How are you and germs?

[Anonymous]

Starting to wonder if I'm too worried about my kids and germs. Example: today in Panera, my 2 year old rubbed his hand on the ground and then licked it and I made him go wash his hands. I also don't let my kids touch public trash cans.

Is that normal or over the top?

Sometimes I see kids eating cheerios off the ground at the airport and I wonder: is that parent nuts or am I the one who is?

[Anonymous]

I'm very relaxed but I still don't want my kid licking his ground hand.

[Anonymous]

I would have my kid wash their hands after touching the ground if he was licking them. I tend to be pretty low stress about germs. I didn't worry too badly about eating dirt, I stopped DS but I didn't freak out about it either. I don't worry about food that is dropped in most situations. I tend not to remind him to wash his hands before eating. My DH is on the other end of the spectrum. (shrugs)

[Anonymous]

You don’t let your kids touch trash cans? What exactly is your concern there?

OP, that is weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don’t let your kids touch trash cans? What exactly is your concern there?

OP, that is weird.

OP here and my concern is germs. I have seen rats climb out of them, and people puke in them. I just feel like the garbage festers, including dog poop bags and other nasty stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t let your kids touch trash cans? What exactly is your concern there?

OP, that is weird.

OP here and my concern is germs. I have seen rats climb out of them, and people puke in them. I just feel like the garbage festers, including dog poop bags and other nasty stuff.

I'm the same as you, OP.

[Anonymous]

I'm probably on the germaphobe side of things, but I don't really see that as a bad thing. I realize exposure is good for the immune system. I also realize that my thumb-sucking 3 year old and crawling baby get plennnntyyyy of exposure, so I do what I can to minimize the ick. I also don't like public trash cans, or buses, or metro, or grocery carts. I always try to wash hands as soon as soon as we're inside from somewhere. But I'm also not bathing in hand sanitizer. FWIW, somewhere I read that your cell phone is the dirtiest thing you come in contact with all day.

[Anonymous]

By the time this third kid came into the world, I let him play with shoes and the stroller tires. Rarely washed his hands. He’s the healthiest of all my kids today.

In short, it’s a FTM issue (or someone with extreme anxiety).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t let your kids touch trash cans? What exactly is your concern there?

OP, that is weird.

OP here and my concern is germs. I have seen rats climb out of them, and people puke in them. I just feel like the garbage festers, including dog poop bags and other nasty stuff.

How are your kids supposed to throw things out independently if they can’t touch garbage cans? I don’t think you have thought this through all the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t let your kids touch trash cans? What exactly is your concern there?

OP, that is weird.

OP here and my concern is germs. I have seen rats climb out of them, and people puke in them. I just feel like the garbage festers, including dog poop bags and other nasty stuff.

How are your kids supposed to throw things out independently if they can’t touch garbage cans? I don’t think you have thought this through all the way.

NP. I'm extremely not germophobic but even I try to avoid coming into direct contact with public garbage cans. I try to get my trash through that swing door without actually touching it with my hand. I get it! Yet, for whatever reason, I wouldn't really cringe if my toddler licked the floor. I know it's not rational.

[Anonymous]

I’m pretty relaxed and would let my kid eat something off of our floor but not an airport or airplane, not a bathroom, not high traffic public places. You sound pretty reasonable.