I honestly like the concept of separating the healthy children from those who are sick.
If I am coming for a well visit, I'd like my kid to stay well. But the bigger question to me is when a child is sick.
They've labeled the children in the waiting room.
What I find most disturbing is that they have only a small selection of toys for the kids who visit. And inevitably, they are on the "sick" side.
When my children are healthy, I send them right over to the other side to bring the toys over so they can play. The fish tank, which divides the two sides and can be seen on both is simply not entertaining enough.
When my children are sick, they play with the very same toys that other ill children are using. Presumably, they are sanitized each day before use. Nevertheless, the toys on the sick side inevitably spread germs.
I might be in the minority here, but I believe in letting kids be kids. I tell them to play with those toys and encourage the exploration despite the "sick" label. I have literally seen mothers tell their kids not to play with any toys or touch anything lest they collect germs. This morning I witnessed a mom punish her child by giving her a time-out in the waiting room because she touched one of the "sick" toys.
Relax. Please.
For the sake of all the sick children and for the sake of their parent's sanity.
What do you think? Would you let your healthy or sick children play with the toys?
I totally agree with you. As long as its not going in their mouths.
ReplyDeleteYou can sanitize their hands... And just like the toys... the kids all touch everything everywhere, not just the "sick toys"
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the time-out was for playing with the "sick" toys or for disobeying mom?
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree. Now that those portable hand sanitizer things are so common (and I bet there is one in moms purse and another one on the wall near the interior examination rooms and probably one inside the examination room too), just wipe the hands of the kid after playing with the toy. And kids often do put their hands in their mouths, and they sometimes even get sick from it. That's life ... it's how their immune system gets stronger and stronger as they get older.
Pain is natures way of telling you to stop doing whatever you are doing.
ReplyDeleteFoot Podiatrist