Strollerderby : germs

Danger Babies: Why Why Why?

Amy Kuras — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:01:00 GMT

I am heading into Toddlerdom: The Sequel so one would think I am fairly imperturbable by now, but not so much. Reading this story from USA Today about the terrifying near-misses toddlers get themselves into alternately made me laugh, screech in horror and knock every piece of wood I could reach, lest I tempt fate by finding any of this the least bit amusing.

We’re talking kids who unlock gates and toddle into the street – at 18 months of age. When they had been sound asleep in bed. Twins who boost each other over the baby gate.

This makes my near misses sound mild (my daughter pulled her toy shelf onto herself and a TV down on the floor, both of which still give me the twitches when I think about how lucky we were things were not much, much worse).

But there are some evolutionary reasons for this heart-stopping behavior, apparently. Gumming everything may expose them to tiny amounts of germs that help strengthen their immune systems, and eating dirt maybe gets them some iron (I don’t know, my daughter was borderline anemic and my funniest memory of her first mobile summer was watching her sit in the garden while I worked and just fling dirt over her head and attempt to eat it).

Of course, then you’d think evolution would breed this dangerous behavior out of them –but children in early hunter gather cultures were carried in slings throughout toddlerhood, giving hem less opportunity to get into stuff.

Honestly, I think it’s better for kids to be a little more free-range once they can stand on their own little feet. Even the most dedicated babywearers I know tend to let them down a little more once they are bigger, and both my kids have to be on the move to be happy.

But there are days when swaddling him in bubble wrap doesn’t seem like the worst idea. What’s your best “mear miss” moment with a toddler?

When Moms Collide: Breastfeeder Kicked Out of Pool

JeanneSager — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:01:00 GMT

When Cinira Longuinh was asked to leave the pool where she sat breastfeeding, body half underwater, it wasn't by an old man with a fear of the boobs-eye-view. It was a mom-to-be with a fear of germs.

I fully admit I've been that "cover the girls" mom in certain situations (when my father-in-law was uncomfortable, I was too). I'm not saying everywhere by any means, so don't jump down my throat here ladies (or gents, for that matter). I am not the boob police.

Which is why I found Ellie Karkouti, owner of the private AquaCenter Swim Pool, so ridiculous. She says she wanted Longuinh to move out of the pool and into a changing room for the safety of the baby. Her exact quote to a Toronto-area newspaper? ""Am I ever going to stick my baby's mouth on a breast that's been in a pool without cleaning it (first)? Never, ever."

Oh to be pregnant again. So full of ideals. So lacking in common sense. Let's start with her logic, why don't we? If Longuinh heads off to the changing room, slips down the shoulder strap of her bathing suit and lets her daughter suck away, isn't she serving up the same "dirty" boobie? Ok, now on to the pool. Isn't the swim center owner warning people her pool is kind of, well, icky kind of bad for business. We have it on good authority that there's "pee" in her "ool"?

With my firm faith in the five-second rule, I've got to ask: is this really the worst thing a mom can do to her baby?

Image: Ben Klocek

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A Cheap Step Toward Healthier Living

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:00:00 GMT

I am about to save you a small fortune in vitamins, herbs, antibacterial products and cleaning supplies. You can thank me later.

Want to reduce the amount of germs that your kids, spouse and/or pets come into contact with? Take your shoes off when you walk in the door.

According to a new study, shoes can be home to more than 420,000 bacteria, 27 percent of which were a deadly form of E. coli. If you leave your shoes on and walk around your house, all of that bacteria is easily transferred to carpet and hard tile, where small people can get it all over their hands, knees and faces. Yum.

So get those shoes off! Let your tootsies go!

Baby Smells Awful? Like Hell!

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:01:00 GMT

Americans are so obsessed with cleanliness and germs and anti-bacterial soaps we're creating a land of bubble babies (who are not allowed to fall down, eat dirt, or play freely)...

But baby cologne? This is going too too far!!

Mommy Off the Record sums it up well here (it's a THROW DOWN, baby)...Can companies honestly believe that mamas and papas would forsake that natural baby smell (am I the only one who gets high smelling those sweet heads??), in favor of "dream"? Hopefully not.

Her Bad Mother culled together writings on the platonic but erotic love between parents and their children.. It's taboo in certain lights, and absolutely beautiful...

Top 7 Most Essential Products for Parents Who are Scared of the World

Adrienne Martini — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Money may not buy love, but it can certainly buy safety and cleanliness.

1) If your biggest fear is getting a face full of urine, Whizz Kid Wee Blocks are the modern day parent's Pee Pee Tee Pees.

2) Terrified that your toddler might choke on a piece of fruit? Don't hack it into small pieces! Just wrap it in a mesh feeder. Because apple and fabric is the next chocolate and peanut butter.

3) If a dirty dress is your personal nightmare, pick up a few motorized ice cream cones. (Two AA batteries are not included.)

4) Baby's knees are in danger! Get her a pair of baby knee pads, which will keep her safe during all of her crawling adventures.

5) Protect your toddler's noggin with the Bumper Bonnet (pictured)! Sadly, we're out of the giant rolls of Baby Bubble Wrap (TM).

6) Do you have a fast eater? Does she keep burning her mouth on hot mac 'n' cheese? Don't wait an extra five minutes to serve her, just get a Mac and Cool.

7) GERMS! Especially PUBLIC POTTY GERMS! Don't stop to wash your hands, just wear Potty Mitts! Or the GERMS will GET YOU!

Photo credit: leapsandbounds.com

Yucky The Snowman

Brett Singer — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:30:00 GMT

This article might make you think twice the next time your kids stick out their tounges to catch snowflakes. According to a study released in the journal Science, the main thing that causes snow to stick together and be, like, snowy, is... bacteria.

One scientist says that sometimes over 85 percent of the "ice nuclei" in snow is bacteria, usually Pseudomonas syringae (say that ten times fast), which can "cause disease in several types of plants including tomatoes and beans."

It doesn't sound like there's any immediate danger. Mostly it's just kind of, you know, gross. But if you consider that most kids eat dirt, sand, and things from the floor that skirt the 5-second rule by several minutes, odds are they'll be fine. (In case you were wondering, this does not qualify as medical advice.) Still, I think I'm glad winter's almost over.

image: Snowman Clipart, and my very own kindergarten-level drawing skills

Step Off, Yo! Hands Off My Kid!

Karen Murphy — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:35:00 GMT

The first time I took my son to the mall, I was petrified: people might touch him/breathe on him/look at him! There he was in his stroller, powerless to stare people down or spit up on them or otherwise convince them to keep their distance. He only had me for protection. And I am a complete doormat.

"Er, touch the baby? Okayyy..." I'd mutter while inwardly writhing at the thought of possible dirty germ-laden hands touching my preshuss baybee.

So I totally could have used one of these My Tiny Hands get-your-hands-off-my-kids signs. Er, uh, maybe.

After all, I'm one of those who cringe at the thought of asking a doctor/nurse/medical professional to wash hands before touching me or my preshuss baybee, so would I feel any more comfortable posting a big pink sign above my baybee's head to ask people to do just that? It's easier than having to say it out loud. While you read it I will just awkwardly look away, okay?

I'm a little more forthcoming and protective (some would insert "over-") of my baybees now (plus I used a Bjorn/sling with subsequent babies, making errant touching more difficult), but I'm at once strangely attracted to and completely repelled by the thought of posting a sign to people to keep their damn hands off my kid. But could I have had one of those taped over my pregnant belly?

Yay or nay on the signage: Too much? Good for us doormats? Why are we worrying about a few germs? What?

The Places You Go And Things You Use Are Filthy and Disease-Ridden

Kelly Mills — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:02:00 GMT

Oh, I so love a germy story. You know, where they tell you all the nastiness that lurks in your house and on your body and how you swallow bacteria and foulness every minute just by functioning in the world... So here's a story on the twelve germiest places you know. And yeah, your purse is one of them. And guys, I think man-purses are included in that. By the way, I cleaned out mine yesterday and found an old cheese stick. Life with kids is like swimming in a nasty petrie dish daily.

Other gross places (and do note how many of these impact parents) include: the playground, the shopping cart handles, the ATM buttons, your kitchen sink, and mats at the gym (double yikes for me). There's tips for how to deal with each of these (like, um, cleaning stuff off) but we'll just summarize by saying you should probably have truckloads of wipes handy. Also, wash your hands often. Every ten minutes, and don't let anyone tell you you're OCD or whatever. I like to shriek "Out damn spot!" when I wash my hands in public bathrooms, because people totally move away and give you good access to the full soap dispenser and paper towels.

More on the Five Second Rule: Maybe it is Okay After All

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:14:00 GMT

A while back I wrote up a study on the five second rule. You know, the rule where if you drop something as long as it is on the floor for less than five seconds it is still okay to eat. The study I was looking at then suggested that five seconds could be about five seconds too long if your food is touching bad germs.

Well thank God (or your preferred deity) for NPR and Tom Regan. Tom found a Connecticut College study that I like much better. This study says that wet foods like apple slices are good after they have been on the floor for 30 seconds and if you have hard food, or candy like Skittles of M&Ms they can stay on the floor for even longer without becoming contaminated.

Really what I'm getting out of the study is that candy is much safer to eat than fruit is. Of course, I wouldn't tell my kids that.

Daycare Makes Your Kid Sick

Karen Murphy — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:57:00 GMT

This shouldn't surprise anyone whose kid spends time in the care of others, especially at daycare centers, but a new study reveals the obvious: being in daycare makes your kid sick.

56 North Carolina daycare centers were studied. Half of them received $10,000 of equipment upgrades that included automatic faucets and foot-activated, rollout bins for diaper disposal as well as impermeable-surface tables for food preparation and diaper-changing. Not surprisingly, the centers that received the hygienic upgrades had a lower incidence of illness both in the children and their adult caregivers.

Obviously, not every daycare center can afford $10,000 in equipment upgrades, and daycare itself, while perhaps not the ideal situation for children certainly is a viable alternative, and isn't going away any time soon since so many parents need two incomes simply for survival purposes, so what to do? The company that makes the hygienic equipment says it's being used not only in North Carolina but also in Oklahoma, Illinois, and other states. And where one company makes an item, more surely follow suit, so if it were me needing to use daycare, I'd think about adding the presence or not of equipment like this to the already long list of must-haves when considering daycare alternatives.

Cell Phones Are Dirty! Ew!

Karen Murphy — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:55:00 GMT

OMG! Cell phones, you know, those things we give our kids to play with whenever they demand them (at least in my house...my three-year-old routinely dials up all sorts of people and then holds imaginary conversations with them)? They're...dirty! Ew! Yep, completely germ-ridden!

Apparently wiping it off on the leg of my jeans isn't doing much to disinfect my phone. (What?? Doesn't everyone do that?)

But yeah, apparently your phone may be rife with Candida albicans, or maybe the bacteria that causes...acne. So, ew. Wipe it down a bit before you give it to your baby to suck on. And maybe after, too. Whatever.

[this breaking, earth-shattering news brought to you by Gizmodo]

Five Second Rule

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Tue, 15 May 2007 14:34:00 GMT

Admit it. You apply the five second rule. You use it for yourself and you use it for your kids. And do you really even count to five? I don't. This article sites two different studies of the five second rule. The results? You don't want to know.

I'm not kidding. It is gross. Of course they infected the surfaces that they dropped things on, and of course the food they left on the floor for five seconds was waaaaaaaaaay less contaminated than the stuff they left down for ten seconds, but that doesn't change the fact that gummi bears and cookies both picked up E. coli bacteria within five seconds.

Maybe we should rethink this rule. Harold McGee of The New York Times says we might want to rethink eating that piece of food even if it was only on the floor for five seconds.

Of course, if it is chocolate it might still be worth it.

How to Sterilize Kid's Toys (How to be a Good Parent)

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:13:00 GMT

Okay so we all know the story of the first baby. First Baby (FB) has pretty outfits for every occasion. First Baby is washed, and watched, and pampered, and filmed (various modalities). First Baby is "Baby Makes Three" and nothing NOTHING goes into FB's mouth that isn't first washed, sterilized with distilled water, and kissed with Mommy's tender love.

So then. You have more kids. Life gets more complicated. You get more tired. You get older. You take the binky from the dog's mouth and hand it to the baby. You realize that being a "good parent" is open to interpretation (Thank GOD!!). So this is for those of you who are younger (than me) and have only one child. Everyone else, feel free to look away.

Sterilizing toys helps prevent illness, the spread of germs, and forestalls any free time Mommy might have at the end of the day. To properly sterilize, open the garbage can and throw it in. No really. Anyway, here's what you do if you are serious about killing germs -- soak the offending germ-infested plastic toys in a solution of 3/4 cup bleach in one gallon water. And if you're still reading this, then you are a far better parent than I.