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Strollerderby
Parents Cash in on Swine Flu
True, keeping other people’s germs off of your babies can lead to awkward moments/involuntary body-checks. For some reason, people feel entitled to wiping their dirty fingers all over the insides of babies’ hands — and sometimes in their mouths — all in the name of a little coochie-coo.
Even if it’s cold and flu season. Even if they’re related.
And when it’s grandma, or the nice old man down the street? How do you …? What do you … ? What’s a parent to do?
A nice but not terribly assertive Florida couple, parents of premature triplets, came up with a less confrontational way to get people to keep their mitts off the babes: signs.
Now they’re mass producing them and, in this world of swine flu scares, business is booming.
The $9 rubber signs, which come in pink and blue (of course) and are the octagonal shape of a stop sign, say “wash hands before touching baby” on one side and handsoffbaby.com on the other — accompanied by universally understood graphics.
The couple is also selling T-shirts, bibs and onesies expressing the “hands-off” sentiment. They say 21 hospitals have placed orders with them. News of swine flu has helped business to boom.
Me? I’ll stick with the body-checking and uncomfortable laughter — saves money AND lives.
How do you keep people from germing up your little ones?
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Photo: Baynews9.com
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0 Comments
[...] Parents Cash In On Swine Flu [...]
How to Behave During Public Tantrums | Strollerderby commented on Sep 15 09 at 4:55 pmMistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 15 09 at 6:00 pmKarate chops to the neck tend to slow people down a bit.
jennifer commented on Sep 15 09 at 9:11 pmComments There are already signs like this available. My first was early and I’m very assertive, but some people are really fast. I never had one person even try to touch my first child when I had a similar sign up. Preemies are very sensitive to respiratory infections, esp RSV.
April commented on Sep 16 09 at 7:09 amThey are ripping off http://www.mytinyhands.com who have been doing this for much longer. I have the signs and give them as baby gifts to everyone I know when they have a new baby. I put them on my twin’s car seats when they were little. They do keep some people away but even some idiots will ignore the sign and paw your baby. So the body checking is still neccessary. I don’t care about hurting feelings, my children’s health is more important. I wish there was a way to use these with toddlers….I guess the shirt might come in handy for that.
Mary Michaels commented on Sep 16 09 at 9:25 amTotally different product from the one mentioned above in the previous comment. More to the point and a lot cheaper. They sell for $4.99 and I bought two for my daughter.
Marj commented on Sep 17 09 at 1:56 pmI carry around hand sanitizer, but I always forget to make people use it. Even my brother who I know is bad about washing his hands. Doh.
T commented on Sep 17 09 at 3:09 pmI have the Orbit carseat so I just pull down the paparazzi shield. If he isn’t in the carseat, he is in the sling. Both places no one can touch. If he’s in the stroller without the carseat or something and someone comes towards us looking like they are going to touch him, we swerve the other way. Whats the worst is little snot-nosed, lollipop-toting kids. They come over and want to try to grab at the baby. What is with parents? I obviously swerve the other way and tell them no, it is not a baby doll and they may not touch and then I call for their parents to watch them.
Karen commented on Sep 24 09 at 9:03 amGreat idea…..love the direct approach. The signs say exactly what I want to say.
Karen commented on Sep 24 09 at 9:04 amBTW, you can get them at http://www.handsoffbaby.com or http://www.washhandsbeforetouchingbaby.com.
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