Inflatable parties and germs...

[girlsmamma2]

should we go?

My 4yo has a birthday party tomorrow for a boy in her preschool class. It's at an inflatable place, Pump it Up, I think they rent strictly for birthday parties. I'm kind of getting worried about the germ thing. I mean, I've heard people say how they stop going to places like Gymboree and Chuck E Cheese because they always get sick. I have a 6 month old also, along with a 2 yo and I'd hate for us all to get the heebie geebies now when there is so much holiday stuff to do.

This will be the first time we've ever gone to one of these, I've always avoided them because I thought they were peetrie dishes of germs. We were planning on going but now i'm not so sure. What do ya'll think? Am I making too big a deal out of this? This will be her second all class birthday party but we missed the first because it was the same time as her small birthday party so it'll be the first she'll go to for her class.

Should i not pass up the social experience for her or should we stay away? I mean if the kids all get sick, she'll get it anyways since they are in the same class. But I don't know, the thought of her juming around in lord knows what gives me the creeps.

advice?

[canadiangranola]

i'd let her go and make sure she washes her hands well before eating any cake

[girlsmamma2]

ok, that soooo does not make me feel better!!! ug! but good point....i might have actually forgotten that! :

[MotheringHeart]

They do wipe down the equipment w/some sort of wash. I don't know if that makes you feel any better, but.....

We recently went to a b-day party at a pump it up place and had no problems at all w/germs.

[bobica]

we've been to a few of those & been fine.

[alegna]

I vote go and have fun, but I've never been afraid of germs.

-Angela

[Jessy1019]

I'd go and have fun. Like you said, if it's that bad, someone in class will get it and spread it anyway!

We're extremely not germphobic, though, so it wouldn't have crossed my mind to avoid a place for that reason.

[Yooper]

I am of the opinion that a little germ exposure is healthy. HOWEVER. If my dc were the type that got sick easily, I had three little kids, and a whole agenda of important holiday events that involved travelling, I might think twice. That is a once-a-year risk that might not be worth taking for me. We have a VERY stressful travel-intensive holiday season and the thought of doing it with 3 sick kids makes my teeth itch.

[girlsmamma2]

well see, the only reason I'm thinking twice is because I have a 6 mo. I try and avoid situations that could put him at risk, but then again that is why I'm nursing him. And no, our holiday isn't too travel extensive, a couple visits out of town but i like it to be fun for them and I'd hate for my ds's first Christmas to be all sicky. But I avoid this, then we'll catch it some other way. I just don't want to be reckless and INVITE the sickies.

I feel better now that you all have given me your 2 cents. But I'm still up in the air as to what to do. The thing is the whole class is going but I think they are more used to picking things up than my dd, they've all either been in day care or preschool before, and this is my dd's first time in a school setting. So she's had a runny nose since the first week , which doesn't bother me at all. It's the tummy things or strep I get worried about.

thanks for your input everyone! i'm gonna go clean for a bit and stew on it some more!

[OakBerry]

I'm with Yooper on this one. I tend to avoid those type of things (our mall has one) near holidays so ds won't get sick, and get us all sick!
Any other time, I'd be ok with it.

[Flor]

I can't imagine it's any dirtier than a playground. Remember, you don't get sick from touching germs, but from putting them in your mouth/eyes/nose. Wash hands and it should be ok.

[MovingMomma]

Originally Posted by girlsmamma2

So she's had a runny nose since the first week , which doesn't bother me at all.

I know this is pretty OT, but if she's had a runny nose since the first week of school, it sounds like there's a high probability she's allergic to something in the classroom.

[Yooper]

Originally Posted by Flor

I can't imagine it's any dirtier than a playground. Remember, you don't get sick from touching germs, but from putting them in your mouth/eyes/nose. Wash hands and it should be ok.

Playgrounds get baked by the sun though. Indoor play areas seem germier to me because there is no natural sterilization. Indoor areas actually ick me out pretty bad. I am the parent that lets my kid do all sorts of things that make people cringe, but that is my one weakness. But like I said before, normally I would just shoo those thoughts away and go play. But two weeks before Christmas, I would think twice. There are a million ways to get sick and there is no reasonable way to avoid it all, but this just sounds like a very likely place to pick up an icky. And icky that could ick the rest of the family during a time that should be fun. But even with all that, I would just be thinking twice. There is a good chance I would send dd along anyway, especially if she was excited about it. I might make sure to feed her some immune boosting foods the week beforehand. I would be diligent about hand washing and probably even bring one of those hand sanitizer things even though I usually would not touch the stuff.

[Ms Ladybug]

I have to say that I LOVE Pump It Up!
I KNOW they have a very thorough cleaning process. That said, yes, your child can get sick by climbing on something someone else just climbed on, but no more risky than if she were to pick up a book someone else with germy hands was reading.
Yes, wash her hands before the cake.
I'd go to Pump It Up WAY before ever letting her use something like a McDonalds playground!!
She will likely LOVE it...If nothing else, she'll sleep like a log when she gets home. Is it an evening birthday party?

[Ms Ladybug]

Oh, AND I brought the 5mo old baby with me, and just kept him "hidden" in the sling.

[oceanbaby]

Preschool itself is a petrie dish, if you ask me, so I don't see how she'd be any worse off going to the birthday party. Most door handles are probably dirtier than a jumpy house.

[LynnS6]

I would also add that birthday parties are important social events for a child. It means they are accepted by the other kids (OK, that's not how they see it, but it is how it is.) I know some parents of special needs kids (mostly autism spectrum) thatl long for an invitation to a birthday party, germs or no. By not going, you are excluding your dd from the social group. It's OK if you do that, just know what you're doing.

Germs exist anywhere. Door knobs, hand rails, shopping carts. If you want to get whacked out about germs you can. I haven't, and my kids have lived to tell the tale.

If you're really worried about the 6 month old, can you leave him with someone? If not keep him on you, don't let him down to crawl around. Wipe your daugther's hands before she eats, and when you leave. Wash your hands when you get home.

[OakBerry]

Originally Posted by Yooper

Playgrounds get baked by the sun though. Indoor play areas seem germier to me because there is no natural sterilization. Indoor areas actually ick me out pretty bad. I am the parent that lets my kid do all sorts of things that make people cringe, but that is my one weakness. But like I said before, normally I would just shoo those thoughts away and go play. But two weeks before Christmas, I would think twice. There are a million ways to get sick and there is no reasonable way to avoid it all, but this just sounds like a very likely place to pick up an icky. And icky that could ick the rest of the family during a time that should be fun. But even with all that, I would just be thinking twice. There is a good chance I would send dd along anyway, especially if she was excited about it. I might make sure to feed her some immune boosting foods the week beforehand. I would be diligent about hand washing and probably even bring one of those hand sanitizer things even though I usually would not touch the stuff.

My thoughts exactly!
Playgrounds also get a good soaking rain once in a while, not chemical cleaners.
I have to be anal about germs now, I'm going through chemo right now. Although my blood counts are in the "normal" laboratory range, they are lower than MY normal. Ds had a cold a few weeks back that he bounced back from, I was on inhalers and antibiotics and had larnygitis for a week. New for me, I am always the one who never gets sick!
My ds goes to preschool, which like someone pointed out, is a petri dish, lol.
I risk that, for ds's sake, but probably would not risk an indoor play-space at the moment, especially so close the holidays.

[Leilalu]

I think indoor palces cna be especially bad for germs. OTOH< I am not one who trys to limit germ exposure. Also, it seems that places which do use unnatural disenfectants are the worst, which is pretty much everywhere.

We have caught about 8 bugs at least this year. including 2 stomach bugs. I think it is because ds started doing church nursery(finally liked it) at the end of summer, adn has been going in there once every two weeks and playing with a lot of different kids.

I would go, personally. But then, I have already caught most of the stuff out there so far. This year at least.

[Ms Ladybug]

So, did you go??