3 second rule

OK - here's one for you mums of toddlers.

Do you apply the 3 second rule to food that gets dropped on the ground? You know - if its only there for 3 seconds its fine for them to have it back?

I have to say - I generally do. At home, anything thats on the floor, she can have back. If its outside on the ground or footpath, generally its OK (as long as its not on dog turd or something) but if I'm somewhere were I know there are germs - like hospital, dr's surgeries, play centres etc, I will chuck it out.

Just interested if there are other laid back mums like me, or am I just terrible!!

Fi

Even though I saw the episode of Mythbusters that blew the 3 second rule out of the water, I still let the kids eat stuff they've dropped here at my place. But I try not to let them eat stuff they've dropped at the shops, Doctors, cafes, parks etc. I'm especially anal about shopping trollies - apparently they're one of the worst offenders when it comes to growing and spreading bacteria (I really DO have to stop watching Mythbusters....)

LOL ours is the 10 second rule.... hehehe well at our house it is, and when we are out & about it gets thrown away. Yeah I have to agree Christine about the trolley thing...yuck.

Ewww - I hate shopping trollies! Jenna went through a stage of sucking on the handles!!!! YUCK! I spose its an OK thing that the trollies are usually out in the rain at this centre though, so it must was some of the bugs off!
Yep - I dont let her have it back at shopping centres either. They are gross, and carparks etc. And when I said outside - I meant usually on grass...... And on cleanish footpaths! You know the ones where there isn't too much foot traffic where little teenage $hits can spit?

Yup Fi, generally I apply that rule too. Certainly at home or mums house. If I were out somewhere like the shops etc, then no way. Hey I'm even fussy with the kids touching the hand rail thing on the escalators because of germs :)

Have to say though, I'm alot more easy going with the little ones than I was with my first bub.

ETA, I have one of those seat and handle cover things for the shopping trolley, no way is she getting her mouth near that handle ....
Fi, you do know dogs pee on grass dont you?? ;)

Trish - Jenna sucks on the cats and sleeps in bed with them. She also has a particular fondness for cat food. I'm OK with the occasional splash of dog pee ;) She's heaps better with trollies now. No sucking anymore! At least not on my shift. We normally have to steal her a bunch of grapes though to get around the supermarket OK.

I apply a 'whatever the amount of time it's been on the floor rule'

So if at home it was 20 seconds, then I pick it up have a look for dog hair etc & say "It's Ok, you know 20 second rule & all!" hee hee That's at my place, Mum's , sisters etc...

Sometimes it depends where we are, we were at the pub last weekend for lunch & Indah dropped her bread roll, it hadnt even been sucked on yet so I brushed it off & handed it back to her! But had it been wet, or something sticky, it would have really picked up gooey stuff from the floor, so nope she wouldnt have gotten it back then!

Indah actually sucks on the dogs tail, so I guess I really cant worry too much!???

LOL yep I can only imagine the stuff Matilda gets off the dogs. I'm so anal about shopping trolleys, I use that antibacterial "no wash" soap from the nappy bag on the handle...

Christy so am I about the trolleys. You should get yourself one of the seat covers. No more stressing about it then :)

Tehya has "tried" the cat biscuits a couple of times but thats is pretty much. Oh and her own poo :(

At home, yeah I'm more relaxed about it cos I know whats bene on my floors etc. Out & about I mainly just chuck it out, unless its something in a wrapper or skin. Anything sticky that touches the floor goes straight in the bin!

Its usually the 10 second rule around here and at friend's houses and in the park. At Dad's place and the IL's I don't like Yasin to eat stuff after its been dropped because they wear thier shoes inside. At Cafe's etc it depends on how clean they look and how clean the floors look.
SIL did her PhD on some immunity issue and she assures me that a few germs are healthy and help strengthen our immunity.

Eek I must be pretty anal then!! At home Zander can have it back if it's inside, as long as it was dropped by accident, if it's thrown down, gone! If it's outside or we are away from home (and friends/family homes) he cannot have it back at all.

Having said that he has eaten dirt, sand, leaves and all of that other fun stuff but I just prefer that he learns that he doesn't eat things off the ground.

Were 10-20 second people around here. I remember my SIL and I discussing this in front of MIL and she was mortified LOL! I don't let them eat stuff they have dropped in the street/footpath/toilet/in dirt and basically anywhere in public, but if it looks OK, then sure. I see it as them building their immunity, sort of like eating dirt LOL.

Maddy is not a toddler yet, but with her now progressing through rusks for her teeth; I've had to look at the 10 second rule too. As Miss M has decided that throwing things from her pram or high chair are fun; DH generally does not allow her to have the toy/food back again no matter how long its been on the floor for. I tend to be a big more lax to a point; but I have to admit that I generally don't give things back to her if she's dropped it out in public. Part of it is because I'm repulsed by some places but also because *hides head* I kinda wonder what other people think if I pick up her dummy off the ground that she's just tossed out and give it straight back to her. *L*

Yeah I let her eat stuff she's dropped at home - but not out.
Gee if you see some of the things this kid has put in her mouth - her own pooey fingers....cat hair balls outside....dirt....to name a few LOL. I figure it's no worse.

My kid eats grass, leaves, dirt, wood.....ANYTHING she can get her hands on and can fit in her mouth! And that's just the older one! Jess would do the same only I'm too fast for her most of the time (Kat can run away and I just can't be bothered chasing her over a damn leaf! *L*).

I have caught Kaitlyn eating a day old Saltana off the floor boards !. I am also a 3second well maybe one minute rule mum as Kaitlyn tends to drag her dry fruit from toy to toy anyway!

I had to have a giggle at some of your stories!!

Lucy has a dummy and if she drops it I pick it up quickly and check for hair/fluff/stuff and then give it back to her. At this stage she's exclusively bf and I figure she must be doing okay with that. Plus, I am a bit of the school that exposure to dirt/germs and stuff is good for her immune system. Maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel less guilty!

Once she's crawling she'll be sticking her fingers in her mouth and since they've been all over the floor there's probably no point being overly worried about what she's putting in her mouth. Look out dogs - I had to laugh at the tail going into some babies mouths!!

I haven't even given birth yet - but if the adoring attention I get from my 2yo black labrador while I'm eating my toast is anything to go by - any child that drops ANY food has absolutely NO chance of ever seeing it again. The dog will have caught it and swallowed it before it hits the ground! Hee hee.

LMAO on the dog story! My daughter teases the cats with food - she wil hold out a lamb chop bone, and the cat will take a bite at it, and she pulls it back and puts it in her mouth. It used to gross me out, but I'm over it now. I certainly can't stop her doing it, and I'm lucky that the cats are very, very tolerant with Jenna. She's only ever received a couple of scratches and deserved many, many more!