I was feeling icky this morning so I took some long overdue sick leave to get body and soul together. Reading, writing, and watching a little television were my morning accomplishments, and this afternoon I made a batch of Chex party mix before going in for my evening class. I also rallied long enough to do a couple of loads of laundry and take a shower.
No, the purpose of this blog is not to bore you with the mundane details of my day but rather to let you know some things I learned this morning. As mentioned above, I watched a little bit of t.v. early in the day, namely the Today Show. I was just about to turn it off when I heard some diaglogue about bath toys. My ears perked up because not only do I have several bath toys on hand for my little granddarlings to play with when they come to visit, but they also have quite a few in their home tub. Don’t most kids?
Apparently, the answer is yes. Most children have a plethora of ducks and rings and dinosaurs to make their bathing time more special, but what neither they nor their parents know is that those toys are bad news. Full of germs, bacteria, and this sleazy, oozy, slick black stuff, the toys being shown on Today were repulsive when their surfaces were viewed under a microscope. Since moisture is the culprit, the doctors being interviewed admonished parents to dry and put away the toys between uses. Plus, they warned that any with holes where water could enter were especially harmful.
I marched into the bathroom and tossed the mommy duck and her babies who have been resting there for at least six months. They all have holes in them, and so does the little pad where they rest waiting for the grandchildren to pick them up to play. Sometimes I’ve seen the smaller babies put the ducks in their mouths! Never again! According to the doctor, the bacteria from the toys can cause diarrhea, intestinal upsets, weakness, and even skin problems.
It gets worse. I also learned that in addition to the harmful effects of the bath toys, bath water itself is filled with bacteria and all sorts of creepy microorganisms from the children’s bodies. This is not the kind of information a grandmother wants to hear before 9:00 in the morning…or at any time.
After being educated by television on the perils of bathing with toys, I came across some other alarming information in a newspaper. Apparently our homes are so infested with bacteria and all sorts of nasty stuff that it’s a wonder we aren’t sick all the time. From the carpets to the air itself, we’re surrounded by minute particles of vileness that affect our health. Stuff lives in carpets. Well, I sort of knew that, but it’s not something I want to dwell on.
If someone in our household is sick, he or she is constantly exhaling germs and contaminating the air. When the person recovers, those sick germs are still there IF you never air out your house. Since many Americans live in closed up houses or apartments, where do you think those germs go? Nowhere. They linger in the air just waiting for another victim.
This has got me thinking of a couple of contradictory platitudes. Knowledge is power, but ignorance is bliss. Or should it be ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. I’m glad that I got a little more educated today so that now I can change things to make sure my home is more hygienic. At the same time, that blissful ignorance was less stressful.
mom's musings 
This is really interesting. From now on, all the bath toys go in the dishwasher! (My husband, who empties it, may be surprised at the rubber duckies!)
Lindsey Petersen
http://5kidswdisabilities.wordpress.com
yep…I squeezed water out of the bath toys and got disgusted…I didn’t even need to hear it on the t.v. LOL I try not to watch or read too much about germs b/c you will totally freak out with all the stuff that lives in you, on you and around you! Geeeroooosssssssssss!!! After having a terrible bout with bacteria in my stomach I was super paranoid about food and water. The doc said it could come from ANY where! p.s. I keep a giant bottle of germX on my desk, however I read or heard that with all the antibacterial stuff out there we are not allowing ourselves the ability to build up a resistance to germs and the germs are becoming hardier thus longer and more dreaded illnesses. what to do, what to do 🙂
Is it too terrible of me that after reading this informative post, all I can think of is eating a veritable mountain of Chex party mix? 🙂
I love that stuff, especially the Muddy Buddies.
Thank you for this blog, I will be sure to reference it when needed throughout our website once we add our resources section. Keep up the great blogging and thanks again.
Coming from Florida, I know ALL about how evil ‘moisture’ can be. People think that it’s just water and therefore clean but that couldn’t be further from the truth!