Advise on Safe Products to Clean Hands That Are Always in Mouth

Avoid anything "anti-bacterial" as the residue should not be ingested and they contribute to the problems with super bugs. I never worried about keeping my son's hands terribly clean and he doesn't ever get sick.

Hi N.,
I don't worry to much about it. I use all chemical free products in my home and it gives me some peace of mind. If you would like information on these products email me. You can just order products or you can earn an income at the same time. I LOVE the products and know my home is a safe place for my family. I am not trying to get you into something. I just want to let other moms know about these great products. Have a great day.

J.
www.motivatedmomjackiebb.tk
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I understnd your concern. My daughters hands are ALWAYS in her mouth and she is always crawling. I tried a different approach I keep my house clean by vacuuming and mopping regularly. I mop with all an natural cleaner. And I take my shoes off at the door and ask visitors to do the same. I also wash her hands before meals and naps with soap and water at the sink. I have been washing her hands at the sink since she was 3 months and she is really good about it. Her hands go in her mouth and I know they are not always clean but I really think it helps build their immune system. When we are out I use those covers for high chair and grocery carts I love those because my daughter would have her mouth and hands all over the grocery cart(yuck!). When I am out and I feel her hands get dirty I wipe them with one of her baby wipes. They are not antibacterial but I read you can wipe germs off.
E.

WetOnes come in travel packs and canisters

For safe, chemical free hand cleaner use Thieves hand purifer made by Young Living Oils. Dr. Young's products are safe -he states, "if you can't eat it, don't wear it".
I am a distributor and you can order this and other safe products (shampoo, essential oils, etc) for your family.

My website is wings.younglivingworld.com
or go to www.younglivingworld.com and use my member # 557008

good luck!
call me if you have further questions
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At four months I used plain paper towels and water, now that my son is one and into much more I am going to try the hand sanitizer gel and wipes through Melaleuca. I use most of their other products. They are a company that promotes not using things in their products to hurt the environment or people. Not only that but their stuff works better than what you get in the store and is much cheaper.

I really wouldn't worry too much about it! I've heard that the hand sanitizing products are often much more harmful to them than the germs themselves. Ask the doctor, but usually they say not to worry so much. Lynsey

N.,

Unless your boy has a compromised immune system, I wouldn't worry too much about making sure his hands are clean all of the time. My daughter has been in barns all day, every day since she was about a week old. We have never had a lot of time to worry about how clean her hands are (we do try to make sure they aren't disgusting for meal times, but sometimes that gets missed when we are in the middle of chores). She has *knock on wood* only had one cold and has never been sick in her almost 3 years. I am a firm believer that kids who are allowed to get dirty are generally more healthy.

Good luck to you mama!

Kate

My little one wasn't really yet grabbing at a whole lot at 4 months, so I didn't worry about it too much.

But, for some reason, strangers liked to grab her hands (gross), and I wasn't too thrilled when people we knew did it either. When that happened, I made sure to use a damp washcloth, but other than that, it's probably not good to introduce soap to their hands - wipes contain soap even if it doesn't suds up. A certain amount of bacteria is good for their systems in any event. Of course, if someone has a cold, ask them not to touch the baby, but if you're concerned about those types of germs, I would use a damp washcloth with your brand of baby shampoo and then wash the soap out.

I'd use just a regular wipe - as long as it's scent-free. Or my friend has just discovered Clean Well which she swears by.

Hi, N.!

I just use a baby wipe on my little one's hands. We can't keep their hands germ free but we can give them a wipe once in a while. The problem being that 2 second after you disinfect them, they are on to touching something else that someone else touched or another baby has had his mouth on. We can only do our best but I try not to stress about it like I did in the early months of mamahood. I bought a shopping cart/highchair cover for outings and wash his hands before he eats as he has not mastered the fork and spoon yet.

I don't suggest purell on babies as it really can dry out their very sensitive skin. Just a wipe or a wash cloth or an occasional run under the tap.

S.

Well you could always put a couple of wet wash cloths in a plastic ziploc bag,

At 4 months I personally wouldn't use any thing harsh,
a wipe would do fine.

M
mother of 3

DO NOT use purell on his hands. There is alcohol in that product and can cause alcohol poisoning. Here check this out:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp

There really isn't anything that I would use on his hands other then water to wash them. Especially with them in his mouth.

Hi, N., is he your first baby? I was like that too with my first and then I lightened up with my second and more so with my third. Then I wonder why and it's because the first one survived through all things I tried to protect him from and you realized all the energy you spent trying to protect when you know it's hard to keep them protected from every single thing. Anyways, I truly understand (and I am into homeopathic and natural things) and here are things I have done and still do even for my third baby who is 10 mos. If they're teething, soothe their gums by giving them Teething Tablets or Teething Gel and you can get them at Wal-Mart and Hannaford, probably cheaper at Wal-Mart, but I don't know about where you live. Second, don't put those hand sanitizers on him. First of all, they have alcohol in them and (a) a friend of mine told me about a little girl on the news. Someone put it on her hands and she put her hands in her mouth and literally got drunk; (b)they'll dry his hands out...adults should not use them either, but babies depend on us to care for them because they are defenseless. I have this that is call Invisible Gloves and it has aloe vera and vitamin E in it and it'll help you keep germs off up to 4 hours. I put them on my boys and they are fine. I used them and they are the only thing to keep my hands soft...no other lotion does that. If you're interested, let me know. I'll help you so you can feel at peace about the safety of your baby. Congrats to you and your precious Gift from Lord Jesus!

N.,
whatever you do DO NOT use the purell hand sanitizer, this has such a high content of alcohol that it can give your little one blood alcohol poisoning that can be fatal. personally i keep baby wipes on hand almost all of the time.

good luck

I use the wet ones antibacterial wipes. Sometimes if I know the thumb is going into his mouth I'l dry his hands off with a tissue...or my shirt if nothing else is around. Sometimes i use a regular baby wipe after the wet ones. Even just using a baby wipe alone is better than nothing.

Get those select a size smaller paper towels and just tear off a bunch of them, wet them with plain water and put them in a ziplock bag to take with you. That way he is not eating any of the chemicals in the wipes. For home I keep a spray bottle of water on the changing table that I use for particularly messy diaper changes or for spraying down my son's face, body, etc when he is dirty.

I absolutely LOVE the wipes I use... they are NON-TOXIC, bleach free, biodegradable... made by a Swedish mom... the company is called Nature Babycare... they make fantastic daipers too... even the packaging is biodegradable.
They are available at diapers.com.
But, also, unless he has been touching stuff on the street or subway, i wouldn't worry to much about wiping his hands all the time.
Once he is crawling, you won't be able to wipes his hands everytime he touches something.

Dear N.,

I cannot recommend enough Elsie's Original wipes. They are 100% natural and biodegradable. I have used them for over a year and all of my friends are now addicted to them as well. You can order them online www.elsiesoriginal.com where you will find a list of online providers or they are sold at Cherry's Pharmacy in the city on E. 66th Street.

They are alcohol-free, paraben free, chemical free and sulfate free. A wonderful, natural, safe option for your little one.

A small note about Clean Well...I too really liked Clean Well until I realized they use sulfates. It is not natural like the packaging makes it out to be. Very, very disappointing.

Best of luck to you!