Welcome to Flu-Town Ah its that wonderful time of the year. Snow capped mountains, mulled wine, woolly jumpers and open fires… and snot. Just bucket loads of snot. That has been my house the last week but I’m determined not to let it get on top of us. Thankfully its just a ‘cold’ and nothing more serious but even more reason to be on guard while immune systems are low. Going out in public is often a challenge as everyone I look at now resembles a mouth breathing germ machine and every surface I visualise armies of bacteria plotting their next move.
Ever had to change a nappy in a cold dank germy toilet?
Unfortunately our babies don’t seem to understand that its cold and flu season and we would rather gouge our eyes out than spend time in a public restroom but alas, we had babies and soiling nappies is their job. It’s funny how times change, it is more than likely that the mum’s of the 80’s never used public change rooms because back then mums were expected to be at home most of the time and lets face it they didn’t really exist like they do now.
These days just about every shopping centre, restaurant, pub or public restroom has change table facilities as we trailblaze into the 21st century. Mama’s can get out the house, socialise, exercise and pretty much do whatever we want because being a mum needn’t define us. Those good ol days of bending over, reaching into the back seat of the car with our wriggling darlings mussing up the old Datsun interiors are over. And thank goodness for that!
But not every public restroom is created equal. Depending on where you are you may stumble across the odd change room that resembles the Shangri-La. But more often than not we are trying to make it work in a less than desirable public place. Trying not to touch what we don’t have to. And as we enter into winter we are being warned about higher than usual influenza outbreaks with more than 20,000 reported cases so far this year. New figures show almost one in 10 people hospitalised with the infection in 2018 were admitted to intensive care. This is scary stuff! Especially when our vulnerable babies and kiddies are concerned. Obviously there are things we can do to prevent the flu coming home to us:
- Get the flu shot
- Exercise regularly
- Regularly wash your (and the kids) hands
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that people come into contact with at work, school, or home
- Maintain your immune system & gut health - Avoid contact with those who are sick
But when you live a busy lifestyle it is difficult to constantly protect ourselves without turning into a social recluse. That’s why we love our Change mats so much. They are filled with a thick and soft knitted fabric creating a soft barrier for those hard surfaces and is finished with our high quality waterproof coating to protect our precious babes from any nasties. After use, you can simply wipe clean. They are also machine washable! Nothing quite like leaving the house knowing we are prepared for anything (even that dodgy change table at the local footy ground). Another germ fighting product we love is the Bondi Wash Hand Spray. A 100% plant based product that has been verified to kill germs like e-coli and staphylococcus. New independent lab testing has also now confirmed that the Hand Spray naturally prevents the spread of the influenza, effectively killing 99.99% of the virus on surfaces and in the air. Amazing! It comes in a soothing Tasmanian Pepper & Lavender scent, and is gentle and safe to use around babies and children.
One of the most interesting things to note here is that most commercial hand sanitisers rely on 60%+ alcohol in their formulation, which does kill and inhibit growth of bad bacteria but in the process also kills the good bacteria. Leaving us with lower immune systems to fight against harmful bacteria, like the flu! So do yourself a favour mama’s and look after yourselves this winter! Some sensible choices combined with some self-loving care should just about get us through I think – your family will thank you for it!
ML x
