Kids clubs and hand sanitizers (norovirus & other illness prevention)

[wanderingfool]

Our son is finally old enough to participate in a kids club, and at the age of 3 (almost 4), he is a typical germ spreading little monster. :p (I mean that in the nicest possible way!)

 

When our son is with us, I can mitigate the risk of him getting ill with frequent handwashing, hand sanitizer, reminders not to pick his nose, :p etc. but I'm wondering how the kids club (and staff) deal with this? We are cruising on Royal Caribbean, but I'm curious about other lines too, just for future reference. :)

 

I'm specifically wondering a) how clean the common areas are for the kids clubs themselves (I'm pretty sure it's impossible to keep them perfectly clean, but what kind of efforts are made through out the course of the day?) and b) how hand washing is dealt with before any snacks/meals he might have? I'm assuming hand sanitizer is encouraged or doled out, but you never know... In general, were you pleased with how cleanliness was encouraged, or were you let down by how it was dealt with?

 

I realize I sound like a germaphobe, but ultimately I want to know the odds of getting sick versus not getting sick - how has it worked out for you and your kids? If I hear that 9 out of 10 kids end up sick, then perhaps we will steer clear of the kids club, and have him hang out with us as usual. However, if most parents chime in with all was well, then I will feel better about sending him into a potentially illness plagued environment. :D I am already thinking that this is the most likely scenario, by the lack of posts on the topic here already.

 

For what it's worth, I'm doing my part by teaching him how to wash his hands properly, that using hand sanitizer will help keep him healthy, but well, you can only do so much... kids will be kids after all. ;)

 

Thanks in advance for your insights and wisdom!

[RoadTripFanatic]

I know some kids centers have hand sanitizer right there when you enter the room. Some won't let you enter without washing your hands! If a child becomes ill in the center that child is immediately isolated from the others. (In a nice way) They then call for maintenance to come clean up the mess. :) In 12 cruises DD has only become sick once during the a cruise. That was our last trip. In ALL HONESTY she had barely spent any time in the kids center the few days before she became ill. She could have picked it up anywhere!

[wanderingfool]

I know some kids centers have hand sanitizer right there when you enter the room. Some won't let you enter without washing your hands! If a child becomes ill in the center that child is immediately isolated from the others. (In a nice way) They then call for maintenance to come clean up the mess. :) In 12 cruises DD has only become sick once during the a cruise. That was our last trip. In ALL HONESTY she had barely spent any time in the kids center the few days before she became ill. She could have picked it up anywhere!

 

Thank you! That's very reassuring to hear! :) While it's crummy that your DD got ill on your last cruise, the fact that it was only 1 time out of 12 is pretty good odds!!! In reality, it is more likely that my son (or any of us) will catch something from elsewhere on the ship.

[cb at sea]

Your little "germ factory" may very well be bringing any virus' aboard, especially if they are in school or daycare at home....

 

It's almost impossible to keep a kid's hand off their face....it's quite hard for adults, too!

[wanderingfool]

Your little "germ factory" may very well be bringing any virus' aboard, especially if they are in school or daycare at home....

 

It's almost impossible to keep a kid's hand off their face....it's quite hard for adults, too!

Oh I am aware of that too and I agree! I'm in no way implying that he is germ free. He's actually not in day care, or school, which helps, but one grocery store trip can bring down the whole house with the germs that are picked up! Yuck.

 

Thanks for chiming in.

[br00ke]

A small piece of advice about the sanitizer stations... Watch out - The standing auto dispensers are at a perfect height for a 3 year old to run under, look up, and get sanitized in the face.

[seashell36]

Each time our kids went into Camp Carnival they had to wash their hands. I know that the counselors disinfected different areas of the camp during the day, also. Our kids haven't eaten dinner with camp, so I'm not sure about the hand washing/sanitizing procedures that they have for that time.

[sharktums]

Last year my daughter took part in the 3 - 5 year old Adventure Ocean program. They made the kids use the hand sanitizer before they were allowed into the room.

 

Also on several occasions I saw them wiping down toys with Purell/Clorox wipes.

 

I realize hand washing is about 100x better than the wipes and gel, but it's at least something!

[gerif]

I don't think they feed them, so that isn't a big concern. And I'm sure you've taught him to wash his hands thoroughly after using the restroom. Other than that, I'm not sure what else you can do. Hand sanitizers don't really kill norovirus, or any other virus, only bacteria.

[wanderingfool]

A small piece of advice about the sanitizer stations... Watch out - The standing auto dispensers are at a perfect height for a 3 year old to run under, look up, and get sanitized in the face.

 

Very good point! That certainly would be horribly painful (hopefully it would not cause permanent damage...):eek:

[wanderingfool]

Each time our kids went into Camp Carnival they had to wash their hands. I know that the counselors disinfected different areas of the camp during the day, also. Our kids haven't eaten dinner with camp, so I'm not sure about the hand washing/sanitizing procedures that they have for that time.

That's great to know! We love RCCL but I think a trip on Carnival would be great too.

 

Last year my daughter took part in the 3 - 5 year old Adventure Ocean program. They made the kids use the hand sanitizer before they were allowed into the room.

 

Also on several occasions I saw them wiping down toys with Purell/Clorox wipes.

 

I realize hand washing is about 100x better than the wipes and gel, but it's at least something!

This is also great to know!

 

I don't think they feed them, so that isn't a big concern. And I'm sure you've taught him to wash his hands thoroughly after using the restroom. Other than that, I'm not sure what else you can do. Hand sanitizers don't really kill norovirus, or any other virus, only bacteria.

He loves water and washing his hands, so teaching good hand washing has been easy. :D

 

Thanks to all of you, I am feeling fairly good about how well hygiene is taken care of regarding the kids clubs. Thanks to all of you for your feedback!

 

[HappiTravels]

We just returned from the Celebrity Millennium and our daughter just loved the Fun Factory. She wasn't allowed to set foot in the room until her hands were thoroughly washed. This was very reassuring to me. It was an 11 night cruise and she stayed totally healthy for the entire cruise.