is fine when me and baby are in our vacuum packed, anti-bacterial house but what should I do if I have to leave the house! :eek: ! Perhaps we should become agoraphobic to avoid all those nasty bacteria?

:rotfl: Can you tell that I get a little irate at companies trying to sell me anti-bacterial stuff? DH gets v.annoyed when I start shouting at the TV but it really does make my blood boil

con1888

I'm not a mum (yet) but I doubt I will be an antibac queen, I have a cat and dog so would spend ALL my time following them about wiping their footprints.

Antibac mums would be horrified at me, the dog is currently lying on the sofa next to me... I do clean the sofa (leather) but not daily and not with antibac.

meritaten

as my nan would say 'we all have to eat a peck of dirt before we die'! and she was extremely houseproud'! She didn't take it to extremes though as I think society is doing now. We DONT need our homes to be sterile - just clean! unless we intend performing surgical procedures of course!
and years ago, us kids played with mud! we got dirty, we played with other kids from filthy homes who crawled with lice..........our mums just scolded at the amount of work involved in washing us, our clothes and 'nitcombing our hair'! funny thing is - disease wasn't really as prevalent as you would think! most of us had pretty robust immune systems and yes we caught colds - but, as a child I think I caught flu once? and despite vaccination I had measles,mumps and jaundice. I was a child of the mid fifties and I think I had a better childhood - cleanliness was 'in' and kids still had the freedom to play in the dirt!

TeamLowe

ohmygosh the anti-bac washing stuff bugs the life out of me! they've invented a problem so they can sell you something to solve it
plus how much of the bacteria on your clothes is actually from your body?

it reminds of David Mitchell on i think QI, where he's saying that the adverts say there's more bacteria on your chopping board then there are on your toilet seat and he says 'well that's clearly fine then, we're not all ill all the time'

the same with the bacteria on your clothes - clearly fine as no one has ever gotten ill from a smelly shirt!

I'm not a parent yet but when little lady is here I'm not going to go mad with anti-bac, just make sure my house is clean and her immune system can learn to deal with everything else just like everyones has done

Moggins_2

I use antibacterial wipes on highchairs when out and about and I spray kitchen surfaces every day. Also take my own mini changing mat out with me to put on top of public changing table. I don't think it's a bad thing to not want my child covered in some other kids muck! Soft play makes my skin crawl but I let him play there as don't want him missing out

dizziblonde

I only own one item of "anti-bac" stuff - and it's the pack of wipes I keep by the highchair for cleaning that off after meals - and that's purely because it's less aggro than getting the tray off and taking it into the kitchen to clean there (the tray removal on our highchair is REALLY annoying to do). Considering I caught (and stopped) the older child gleefully sampling her sister's bogies the other day - I think things are a lost cause in this house at times.

Gillyx

I use anti bac spray on the high chair and work top counters, that's it really. I do clean a lot though but I done this pre child. He is very rarely ill (touch wood) so it's not like I've over sensitized his immune system

BAGGY

I have only used anti bac spray when the kids have been sick on the carpet or pooed there. Consequently, antibac now reminds me of the smell of vomit/poo.
When they were small they used to suck each others hands, pick the dummy off the floor, eat floor food etc.

littlejems

I am against killing every germ in sight. Apart from the usual baby gear sterilizing, I think sensible cleanliness should be carried out, but using anti-bac everything is a recipe for disaster for all our immune systems! There is a brilliant article on TED.com about this and a video. - I can't post the link!!! Please go to TED.com (it's brilliant by the way) and search for '6 great things microbes do for us'. It also talks about how a baby is colonized by microbes via the birth canal and that c-sections do not give a baby that experience. Also best not to clean the baby - let it start to colonize as soon as it is born as it's all part of the immune system getting going.

DigForVictory

No.
I was raised by a medic & a physicts who regarded all interaction with the cosmos as part of growing. I did get fed & scrubbed regularly.

When it came to raising my brood, I did my best to keep them away from broken glass, unlikely to be sterile needles & spilled blood (AIDS health education trumping laissez-faire!). When I look at my lads alongside another mum's (she might have been raised by Kim & Aggie) hers all have allergies & sensitivities, whereas mine just want thirds...

Plus I like Ruth Goodman's take - she doesn't cook on *any* surface she hasn't cleaned herself & she uses things like boiling water, vinegar & salt. Which have the merits of being both potent cleaners and food-safe, something I don't think the anti-bac cleaners can boast of.

tayforth

Moggins wrote: »

I use antibacterial wipes on highchairs when out and about and I spray kitchen surfaces every day. Also take my own mini changing mat out with me to put on top of public changing table. I don't think it's a bad thing to not want my child covered in some other kids muck! Soft play makes my skin crawl but I let him play there as don't want him missing out

Missing out? I don't know what soft play is, perhaps I missed out. :eek: :rotfl:

DigForVictory wrote: »

No.
I was raised by a medic & a physicts who regarded all interaction with the cosmos as part of growing. I did get fed & scrubbed regularly.

When it came to raising my brood, I did my best to keep them away from broken glass, unlikely to be sterile needles & spilled blood (AIDS health education trumping laissez-faire!). When I look at my lads alongside another mum's (she might have been raised by Kim & Aggie) hers all have allergies & sensitivities, whereas mine just want thirds...

Plus I like Ruth Goodman's take - she doesn't cook on *any* surface she hasn't cleaned herself & she uses things like boiling water, vinegar & salt. Which have the merits of being both potent cleaners and food-safe, something I don't think the anti-bac cleaners can boast of.

Exactly. I can't believe the chemical !!!! people will spray around their homes and children (with the best of intentions no doubt!).