"public" toys

[kfillmore]

Do you worry about baby chewing on toys that other children play with? Do you think an unvaxed baby can catch anything that way?

[dislocator3972]

I don't worry about it. I can't do anything about it unless I am committed to being with her at every church nursery, playgroup, etc. So I'm CHOOSING to just not worry about it.

But vaxed or unvaxed, I'm sure your baby could catch something. Colds, runny noses, etc. If your baby is the only (or first) baby to play with a toy that day then I'm sure the risks are lessened (since some viruses can't live outside the human body very long). Plus, a lot of nurseries/daycares/doctor's offices clean the toys regularly so that lessens the risks as well.

I'm not sure it's any more dangerous than anything else our kids are putting in their mouths.

[Kailey's mom]

I don't worry about it.. Kids will be kids, if there is a cold going around, they are either going to get it, or they won't. I dont' sweat the small stuff

[tzs]

i welcome it, in fact.
the only way to strengthen the immune system is through exposure and some kids don;t get enough of it with all the anti-bacterial, anti-everything, let's lysol the premesis before we enter stuff going on. so since my babe doesn't go to daycare and isn't exposed to much, a little stray chewing is more than welcome.

[veganfox]

I don't worry either. DS is unvaxed but it doesn't freak me out. As long as there is not a kid that's obviously sick playing with the same toys, I just let him chew away.

[mamadelbosque]

Not in the least. DS1 has gotten a few colds since we started going to playgroups regularly, but nothing major and IMO thats a good thing. If you never challenge their immune systems, they won't develop properly. Who knows, maybe thats why we have so many more autoimmune diseases these days - kids don't get exposed to enough stuff early on and so their immune systems start attacking themselves. Who knows.

Anyhow, no, I don't worry. Not in the least.

[laohaire]

Yes, an unvaxed kid could catch something chewing on a toy.

As could a vaxed kid.

What are your reasons for not vaxing?

[mamazee]

The vaxing issue isn't really relevant because kids aren't catching polio or rubella from playing with toys together. They're catching colds and things like that, most of which don't have vaxes anyway.

No, I don't worry about it. It helps build their immune system, and they're going to catch colds regardless.

[AllyRae]

In general, I don't let my 12 month old play with public toys because she is unvaccinated and immune deficient (she is missing the part of her immune system that protects against and fights gastrointestinal and respiratory viruses, which are typically a large part of what kids pass around). She gets sick weekly even without touching the toys....and since she's still mouthing things, not letting her touch the toys protects her from getting more seriously ill. And I never ever ever let any of my children play with toys at a doctor's office...that's just asking for trouble. I do carry around toys in my purse for the kids to play with in waiting rooms and the like.

Now, if we're in a children's museum or someplace where touching stuff is necessary to the experience, I take her during the off-times when it's not so busy.

[LindsC]

I don't worry about it at all. We go to a Baby and Me group once a week and all the kids there (12 months and under) and picking up each others toys and inevitably putting them in their mouths. We all just make sure to bring toys that can be wiped/washed clean when we get home.

[Sk8ermaiden]

No, I don't worry about it. And yes, I'm sure she could catch something, but the diseases I don't vaccinate for (almost all of them), I don't do because I'm not particularly scared of them.

[Llyra]

I think you'll only drive yourself and the kid nuts trying to prevent it. Babies put things in their mouths. I concentrated, with mine, on keeping genuinely gross things, or dangerous things, out of those little exploring mouths-- things like cat litter, or acorns, for instance.

What kids are going to catch from mouthing stuff is mostly colds and stomach bugs, which they'll likely catch anyway, even if you drive yourself nuts trying to prevent it. And if they don't catch them as babies, they'll catch them as soon as they start spending time with other children. Unless you're going to shut them up in a bubble. And the only way they can develop any immunity is by being exposed to them. I learned this lesson with my first-- she and I mostly stayed home, didn't see other people so often. She started school, and was sick almost constantly for the entire year, because she was being exposed to a whole array of illnesses she'd never encountered before. It would have been better for her to spread it out a little, ya know?

So trying to stop the mouthing is really not going to help anything.

[lalemma]

Originally Posted by kfillmore

Do you think an unvaxed baby can catch anything that way?

I don't get this. Yes, of course, an unvaccinated baby could potentially be exposed to diseases she wasn't vaccinated against while licking a communal toy.

But isn't that part of the risk/benefit analysis you've made as a parent who made a conscious choice not to vaccinate?

[Icehockey18]

I agree with pp, of course your lo can catch a cold or bug, but that is what helps build immunity. Growing up I was not around many children and when i started kindergarden I got all those colds/stomach bugs all within a few months- not fun. I used to be super paranoid about that too, until ds got his first cold (@ 5 mo). I realized that despite my attempt to shield him from every germ, he was going to catch something! Ds is not in daycare, but I have a lot of friends with children around the same age and we have been having 'play dates' since ds was only a few weeks old. We 'try' to limit how much they mouth eachothers toys, but we don't freakout about.... It's going to happen no matter what!

[JMJ]

I think the only disease that you can vax against that my kid is likely to pick up from a public toy is rotavirus since it is really common, is transmitted by fecal to oral contact, is hard to wash off of hands, and can be contracted from a recently vaxed child. While I don't particularly want my baby to catch rotavirus (or any other illness), I'm not particularly scared of it since she has a strong immune system, and we're breast feeding. Some germs will help build her immune system, and I'm not going to keep her on a tight leash just to prevent a couple winter colds.

When she was teeny-tiny, it was a different story. If you're not comfortable with letting your baby play with public toys, you can find an alternative for now until you're ready or for always.