children under 5 shouldn't be around pets

[kinnip]

Too much sanitation is a lot like spraying insecticides, you kill off the good stuff too. Prior to starting my life in construction/farming work, any wounds I got on my hands got infected. Seriously, all of them! I washed my hands more times in a day than I could count. When I started working in the dirt all day, and wounds had to wait to be washed, the infections stopped. I can slice my hand open, feed the goats, clean the coop, weed the garden, and wait until I'm done to wash it off with no adverse affects.

 

[wegotchickens]

When we raised hamsters my ex freaked out over the illness they carry. The kids told him about the "wash before & after play" rule, as well as the "no kissing the hammies" rule. And then informed him that they enjoyed breaking the no kissing rule

At that point he decided to leave well enough alone.

 

[Mycookoonest]

Kids can get sick from other kids... ooops they didn't include that in their list. Or how about grocery carts, or even *GASP* ADULTS! Sorry but my animals are kept cleaner than some people and their houses!

My boys play outside, get filthy dirty and LOVE IT! They love to pick up bugs and frogs and various other creatures. It's good for them. Why not just desensitize them from everything in the world and let them live in a bubble? Cripe I'm more worried about them eating out than I am about them playing with animals.

The 5 second rule still applies in my house.

OK that might have been a little hormonal but come on, a little common sense never hurts...

 

[jbowyer01]

I worry more about my chickens getting ill more than my two teenagers! My kids have always had pets (everything from iguanas, ferrets,cats, dogs and birds to include my chickens.) You just use common sense, wash hands before and after. Sometimes I think we disinfect too much like with bleach and such. There are good and bad germs and you do need to build up some sort of immunity. I've started using alot of vinegar to clean things instead.

 

[horsejody]

When I was a kid, I got salmonella - from factory farm eggs. Mom and Dad got rid of our backyard flock and bought the nasty factory farm eggs. I got sick, and we got our own chickens again.

 

[Msbear]

Whew, someone dropped a bomb, didn't they?!! hhaahahah

We farm people have been sayin it for years and now it's finally hit main stream. There was a newscast, I believe, two days ago on fox that said that children with no animals living in the home will be far more likely to have allergens and than children living in homes with. Their focus group was a couple boys on a farm that cleaned up cow barns all day. The entire family, like many farmers, have zero history of allergies. (which are up like 200% since 1985) along with athsma.

Now, I will venture to take this a step farther. Being subjected to these type of germs is necessary for little immune systems to grow and mature properly. I never got my son vaccinated because I have done so much research on this issue and have learned how fragile our systems have become because of "helpful interventions" I would much rather live my life in nature the natural way among snakes, turtles, rats, pac-man frogs, lizards all of which I had as pets growing up. I haven't had a cold in ten years (other than a couple sniffs last year) While my hubby got the same thing and he was in bed for three days. My son only had the sniffs too.

I understand these things carry some deseases that may be nasty but so will their high school sweetheart Should we send them to school in bubble wrap?

 

[KrisRose]

I played outside all day and never touch soap until we came in at night. We were around our cats, dogs, wild critters we caught, neighbor's cows, horses, geese etc... Never hurt us, I firmly believe it made us stronger.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I kinda think that most pets shouldn't be around Children Under Five. Kids are brutal.

 

[lockedhearts]

HMMMM, let's see I grew up with dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, fish, birds and I am 45 and still here. I do have allergies and asthma, all caused by trees. I am most allergic to Orange Blossoms and I grew up in an Orange Grove........
We ate mud, kissed our dogs, I even kissed a fish from the lake when I was 4 and , believe it or not I lived through it.

The problem today is Germ-A- Phobia, I think if you start over sanitizing, and taking away germs then when you get exposed you are more likely to get ill.

 

[wilds of pa]

I know, i too was an animal kid,,lots of snakes, pigeons, chickens, rabbits as a kid..dont ever recall getting ill from them either...

However I know lil kids if they wash there hands there fine with them all...which i would suggest anybody have them do after handling critters... real littles one's do put there hands in the mouths to often.

Ive been to some auctions and seen some folks there letting there toddlers run lose with no shoes on and that really bothered me seeing that, they also where on there hands and knee's crawling around that dirty floor there, dragging milk bottles and binki's on the floor. that is somthing i would have never allowed my children to do at a place like that where people and animals come and go.. i felt that was pretty sick in my mind..

But i quess each to there own...


Thanks
Charlie