Some enterprising germ-a-phobe came up with these little signs parents can post anywhere to keep others from touching their baby.
I remember playing in DIRT and touching BUGS and going barefoot in Africa (to my mother's horror: "You'll get WORMS!!!") I never did get worms or anything else really. I probably have a super immune system because of it.
Isn't it healthy to have to fight off a few germs here and there?
I'm imagining Charlie will already have a strong immune system. After all, she's been growing up in an African orphanage where I'm pretty sure they don't go around cleaning everything with anti-bacterial cleansers (which I consider a good thing). Charlie will probably have to get her immune system used to American germs and viruses, but I'm not planning on keeping her in a bubble like these parents who threw a "meet the baby" party for their newborn (below).
We took my newborn nephew to the diner 3 days after his birth. He turned out ok, and didn't die from the experience. Now, I know premies need to be protected, but I would think parents wouldn't throw them parties where signs like the above are needed in that case.
(5 points to anyone who can explain why we are being told to use the anti-bacterial hand wash to prevent swine flu spread... when swine flu is a virus, not a bacteria?)
Do you keep your baby from touching other people?
What about the 10-second rule when food hits the floor?
Dog hair: condiment or not?
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12 comments:
Totally agree with you. There are entirely too many anit-bacterial things on the market. I too sat in dirt and played with worms and was always barefoot as a kid and I turned out okay (mostly).
As for dog hair, pretty sure I eat it with every meal :) And I have a feeling my daughter will too. Oh well...
I wish that I could have kept my child in a bubble for other reasons. (By the way my blog is temporarily on hiatus. I will notify you when I make it public again. Meanwhile I will continue reading about your journey. I love your blog).
I think hand washing is important for all the obvious reasons but the ideal of using hand sanitizers period is scary because the body builds up a resistance and I would never advise anyone to use it before handling a baby. It is awfully strong. The other thing is that I wish ppl would be more considerate when touching a baby, the first thing they do is reach for the babies hands that's the part that babies must put into their mouths. I wish that ppl would touch the babies arm or feet or anywhere but when you have germy hands and you touch the baby they pick it all up. I am not promoting living in a bubble but just some basic common sense. If ppl wash their hands when they FIRST come in the house then it wouldn't eliminate a lot of extra germies!!!
Agree Mika. We were taking Shane canoeing when he was an infant (just put him in his car carrier thing and off we went) and had him at a Dead concert while he was still tiny too. The boy has eaten anything and everything... I'm not sure he has a time limit for things that hit the floor. He has eaten things that frighten me and he NEVER gets an upset stomach. Never. He didn't get any kind of sickness (other than chicken pox at 12) when he was growing up. I'm the germaphobe and paranoid one and he fears nothing, exposes himself to everything and is wildly healthy.
Ha ha - I love that you're brave enough to post this! I feel the same way, but don't have the guts to post it (because I know some people who really live this way!) We don't have pets, so no pet hair for us, but we definitely eat off the floor and take our kids out in public the day we come home from the hospital! We went to a BBQ the night our son came home from the hospital (it beat me having to cook!) and we ran to Walmart (I know, the dreaded, germ filled Walmart!!!) the evening we brought our daughter home!
My favorite line is "dog hair-condiment or not?"
I totally agree. That is taking it WAY too far!
Thanks for joining my follow list! I love your blog! Congrats on the little one! I am so happy for you!
I love your blog. It's fabulous, and therefore YOU are obviously fabulous. Anti-bacterial cleansers drive me a bit bonkers. I work in the schools and they just dropped THREE bottles on my desk to fight swine flu. CRAZY. You know what does bother me germ-wise? For some reason, old woman always think it's really important to share food with my baby. Like SAME spoon, back and forth sharing. Drives me BONKERS. I guess he's going to have the strongest immune system ever. I didn't play the game right, but can I still have ONE point? :) I wanna play!
students at my college did a senior thesis on the 5 second rule. turns out you have even more time than that!
www.collegenews.org/x7129.xml
Danni and Thomas,
Anyone who flatters me like that can play! I'll give you 5 points because you're the only person who even acknowledged the question!Thanks for reading :-)
Single PAP,
Wow that is too funny, I thought the 10 second rule was just something in my family that my grandmother invented... Thanks for sharing that study, so cool to know I have 30 whole seconds to play around with!
A1S
why? because we are silly american's who don't use common sense and panic at the slightest thing. most of us can't even name the seven continents.
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