How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

boop — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:07:23 GMT

Every few months the six o clock news trots out a story about how X is dirtier than a public restroom. I've seen this story used for computer keyboards, phones, airplane trays, restaurant ketchup bottles, lemons in your soda, even the kitchen sink, and now this.

Is it even true? Doubtful. It's just one of those "Can shopping at your local grocery KILL YOU? Tune in at 6 and find out!" tactics

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

gpgirl — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:23:40 GMT

I am also with Shannon. My son has sucked on plenty of shopping cart handles, and he is very rarely sick.

leahsmom, that is a good question. I don't know about public restrooms, but I once saw on Mythbusters where they checked the cleanliness of various parts of a house, and the cleanest was the toilet seat.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

km — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:07:10 GMT

I have 3 boys, 6 y/o and under, who I pretty much let touch whatever they want. Our supermarket also has antibacterial wipes for the carts--I march right on by. We wash our hands at home with non-antibacterial soap, after using the bathroom, or before eating.

And my kids are almost never sick. Between all 3, we've only ever had 3 ear infections in total, and last year my oldest only missed 4 days of school (one of which was due to his grandpa's visit).

Viva la Germs!

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

Knitty — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:52:12 GMT

I think it's silly, yet more culture of fear nonsense being shoveled at parents. None of us died from expose to grocery carts, and our kids will be just fine too.

I agree with Shannon LC Cate -- the REAL danger here is overuse of antibiotics. We don't really want to create the next superbug, we do now? Put down the antibiotic squirt/wipes/spray/whatever and think about who benefits from all this fear.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

Mary — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:46:39 GMT

I second (third?) Shannon. We already have enough drug-resistant MRSA and C-dif in our hospitals; do we really want to encourage it to grow on our grocery carts?

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

bbbgmom — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:30:07 GMT

My children have passed the chart-chewing phase, but all three did quite a bit of it in their heyday. (knock on wood) all of them are very healthy kids who are not prone to virus, infection or any other malady. So far as I know none of them ever caught anything from a shopping cart. I would be really irritated if prices went up because of the cost of these cart washing machines. About seven years ago I started intentionally NOT buying antibacterial soap after reading a report on the overuse of antibiotics. But most of the people I know still have those little bottles of Dial in their guest bathrooms.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

Helen — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:23:15 GMT

Re: the dangerous overuse of antibiotics, I read somewhere (maybe here!) that the medical community is concerned about antibiotic handsoap for this exact reason. Grocery stores in my area offer antibiotic wipes to wipe down grocery cart handles, and I use 'em. But then I think about my kid ingesting whatever the wipe is coated with, and that's probably not ideal, either. Maybe time to start being more diligent about bringing that cart cover someone gave me at my baby shower. No chemicals, just toss in the wash after each use.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

Hillary — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:58:31 GMT

I'm with Shannon LC Cate. Those carts aren't killing kids.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

AnneAC — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:54:37 GMT

I wonder if they can use the PureCart system with just a vinegar-water solution or even just scalding hot water instead of chemicals? Our pedi said in pinch, just rinsing off your hands will get rid of most of the yuckiness.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

Shannon LC Cate — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:35:52 GMT

I think it's a dangerous overuse of antibiotics. Now all that will be left on the cart handles are the 1% strongest, nastiest germs. Not such a great improvement, if you ask me. I have always let my kids touch, chew on, whatever the cart handle and they have been no sicker (actually less sick) than their peers over the years.

re: How Gross Are the Grocery Carts Your Kids Suck On? Um, Pretty Gross.

leahsmom — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:34:05 GMT

I have a question. The "public restroom" is always the basis for comparison of icky things - I hear Blackberrys have more germs on them than a public restroom, purse bottoms, et c.

Just how dirty is a public restroom? I don't mean to sound stupid, but, well, a lot of them I've been in recently are swabbed down with bleach and disinfectants every hour or so - I only clean my bathroom once a week, and sometimes once every ten days, so I might well have more germs than a public restroom! How gross is that, really?