3 second rule

[james_tigerwoods]

I'm just eating a bag of Seabrooks crisps (no other are worth trying) and I dropped one on the floor - the first thing in my head wasn't "aw crap, I dropped a crisp", it was the phrase "3 second rule" as I bent down, picked up the crisps, inspected it briefly and ate it.

Is it just me that does this?

[BliarOut]

We have a ten second rule here, your three second rule has oodles of safety built in

[Puggit]

Before children I'd almost always bin anything on the floor.

Having watched them pick up everything and anything on the floor and put it in their mouths with no side effects, I'm far less precious!

[james_tigerwoods]

Puggit said:

Before children I'd almost always bin anything on the floor.

Having watched them pick up everything and anything on the floor and put it in their mouths with no side effects, I'm far less precious!

My daughter found some sultanas the other day that I didn't give much of a thought to, until I realised that A:She'd eaten then and B:It had been about 3 days since I last gave her some...

Is it also wrong that if my daughter immediately spits something out, I've been known to just eat it myself?

[A911DOM]

Oh yes, the wonders or parenting.

Im sure the text book method for feeding your child apples for example, would not include taking a massive bite out of it yourself, peeling it with your front teeth, then handing it to the awaiting child.

H&S nonsense - since when has a 4 month old smartie stuck under the sofa done anyone any harm

[james_tigerwoods]

A911DOM said:

Oh yes, the wonders or parenting.

Im sure the text book method for feeding your child apples for example, would not include taking a massive bite out of it yourself, peeling it with your front teeth, then handing it to the awaiting child.

H&S nonsense - since when has a 4 month old smartie stuck under the sofa done anyone any harm

Or child finding catfood and eating it....

[V8mate]

james_tigerwoods said:

Puggit said:

Before children I'd almost always bin anything on the floor.

Having watched them pick up everything and anything on the floor and put it in their mouths with no side effects, I'm far less precious!

My daughter found some sultanas the other day that I didn't give much of a thought to, until I realised that A:She'd eaten then and B:It had been about 3 days since I last gave her some...

Is it also wrong that if my daughter immediately spits something out, I've been known to just eat it myself?

Do you have a pet rabbit?

[james_tigerwoods]

V8mate said:

james_tigerwoods said:

Puggit said:

Before children I'd almost always bin anything on the floor.

Having watched them pick up everything and anything on the floor and put it in their mouths with no side effects, I'm far less precious!

My daughter found some sultanas the other day that I didn't give much of a thought to, until I realised that A:She'd eaten then and B:It had been about 3 days since I last gave her some...

Is it also wrong that if my daughter immediately spits something out, I've been known to just eat it myself?

Do you have a pet rabbit?

Thankfully not - I can imagine where that statement's going though....

[Nash_wrx]

Round here if you are no quick enough the dog beats you to it..

[JonRB]

Nash_wrx said:

Round here if you are no quick enough the dog beats you to it..

When my dog was alive and in his prime, a "3 second rule" would have referred to the amount of time between you dropping something edible and him eating it. Sometimes food wouldn't even hit the floor.

[chr15b]

also got to depend what ou have dropped, not sure i'd give any seconds to something messey like say baked beans

[calibrax]

I saw a programme a few months back where they tested the three second rule (or similar) and they showed that there was no difference in the bacteria levels picked up whether it was on the floor for a few seconds or a few minutes.

People worry to much about bacteria. Because of all the "antibacterial" products in the home these days, kids' immune systems are not building up any early resistance to common bugs. The result is that when they are older, their bodies will find it harder to fight infections.

When it comes to bacteria, there's a lot of truth in the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"...

[chr15b]

calibrax said:

I saw a programme a few months back where they tested the three second rule (or similar) and they showed that there was no difference in the bacteria levels picked up whether it was on the floor for a few seconds or a few minutes.

People worry to much about bacteria. Because of all the "antibacterial" products in the home these days, kids' immune systems are not building up any early resistance to common bugs. The result is that when they are older, their bodies will find it harder to fight infections.

When it comes to bacteria, there's a lot of truth in the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"...

i'm not quite so worried about germs,it's fluff and muck.. crunchy stuff that isnt supposed to be crunchy aint so nice

[Bob the Planner]

JonRB said:

Nash_wrx said:

Round here if you are no quick enough the dog beats you to it..

When my dog was alive and in his prime, a "3 second rule" would have referred to the amount of time between you dropping something edible and him eating it. Sometimes food wouldn't even hit the floor.

Only i he was more than 50m away when you droped it though !

Here in Aus its a 30 second rule. TBH I don't really care how long - it will pick as many germs in 1 second as 1 minute !

[Puggit]

calibrax said:

I saw a programme a few months back where they tested the three second rule (or similar) and they showed that there was no difference in the bacteria levels picked up whether it was on the floor for a few seconds or a few minutes.

People worry to much about bacteria. Because of all the "antibacterial" products in the home these days, kids' immune systems are not building up any early resistance to common bugs. The result is that when they are older, their bodies will find it harder to fight infections.

When it comes to bacteria, there's a lot of truth in the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"...

Good advice.

As new and worried parents, everything in our house was far too clean. Our son suffered repeated bouts of gastroentiritis. When the the midwife/health visitor pointed out we were too clean and we stopped using anti-bacterial products, the bouts soon stopped!

[Mobile Chicane]

Puggit said:

calibrax said:

I saw a programme a few months back where they tested the three second rule (or similar) and they showed that there was no difference in the bacteria levels picked up whether it was on the floor for a few seconds or a few minutes.

People worry to much about bacteria. Because of all the "antibacterial" products in the home these days, kids' immune systems are not building up any early resistance to common bugs. The result is that when they are older, their bodies will find it harder to fight infections.

When it comes to bacteria, there's a lot of truth in the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"...

Good advice.

As new and worried parents, everything in our house was far too clean. Our son suffered repeated bouts of gastroentiritis. When the the midwife/health visitor pointed out we were too clean and we stopped using anti-bacterial products, the bouts soon stopped!

As a child I was hardly ever ill. I put this down to not having central heating, and sharing my ice cream with the cat: she'd have a lick, I'd have a lick.

The things kids do. Makes me now though.

[FraserLFA]

Providing you dropped it, i'm pretty sure you can go back up to a week later and eat it.

There's no guarantee you'll still be alive though...

[grumbledoak]

We always had a 'floor=bin' policy in the past. That all changed with the little one getting mobile. There is no way to stop his little squirrel instincts; he stores unwanted food where he can easily crawl to it. We just vacuum and clean more often, and try to remember that we probably did exactly the same if not worse.

[Simpo Two]

Any contamination will happen the moment it hits the floor, not in the time afterwards.

As a microbiology graduate I always find it astonishing that people have to bin anything that touches the floor. Every surface of your house is crawling with bacteria; it's only the pathogens you have to worry about, and even then you need to eat enough to have any effect.

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 12th February 20:37

[Mobile Chicane]

Simpo Two said:

Any contamination will happen the moment it hits the floor, not in the time afterwards.

As a microbiology graduate I always find it astonishing that people have to bin anything that touches the floor. Every surface of your house is crawling with bacteria; it's only the pathogens you have to worry about, and even then you need to eat enough to have any effect.

Your own skin is crawling with bacteria. To (mis)quote Billy Connolly's famous rant, there are things 'getting it on' in your eyelashes: don't worry about it.