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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Hand Sanitizer
Country Kids 07:44 AM 09-13-2011
On my last visit, my liscensor informed me there is to be no hand sanitizer used with the children unless water is not available-field trips, etc. I use to use it between visits to the restroom if a child sneezed, coughed, etc. We even discussed how in hospitals more and more staff actually use hand sanitizer than washing their hands. A week later when visiting someone in the hospital I watched as the nurse came in, hand sanitized and when on with the patient.

My question to everyone is how do you wash everyones hands when they cough, sneeze, etc. especially when its cold/allergy season. I have actually been in the bathroom every 5 min. with some children because they are sneezing or I'm having to wipe their nose. That is why I went originally to using hand sanitizer.
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MNMum 08:05 AM 09-13-2011
I am a RN in the NICU. We regularly use hand sanitizer any time we are going to touch a baby. We always begin our shift with a 2 minute hand wash. Wash hands anytime we come into contact with body fluids even though we wear gloves (ie diaper changes, sneezes and nose wiping would be considered the same). We also wash hands after 8-10 applications of the sanitizer. I'm too new to daycare to comment on what I will do here with cold season. Right now I have been washing hands every time.
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Crystal 08:05 AM 09-13-2011
I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.
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morgan24 08:23 AM 09-13-2011
Originally Posted by Crystal:
I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.
I agree that hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for washing your hands but, with cold and flu season coming up and it being only me with 6 dcks under 4 I will be spending most of my day in the bathroom. So I do use hand sanitizer sometimes.
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mismatchedsocks 08:31 AM 09-13-2011
I carry hand sanitizer in my purse, but thats about it. I have it here if parents need it, or visitors ( state people, etc) before they come in.
I use handwashing in sink all the time. Even with cold/flu season coming, its better to wash with warm water and soap then hand sanitizer to wash germs away.
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heyhun77 09:02 AM 09-13-2011
I use hand sanitizer for me for the helping with tissues and such or if I need to walk a child to the bathroom after a diaper change but I don' tlet the kids use it. Mainly because of the alcohol content. I have one child with a liver condition so hand sanitizer isn't an option repeatedly throughout the day for him. Plus, it doesn't take much of it in their system to cause health problems so I keep it up for only adults to use and let the kids wash their hands many many times throughout the day. For some it's that repetition that breaks bad habits like coughing on their hands or using their hands as a tissue or sticking their fingers in their nose/eyes/ears/ect.
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snbauser 10:32 AM 09-13-2011
Hand washing every time. It is a pain but we do it. The only time we use hand sanitizer is if we are outside and an adult going in to wash their hands would put us out of ratio.
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Sunshine44 10:36 AM 09-13-2011
Schools here cannot use it at all because it is danerous to kids.
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Country Kids 10:43 AM 09-13-2011
Originally Posted by Sunshine44:
Schools here cannot use it at all because it is danerous to kids.
Wow!!! Our schools were actually requiring for our kids to bring it and keep at their desks and such. Most teachers have a huge bottle on their desks as well. Also, they have a dispenser on the wall in the cafeteria at one of my childrens schools. Its funny you find it in all the hospitals, doctor offices, schools, etc. but we aren't allowed to use in childcare.
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snbauser 10:46 AM 09-13-2011
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
Its funny you find it in all the hospitals, doctor offices, schools, etc. but we aren't allowed to use in childcare.
I think the difference is that most of them are alcohol based and therefore dangerous for young children. We can have it here but it has to be out of reach of children (6ft up from the ground) and can only be used when water isn't an option.
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Crystal 11:05 AM 09-13-2011
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
Wow!!! Our schools were actually requiring for our kids to bring it and keep at their desks and such. Most teachers have a huge bottle on their desks as well. Also, they have a dispenser on the wall in the cafeteria at one of my childrens schools. Its funny you find it in all the hospitals, doctor offices, schools, etc. but we aren't allowed to use in childcare.
They are wrong for doing so. Hand sanitizer has been known to cause alcohol poisoning in children:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp
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youretooloud 11:17 AM 09-13-2011
We just wash hands.

Funny story though. I had a girl named Riley. I noticed that every time I put hand sanitizer on her hands, she licked them. One day, the mom called me and said "Riley is sick... I think she's drunk". "Um.... drunk?" ..."She kept using the hand sanitizer over and over again. It was about 30 minutes before I noticed that she was licking it off, then reapplying it". I said "yes, I probably should have told you she licks that stuff off".

So, she was totally drunk for most of the day, spent a good part of her day in the ER because they wanted to make sure she hadn't poisoned herself.

I rarely use it here. When I do it's not really in place of a hand washing, it's usually in addition to one when they've done something gross. Like sneeze a big snot into their hands.
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Unregistered 10:01 AM 03-09-2012
Originally Posted by youretooloud:
We just wash hands.

Funny story though. I had a girl named Riley. I noticed that every time I put hand sanitizer on her hands, she licked them. One day, the mom called me and said "Riley is sick... I think she's drunk". "Um.... drunk?" ..."She kept using the hand sanitizer over and over again. It was about 30 minutes before I noticed that she was licking it off, then reapplying it". I said "yes, I probably should have told you she licks that stuff off".

So, she was totally drunk for most of the day, spent a good part of her day in the ER because they wanted to make sure she hadn't poisoned herself.

I rarely use it here. When I do it's not really in place of a hand washing, it's usually in addition to one when they've done something gross. Like sneeze a big snot into their hands.

I dont like the alcohol based sanitizers they can do things like that to kids and they only work while they are still wet which is only about 15 seconds. i like the anitmicrobial no alcohol sanitizers. i found one (Home-rid, get it online) that works for 24 hours so i figure its just easier to put that on once a day and wash my hands as i normally do all day. Feel extra protected.
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Meeko 11:14 AM 03-09-2012
Originally Posted by Crystal:
I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.
Amen to this.

Our licensing rules state that if running water is not available (such as at the park or something)...then we are to use wet wipes to remove the dirt and then hand sanitizer after. The hand sanitizer by itself does not remove dirt, boogers etc! But nothing is better than soap and water.

I don't use it as I find it dries my hands out too badly. I already have to use gallons of lotion!!!

By the way.......haven't found anything better than Gold Bond Ultimate Healing lotion and I have tried EVERYTHING!
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daycare 11:22 AM 03-09-2012
Originally Posted by Crystal:
I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.
ditto....

Especially after sneezing....the thought of bogars flying onto my hand and then rubbing hand sanitizer into the snot and my hand.....YUCK no thanks....lol
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SunshineMama 12:15 PM 03-09-2012
I use hand sanitizer on every child as soon as they walk through the door, when they sneeze or have a runny nose, and after nap. I wash their hands in the sink before meals and after playing outside, or when they use the potty.

I wonder why the licenser said sanitizer is no good?
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Country Kids 12:24 PM 03-09-2012
Originally Posted by SunshineMama:
I use hand sanitizer on every child as soon as they walk through the door, when they sneeze or have a runny nose, and after nap. I wash their hands in the sink before meals and after playing outside, or when they use the potty.

I wonder why the licenser said sanitizer is no good?
Because it doesn't "wash" the germs away. Every time I'm in the hospitals though they have hand sanitizer outside the door, when you walk in the room and beside the bed. I have seen nurses and doctors both use it and not wash their hands with soap water.
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tanyawebster 09:02 PM 11-04-2015
Thank you for sharing our ideas.
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Controlled Chaos 02:45 PM 11-05-2015
When my son was 12 months old we had hand sanitizer all over our home as my dad had recently undergone a bone marrow transplant. So we were disinfecting and sanitizing EVERYTHING constantly. Well, my son got a hold of a bottle and drank it. I had to call poison control and monitor him all night as he went from happy drunk, to passed out and grumpy.
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snobles 01:37 PM 02-18-2019
Just to clarify the use of hand sanitizers in childcare facilities:
Hand sanitizers are no longer allowed in daycares because young children will drink the alcohol-based sanitizers. The Snopes article referenced above clearly explains that hand sanitizers are NOT bad for children unless INGESTED. There is no danger in using a hand sanitizer to clean a child's hands. Multiple hospital reasearch studies have shown that the use of hand sanitizers is superior to hand washing to kill germs, and that is why hospitals around the world use it. Yes, the germs and dirt are still on your hands, but the sanitizer KILLS the germs. Unfortunately, enough daycare providers and parents have left sanitizers within reach of children so that now daycares cannot use sanitizer except when running water and soap is not available. I hope this is helpful.
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ShellsByTheSeashore 09:42 AM 02-19-2019
Originally Posted by Crystal:
I send them to the restroom to wash hands. If it is a smaller child, either an adult or an older child assists. I have never used hand sanitizer and never will. While it may good when your caught in a pinch out in public, if there is soap and running water, hand sanitizer is not a good substitute for a good old fashioned hand washing.
Love this! As a parent, the less chemicals, the better.
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Michael 11:19 AM 02-19-2019
Originally Posted by ShellsByTheSeashore:
Love this! As a parent, the less chemicals, the better.
I’m going to tout DAB again. I purchased the product and use it every day. It’s non-toxic and also safe for children. I have yet to get sick this flu season.

Clinically Proven to Kill:

Acinetobacter baumanii ATCC 19606
Staphylococcus haemolyticus ATCC 29970
Bacteroides fragilis ATCC 25285
Staphylococcus saprophyticus ATCC 15305
Haemophilus influenza ATCC 19418
Staphylococcus hominis ATCC 27844
Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 35029
Streptococcus progenies ATCC 19615
Escherichia coli ATCC 25922
Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212
Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895
Enterococcus faecium ATCC 19434
Klebsiella oxytoca ATCC 43162
Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC 6302
Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 4352
Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853
Proteus mirabilis ATCC 7002
Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442
Serratua marcescens ATCC 14756
Candida glabrata ATCC 26512
Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213
Candida albicans ATCC 10231
Staphylococcus aureus MRSA ATCC 33592
Micrococcus lutes ATCC 7468
Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228

https://dabprotects.com/pages/daycare
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CeriBear 07:02 AM 02-21-2019
Originally Posted by snbauser:
Hand washing every time. It is a pain but we do it. The only time we use hand sanitizer is if we are outside and an adult going in to wash their hands would put us out of ratio.
Same here. Hand sanitizers are good when you are unable to get to a sink but nothing can beat washing with soap and water.
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Baby Beluga 08:14 AM 02-21-2019
Originally Posted by Michael:
I’m going to tout DAB again. I purchased the product and use it every day. It’s non-toxic and also safe for children. I have yet to get sick this flu season.

Clinically Proven to Kill:

Acinetobacter baumanii ATCC 19606
Staphylococcus haemolyticus ATCC 29970
Bacteroides fragilis ATCC 25285
Staphylococcus saprophyticus ATCC 15305
Haemophilus influenza ATCC 19418
Staphylococcus hominis ATCC 27844
Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 35029
Streptococcus progenies ATCC 19615
Escherichia coli ATCC 25922
Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212
Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895
Enterococcus faecium ATCC 19434
Klebsiella oxytoca ATCC 43162
Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC 6302
Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 4352
Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853
Proteus mirabilis ATCC 7002
Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442
Serratua marcescens ATCC 14756
Candida glabrata ATCC 26512
Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213
Candida albicans ATCC 10231
Staphylococcus aureus MRSA ATCC 33592
Micrococcus lutes ATCC 7468
Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228

https://dabprotects.com/pages/daycare
I have to comment on DAB. I think I need to purchase a subscription! So I use a combination of sanitizer and hand washing with regular soap. The gel keep sliding off (the foam DAB did not) and dare I say I don't think it's as effective as the DAB was?
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Michael 11:57 AM 02-21-2019
Originally Posted by Baby Beluga:
I have to comment on DAB. I think I need to purchase a subscription! So I use a combination of sanitizer and hand washing with regular soap. The gel keep sliding off (the foam DAB did not) and dare I say I don't think it's as effective as the DAB was?
I got the subscription. I carry one with me and the other at home. There have been a lot of people sick around me. I know that many germs are airborne but I am realizing I touch a lot of things and even my iPhone can transmit pathogens. I’m not a germaphobe but I like the fact that when I grab the gas pump or type in my credit card password at a store, that my hands are protect from the illness that is passing around in the public. Maybe it’s a mental placebo but I still have not gotten sick this flu season.

I usually turn down a lot of advertisers from promoting their products here. I only advertise those that I truly believe are good for daycare operators. The fact that DAB is safe for children is especially benefitial for the childcare environment. Getting a cold is one thing but consistent revolving sickness can be a detriment to a business and it’s livelihood.
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Tags:2011, dab, hand sanitizer, sanitizer
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