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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Cleaning Toys?
cara041083 01:32 PM 01-30-2014
I need help. I have 3 babies that are aged 9mo, 12mo and 18mo. Everyday I see all these toys go into the lil ones mouths. The 9mo slobbers so much that I change her shirt at least 3x a day. Drives me crazy. It is impossible to keep track of what went into a mouth and what didn't so every night I bleach ALL the toys. Keep in mind, I have 4 kids of my own and I am spending my whole eve bleaching toys. Is there a better way to do this or a system that works for you guys? Thanks
craftymissbeth 01:38 PM 01-30-2014
I have two that put EVERYTHING in their mouths. Literally. The 20 mo will pick up the child size chairs and suck on the back of it. Since we're required (according to my licensor, but I haven't checked the actual reg) every single toy that a child 18 months and younger even plays with has to be disinfected daily, I've severely limited our daily selection of toys. When I first opened in June I was disinfecting all of our toys, but that's so much work and it's wasteful.
I put out a tub of little toys every day and that's what they get. I just clean those and the big stuff daily.
I put out a tub of little toys every day and that's what they get. I just clean those and the big stuff daily.
mrw_mn 01:42 PM 01-30-2014
Could you limit the toys and then rotate daily? Then you could clean one or 2 times per week. Maybe have 5 totes, one for each day? I don't know if you have other toys besides baby toys they are mouthing. I clean toys using my bathtub down stairs, my kids (own and the daycare) help me by putting all the toys they saw in mouths in the tub (which I have filled with the water bleach). At some point that evening, we will rinse and we will take the toys out and put them on towels in the bathroom to dry overnight. During the day I will take toys when I see them in mouths (after they are done) and toss in the sink to limit the sharing...
TwinKristi 01:49 PM 01-30-2014
Originally Posted by mrw_mn:
Could you limit the toys and then rotate daily? Then you could clean one or 2 times per week. Maybe have 5 totes, one for each day? I don't know if you have other toys besides baby toys they are mouthing. I clean toys using my bathtub down stairs, my kids (own and the daycare) help me by putting all the toys they saw in mouths in the tub (which I have filled with the water bleach). At some point that evening, we will rinse and we will take the toys out and put them on towels in the bathroom to dry overnight. During the day I will take toys when I see them in mouths (after they are done) and toss in the sink to limit the sharing...
This is what I do as well. I use my sink or bathtub. Fill it up with the bleachy water and soak the toys for X minutes, take them on a couple towels either in the bathroom or take them outside if it's sunny and let them dry. I don't have any small babies now so this rarely happens now and I just do regular maintenance cleans unless we have a major illness or something. Only one DCB I've had got sick often and he's gone now but the kids have all been surprisingly healthy! We just had a minor cold go through and clean extra as needed.Could you limit the toys and then rotate daily? Then you could clean one or 2 times per week. Maybe have 5 totes, one for each day? I don't know if you have other toys besides baby toys they are mouthing. I clean toys using my bathtub down stairs, my kids (own and the daycare) help me by putting all the toys they saw in mouths in the tub (which I have filled with the water bleach). At some point that evening, we will rinse and we will take the toys out and put them on towels in the bathroom to dry overnight. During the day I will take toys when I see them in mouths (after they are done) and toss in the sink to limit the sharing...
cara041083 02:08 PM 01-30-2014
I never thought to limit the toys. Since I have my own kids (age 8.4 18 mo and baby) I just have alot of toys anyway. Im thinking If I limit, then not only would that help with cleaning, but then my daughter will still have "her toys" to play with in the evening and they would help things as well. Thanks guys
Meeko 03:27 PM 01-30-2014
Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
Shell 03:32 PM 01-30-2014
Originally Posted by Meeko:
Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
Great idea! Doing this tonight- thanks!
renodeb 08:15 PM 01-30-2014
Rotating the toys works great. Then over the weekend everything gets washed/sanitized. I have a couple of mesh bags and I gather up all the plastic toys that are dishwasher safe and run them through, I wipe down/spray all the surfaces with lysol spray/wipes and the other toys that don't go through the wash. I have a pretty young group to so I know exactly what your going through! Cleaning the toys is a pain but a necessary evil. 
mia 07:57 AM 01-31-2014
Originally Posted by Meeko:
Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
I do this as well..... I also have a spray bottle with the water / bleach for a quick wipe down through out the day .....Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
mia 08:07 AM 01-31-2014
Originally Posted by renodeb:
Rotating the toys works great. Then over the weekend everything gets washed/sanitized. I have a couple of mesh bags and I gather up all the plastic toys that are dishwasher safe and run them through, I wipe down/spray all the surfaces with lysol spray/wipes and the other toys that don't go through the wash. I have a pretty young group to so I know exactly what your going through! Cleaning the toys is a pain but a necessary evil.
I use the bleach / water in tub and in spray bottle.... Rotating the toys works great. Then over the weekend everything gets washed/sanitized. I have a couple of mesh bags and I gather up all the plastic toys that are dishwasher safe and run them through, I wipe down/spray all the surfaces with lysol spray/wipes and the other toys that don't go through the wash. I have a pretty young group to so I know exactly what your going through! Cleaning the toys is a pain but a necessary evil.
I use to use the lysol spray and wipes, until a client started on me that she felt that I should NOT be using them for all the chemicals...and that, that was more then likely the reason why everyone was sick ( I have posted on here regarding this client be4 ) ..... she also felt that I should not be using the bleach / water as well.... I told her that I have been cleaning this way for over 20 years while in a center as well as in my own home center, that I also spoke to other center and other home centers and they all clean the same way. I then stated that if it would ease her mind I would stop using the lysol for now, but I WILL NOT stop using the bleach / water .... haven't heard much from her lately, and yet my home center children are cold / sick free and have been for awhile. Yet her one child is still cold /sick... ( she's got to - 4yr boy comes to me three days and to preschool center two days, 2 yr girl with me five days ) she seems to think its coming from here.....
Sorry for the vent....
TwinKristi 08:54 AM 01-31-2014
Parents always want to blame daycare for their kids getting sick, not their friends' kids' birthday party last weekend or the trip to Target/WalMart or even their checkup at the dr.
I brought a DCB with me to the Ped for a quick appt to adjust my older DS' medication and we were literally in the waiting room 30 seconds (use sanitizer when we get in the room) and then we used it again on our way out 5 min later. He ended up with the flu about a week later. My youngest DS got the flu about 5 days after DCBs symptoms started. If DCB picked it up at the Ped wouldn't my DS have had the same time line? It seems to me that DCB got sick from sister who's in PreK, a trip to the store, bday party, etc. and then gave it to my DS? I normally don't play that game but she straight up said she thinks he got it from when I took him to the Ped with me. Ugh!
This boy has been sick more than well over the last year!! Yeah! Blame me!
I brought a DCB with me to the Ped for a quick appt to adjust my older DS' medication and we were literally in the waiting room 30 seconds (use sanitizer when we get in the room) and then we used it again on our way out 5 min later. He ended up with the flu about a week later. My youngest DS got the flu about 5 days after DCBs symptoms started. If DCB picked it up at the Ped wouldn't my DS have had the same time line? It seems to me that DCB got sick from sister who's in PreK, a trip to the store, bday party, etc. and then gave it to my DS? I normally don't play that game but she straight up said she thinks he got it from when I took him to the Ped with me. Ugh!
This boy has been sick more than well over the last year!! Yeah! Blame me!
cara041083 11:07 AM 01-31-2014
Originally Posted by TwinKristi:
Parents always want to blame daycare for their kids getting sick, not their friends' kids' birthday party last weekend or the trip to Target/WalMart or even their checkup at the dr.
I brought a DCB with me to the Ped for a quick appt to adjust my older DS' medication and we were literally in the waiting room 30 seconds (use sanitizer when we get in the room) and then we used it again on our way out 5 min later. He ended up with the flu about a week later. My youngest DS got the flu about 5 days after DCBs symptoms started. If DCB picked it up at the Ped wouldn't my DS have had the same time line? It seems to me that DCB got sick from sister who's in PreK, a trip to the store, bday party, etc. and then gave it to my DS? I normally don't play that game but she straight up said she thinks he got it from when I took him to the Ped with me. Ugh! This boy has been sick more than well over the last year!! Yeah! Blame me!
Oh I so know how you feel. Just last week, I had a DCG show up with snotty nose (green snot and all) Mom said oh its teething. I sent her home and then all my kids (including my 3 week old) had the "teething" all weekend and week long. When I called her on it, she said she must have caught it from here because at home she was fine. I hate the way they always blame us. I think its because they don't want to have to stay home with there own kids!Parents always want to blame daycare for their kids getting sick, not their friends' kids' birthday party last weekend or the trip to Target/WalMart or even their checkup at the dr.
I brought a DCB with me to the Ped for a quick appt to adjust my older DS' medication and we were literally in the waiting room 30 seconds (use sanitizer when we get in the room) and then we used it again on our way out 5 min later. He ended up with the flu about a week later. My youngest DS got the flu about 5 days after DCBs symptoms started. If DCB picked it up at the Ped wouldn't my DS have had the same time line? It seems to me that DCB got sick from sister who's in PreK, a trip to the store, bday party, etc. and then gave it to my DS? I normally don't play that game but she straight up said she thinks he got it from when I took him to the Ped with me. Ugh!
This boy has been sick more than well over the last year!! Yeah! Blame me!
melilley 11:18 AM 01-31-2014
Originally Posted by Meeko:
Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
Never thought about doing that! Just rotate toys.
As far as the cleaning goes....I fill up the bathtub with bleach water and throw everything in it. Swish. Leave for a while...drain....air dry overnight. Easy peasy.
I was just thinking about doing a cleaning of all the toys, but was dreading having to use my sink and do a million loads of toys. Thanks, you saved the day!!!
CraftyMom 01:56 PM 01-31-2014
Originally Posted by cara041083:
Oh I so know how you feel. Just last week, I had a DCG show up with snotty nose (green snot and all) Mom said oh its teething. I sent her home and then all my kids (including my 3 week old) had the "teething" all weekend and week long. When I called her on it, she said she must have caught it from here because at home she was fine. I hate the way they always blame us. I think its because they don't want to have to stay home with there own kids!
That's exactly why! So they don't have to miss work. I had a mom with 2 kids here. These are the only two kids in the world that never got sick, they only had "allergies". Funny thing is their doctor wrote no known allergies on their forms. The truth? These two were sick ALL the time and infected my home and daycare ALL the time! The last time their mom said "oh it's just allergies acting up" I called her on it by saying "really? Because allergies are not contagious and every time their "allergies" act up everyone else gets sick!"Oh I so know how you feel. Just last week, I had a DCG show up with snotty nose (green snot and all) Mom said oh its teething. I sent her home and then all my kids (including my 3 week old) had the "teething" all weekend and week long. When I called her on it, she said she must have caught it from here because at home she was fine. I hate the way they always blame us. I think its because they don't want to have to stay home with there own kids!
TwinKristi 02:52 PM 01-31-2014
Oh yes... Constantly sick DCB always had "allergies" too! Green nasty snot is NOT allergies!! He gave us the Norovirus in 2012 and the flu that year as well. Seriously, I think the child has some type of immune issue. DCM even said that their Ped said babies in daycare are usually sick once a month. 
Well that's odd... Why is he the only one!?
Well that's odd... Why is he the only one!?