Would you let your DC eat food that fell to the ground?

[ellies mom]

We were cheering for them, so I guess this was a perfectly good place to post this. :)

[kozachka]

I won't give DS strawberries (or another 'wet' food) from a sandbox. If it was cherios or something similar, I won't care too much. I used to be much more relaxed before DS started crawling. Plus I think now that he's a toodler his immune system is much stronger than when he was a newborn.

[tbriese]

my DD probably eats cat hair on a daily basis (4 cats, one DD) so who am i to say anything? exposure to "germs" helps strengthen one's immune system. that being said, i'd probably avoid anything with bits 'o crud attached to it but otherwise how different is it from when they were crawling on the floor/ground and putting their hands in their mouths?

[californiagirl]

One of my (childless) colleagues at work is convinced that DD gets ear infections because I let her eat Cheerios which have touched the ground. On the other hand, on one of her trips to the Dr, she was eating Cheerios while waiting and dropped one just as the Dr. walked in. Without missing a beat, the Dr. swooped down, picked it up, and held it out to DD, saying "Oops! I think you dropped this one, honey!"

[jubilee]

I would if it fell in MY house (or a friend's clean house). But if food falls to the floor in a resturant, McDonalds, etc. - NO WAY! I find their floors to be pretty nasty. But with the sandbox issue, I'd probably throw it if my son wouldn't go into hysterics... cats use sand as their litterboxes all the time.