Should I Be Bringing My 17 Month Old to Public Places Right Now?

I guess I'm the odd man out on this one. We are definitely staying away from certain places. McDonalds is totally out of the question along with the gym daycare. We are most definitely being picky with were we take the kids.

I think its fine and is just up to you to be proactive. Take clorox wipes to wipe down the highchair and seat and it should be fine.

Go places where no one is sneezing on your child, where your child is not mouthing things handled by others, etc. I would be a little more aware-careful of places where there are potentially sick people and where things are not wiped down, tissues and soap & water used regularly.

Yes, go ahead and go to the restaurant. I might bring a table placemat (but generally, restaurants *do* wipe down and provide place mats - it depends on how classy a restaurant you're going to) and I'd definitely stay away from letting her share toys with other tots (which I do anyway)

Museums, yes, playground, sure. Just wash up well before/after going.

I called my ped for a reality check last week. i asked here if I should take my 2 yr old out of daycare since everything nasty seems to come through there. Usually I am not prone to panic about this stuff, but didn't know where the line was between crazy over-protective sensible precaution. Her answer was that I should take usual precautions of washing hands frequently, wiping down surfaces, etc. I should avoid sick children. But that taking him out of school was not realistic since it would have to be for at least a month or more. She also said that it was likely to make it to our area and just to be aware. We can go to restaurants (wipe down the high chair).

I felt silly asking, but felt much better after talking to her.

I don't think it will hurt to take her to a restaurant as long as no one coughs/sneezes on her.

The swine flu is no worse than the regular flu.

Yes, just wash your baby up, after he plays outdoors and with other children, pets, adults, etc. Just like you did before this flu scare.

Blessings....

I think you should be fine, just make sure to keep her hands clean and bring some wipes with you. don't let her put her mouth on furniture or the table. I always bring my own silverware for my kids anyway, and a sippy cup.

-K.

Hi, other J.. I was wondering the same thing. I am playing it safe right now and trying to avoid restaurants etc at least for a few weeks. I don't feel we're getting the straight scoop but i'm not sure whether that means they're downplaying something that is more serious or whether they are over-hyping something that isn't too serious yet. At any rate, kids are always putting hands in mouth etc so it is harder to keep them safe from germs. If you do go out, i'd bring my hand sanitizer and bring the baby her own food and just wipe down the highchair well or even bring your own portable seat. Better to err on the side of caution i say! I worry it may hit us all in Fall.

Oh, one other thing you can do is to boost your immune system with things such as probiotics (sold in capsule form in most health food stores; put it in applesauce).

Take care, and stay well! I was wondering if anyone else was worried about this as i hadn't seen many posts on it.

Just live your life. Look at the numbers--the whole swine flu thing is a bunch of hype. There have been at most a couple of hundred confirmed case & only 1 confirmed death in the US--out of 300 MILLION people. You have a better chance of being kidnapped by aliens than getting the swine flu.

I have not changed any habits. I have a 14 months old and we go to all the places that you mentioned.

I have to admit, went a little crazy when this first came out and we stayed only at home or grandma's for the first 10 days. (Obviously didn't last long because we all nearly went crazy!) But I think the virus can only live out in the sun for a few seconds, so I think if you're really concerned the playground on a sunny day shouldn't be too dangerous. We use wet ones to wipe down the high chair and table and we also use these disposable placemats (got them at Babies R Us) that have sticky strips on the back so they stick to the table which is great. I think the biggest thing most of us don't think about is that like other viruses if we get it, our family will probably end up with it too, so the adults in the family need to be just as vigilant as we are being with the kids. Good luck!!

The only thing I'm changing in my routine is being more careful about hand washing and sanitizing areas if we eat out. I have some spray sanitizer that I use to wipe down tables, high chairs, etc.

The flu is spread by having the liquids of an infected person getting into your system, hence the hands are a big culprit. You eat with hands, rub eyes with hands, etc. That's a tough one for little ones, since they stick everything in their mouth. :oP

I think it'll be okay, as long as no one is directly sneezing on your baby, or strangers are kissing her.

Hi J.,

Our school district had all of us on alert until Wednesday. Then, H1N1 was declared no worse than any other flu. They told us that we should be diligent in washing our hands and stay home if we are sick. Other than that, this flu is not serious enough to keep us all home.

D.

I've talked with nurses and they have said the media is totally hyping this up to be WAY more than it is. It is nothing more than the flu, just a like any other flu. And it's a flu that we have seen before. I wouldn't worry to much about it, they just said take the usual precautions of making sure to wash your hands often (and babies hands).

Hi J., I don't think you have to worry too much. I have a 7 month old, and we've been doing everything as ususal, except even being more diligent about hand-washing and staying away from people who appear sick. I'm paying close attention, making sure that if any of us start exhibiting sypmtoms, to get treatment immediately.

There are so so many types of flus, now including the swine flu/H1N1. Thousands and thousands of people die each year, including this year, from the other seasonal flus, and we hear nothing about these cases. I think the media completely blew this out of proportion and really scared a lot of people.

J.,

I haven't changed anything about my schedule or going places. Life is too short to worry about the possibility of exposure to this. The things that you can control to decrease your chances of infection are: frequent hand washing, don't knowingly go around anyone who is sick or appears to be sick, and be watchful of any signs of flu or sickness-if you feel any or notice any with your child, contact your doctor for advice.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day and enjoy!!!

Molly