Last Saturday, we were at a birthday party when Hazeline dropped a chip that she was eating. Erajh and I were sitting and talking with some of the other parents when it happened, so by the time I realized it, she had picked up the chip and was shoving it back into her mouth. I figured the damage was done and tried to shrug off the disgusting occurrence by saying, “Um, 5 second rule…I guess.” At which point one of the other mothers said, “There are a lot of germs clinging to those 5 seconds.”
This mom (who I love by the way) is a bit of a germaphobe. At least, by my definition. She carries a variety of sanitizing products, has a hand sanitizer clipped on her purse, and in the time we were at the party, had her child wash their hands no less that 4 times. One time when I was picking Greenleigh up from school, she was actually sanitizing Greenleigh’s hands as I walked through the door. I appreciate the help, but given that she just spent the entire day in the petri dish I call daycare, I don’t know that it’s going to help. So while I expected that mom’s response, it was the response of all the other parents that surprised me. They definitely weren’t backing me up on the existence of a 5 second rule. One even appeared to turn the slightest shade of green as Hazeline swallowed the chip.
Okay, lets get this clear from the get-go: I do not encourage my kids to eat off the floor or to take any item off the floor and put it in their mouths. I mean, I’m tempted to when Greenleigh dumps an entire bag of ridiculously expensive Yogurt Melts (I mean, 3-freakin-dollars for a bag! Are you kidding me? There are only, like, 45 tiny pieces in there!) on the floor for no apparent reason, but I normally I refrain from doing so.
Typically, if my child eats something off the ground it’s because they’re faster than me. They just get to the food before I can, plop it in their mouths and swallow it before I even get the word, “NO!” out. Then they smile that big smile of, “Ha, ha, Mom – This one’s mine”. It’s disgusting, but what’s a mom to do? I’m far from okay with it, but for my sanity, I have to believe that if that if the food is on the floor for 5 second or less, it probably isn’t going to kill them. Unless it’s that Cheerio that Greenleigh dropped and subsequently ate off the pediatrician’s waiting room floor…that one has some danger potential. I stress the difference between dirty and clean on a daily basis, but it just doesn’t stick. Apparently.
But here’s the thing – if I had attempted to retrieve the chip out of Hazeline’s mouth, wouldn’t the damage have already been done? I mean the germs “hanging on to the 5 seconds” were already in her mouth, right? Better yet, wouldn’t it be worse to jam my finger in her mouth when I hadn’t washed it first? Wouldn’t that be more germs? Surely by the time I sanitized my hands and went in to retrieve the chip, she would have already swallowed it. ‘Cause that child loves to eat and she’s very proficient when it comes to her food.
While the parents at the party all seemed mortified that my daughter ate a chip off the floor, I know I’m not the only one who has to believe in the 5 second rule. To some degree, at least. Maybe I’m the only one willing to admit that my kids have this terrible habit?
So blogosphere, tell me what you think – 5 second rule, yay or nay? Would you have gone in after the chip or was the damage done?
We take a liberal “God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt” policy in our house. Germ-schmerms. And, apart from those first few weeks in the ‘petri dish’ of Mother’s Day Out, our kids get sick surprisingly infrequently. Besides, our youngest is basically part goat. The child will eat anything. (And by anything, I mean anything. She once licked the grease out of the George Foreman grill. Amazingly, she didn’t even get sick. I did, I threw up. More than a little.) But it’s really the only way to preserve my sanity!
Woah – she licked the grease out of the George Foreman grill?!? Holy crap! I might throw up too. Right now…and I didn’t even see it! Perhaps I should have asked, “what is the gross-est thing your child has ever eaten?” I was sure that Greenleigh’s Cheerio straight from the pediatrician’s waiting room floor would win, but now I’m not sure. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Here’s my thoughts on the five second rule..kids need to eat a little dirt so to speak..it’s how their bodies build up resistance to other germs. Kids that live in a totally sanitized world ( take note mom with hand sanitizer) are more likely to get sick faster and longer than kids who are more exposed. Look back on how kids of our generation were to the kids of today..we played outside in the mud, drank from hoses and all sorts of “gross” things and our bodies built up a resistance to germs..todays kids drink bottled water, sanitize everything and have more allergies than we ever heard of growing up. My daughter ate a little “dirt” so to speak and she turned out just fine at 22..and my grandson gets dirty too..so I totally believe the 5 second rule!
My mom always said “a little dirt never hurt”. You are right, in that case the chip was already in her mouth. You squeezing her cheeks and pulling out a soggy chip would not have been worth it. My cousin sanitizes EVERYTHING and her kids always seem to be sick (personally I think it is because they have no immunities built up – but I am not a doctor, so I dont really know). My husband is a plumber, so believe me I know full well the invisible dirt and germs that can be on a floor and you dont even know it, but I still believe in the 5 second rule – maybe with a little dust brush off added in for good measure 😉
Okay I’m the worst person ever to pipe in on this, and I’m sure you’re pretty sure where I stand. WHO CARES. Your friend would be absolutely revolted by my lack of hand sanitizer and the sad fact that I rarely remember to enforce hand washing outside of the potty and before meals. Terrible, but it stresses me none. A rogue, hairy potato chip or yogurt melt surely never hurt anyone. 🙂
Our worst eaten thing….hmmm must be the decrepit raisin I saw him dig out of a crevice in his carseat. Heck, it may have been a grape at one point.
Greenleigh can always find a tasty treat in her car seat. I’ll look back and see her eating a pretzel and think, “wait, when was the last time we had pretzels in the car? Never mind, I don’t want to think about it…”
I also believe in the 5 second rule.
I once watched a show where they did a study on the 5 second rule and you would be shocked at the results.
First the item dropped did not get any germs on them, except in the bathroom & when it was dropped in a kitchen sink.
There isn’t enough time for somthing to attach and grow into somthing harmful. Unless of course it is dropped into somthing poisonous, or onto a nasty wet item. (u know what I mean here)
But, (and this will make you cringe germ watcher or not) what they found at restaurants was disturbing. The items dopped on a home floor and outside was a lot safer than whats on a restaurant table. Your bathroom floor is cleaner than a restaurant table. The tables at restaurants was extreamly nasty, & had things on it to make you sick. Even the utensils and glasses where horrid. And what was on the cloth napkins, well Just say I will never use anothe one, I’ll being a paper napkin or not use one at all…. And yes we consume the germs at restaurants, the tables where disgusting & that gets on your hands while eating, the kids crayons were dreadfully gross. So I say, if the item was dropped of a familiar home then there is no reasson to fret over it, just remind them the item was dirty and they should get a fresh one next time.
I too personally think we Over sanitize our kids now days (except when going out to eat, lol) ….
Oh and the lemons!!! Never let the kids suck on your lemons, or drop the whole thing in your tea or water. Just trust me on that one! Can you say feces and urine, yep.. That one was tested in over 500 restaurants with the same conclusion on All.
Okay I’m done freaking out the germ busters, lol!
(I sanitize often too, but have slacked off a bit has my son gets older(he is 6) and I have noticed in the last year he hasn’t had to go to the dr but once. He use to get ear, nose, and throat infections at least twice a month sometimes more. Our pedatric dr adviced us to slack off a bit on the sanitizing. It took around 6 months to notice a difference in how sick he would get.
Yuck. As much as I’m interested in that study, I don’t know that I’d be able to eat out after it. I don’t worry about the floors in our home much, it’s when we are outside, at the doctors office, at a restaurant, etc. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t concerned about our friends patio (where Hazeline’s chip fell). And I definitely agree about building up immunities.
Oh, and good to know about the lemons – I’ve done both things and will be stopping immediately!
I am with you on this one for sure. I agree that a little dirt never hurt. My oldest boy ate sand at the beach for three hours straight! What could I do? I mean we were on the BEACH for crying out loud! There was sand everywhere and no matter how hard I tried I could not get him to stop! He was in the little UV tent and kept sticking his hands out to eat the sand – lol! This is life. My kids eat dirt and such – what doesn’t kill you makes your stronger 🙂 I’d say the thing it hurts the worst is my pride – I mean why will my kids eat sand and dirt but not the dinner I spent over an hour making?
Seriously! Greenleigh will dive for something that fell on the ground, but that dinner I spent an hour contemplating and making? No way.
Were they first time moms? Sometimes first time moms are worse about it. You get a little more lax with each kid. My son is always dropping things on the floor than picking them back up and sticking them in his mouth before I can catch him and stop him from doing it. My girls did they same and they are still kickin’ it! The more the germaphobe moms use the sanitizer the less likely it’ll work on her kids later down the road. A little bit of dirt isn’t going to hurt.
I’m always worried when the 5-second rule comes up, because there doesn’t seem to be much of a middle ground…and mine are always dropping stuff, and eating it….I do try to make them throw it out if it’s sticky or super gross, but for the most part, we just brush it off :/
OH! (and I’m swinging by –finally–from the Tuesday Train. Thanks for riding!!!
I’m visiting from the Mom’s Best Nest Linky Party. I love your blog! Holy cow – and I thought sticking rocks in your nose and eating dandelions was bad – and especially touching worms. Germs help build up your immune system! Hope you can visit my blog sometime: Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents & Teachers.