What do you do when you just handed your child a granola bar and they drop it on the ground?  Do you quickly grab it, dust it off, blow on it a little and give it back to your child or do you throw it out and open a new granola bar for your child to eat?

Does your 5 second rule change from when you are at home verses when you are away from home?

For me, if it’s a cracker or other dry food I will dust it off or blow on the food and give it back to my child, and that’s only if we are home.

I have seriously screamed out of fright when my children have picked up a piece of food they found on the floor and put into their mouth.  I have pulled a “super fling” where in the span of 2 seconds, I have grabbed that nasty piece of germ infested food right out of their mouth and catapulted the item through the air and across the parking lot of the mall.  If that didn’t get it out, the shrill of my frightened voice screaming, “NO!” has done wonders!

It’s nice that you can use bleach to disinfect surfaces, sippy cups, and other items when they get dirty, but food is another story.

A San Diego State University study funded by Clorox demonstrated that the 5-second rule may not be the best idea after all.  The study found that germs attached to carrots and baby bottles when dropped on several household surfaces within 5 seconds.  Ewwww!

Find out more simple and surprising facts about germs and how to make sure your surfaces, baby toys, phone and other items stay clear of germs. simpleandsurprising.com

Thanks Consumer Queen for inviting me to be a part of this fun contest!

Prize

Clorox Surprise pack valued at $20.

To Enter:

Do you have a funny 5 sec rule story? Clorox may put it on their Facebook! If not tell us who is more likely to follow the 5 sec rule in your house!

Bonus Entry:

1.  Follow @Clorox On Twitter and tweet : Debunk the 5 Second Rule Myth & Win $20 in Clorox Products https://tinyurl.com/yg8gvgp #5SecRule

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No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through https://random.org. Detroit Mommies writers and contributors are ineligible to participate.  Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.  Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person.  Contest ends February 10, 2010 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST.

Disclosure: I was paid to run this contest. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.

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5

Timestamp: 2010-02-11 15:31:48 UTC

Jill Kathan says:

Oh I have a good one for this!
If we are at home, my parent’s house, friends, or family – we allow my 2 1/2 year old daughter Kelsey Anne, to pick something she drops off the floor and eat it – ONLY if it is clean place! Now, if I am out at a store, outside, ect NO WAY! However, we have tried to teach her to show us BEFORE she eats it! Well, just recently, somehow our cat’s food was on the floor and she thought it was her food – so she did NOT show my husband it and ended up eating it!
She DID NOT like it! She told the cat – YOU HAVE YUCKY FOOD! I DO NOT LIKE IT! YOU EAT YOUR FOOD – I EAT MINE! We died laughing! She NEVER has touched his food again!!

Detroit Mommies Expert Contributor
Courtney is the traveling mom! She has 3 girls and is the founder of Detroit Mommies and currently lives in Florida. You can follow her on Twitter @courtneyRVL.
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Laura
Laura
14 years ago

My daughter and I will apply the 5 second rule only at home, my husband however applies the 5-10-15… second rule anywhere!

Jackie
14 years ago

The thought of eating off the floor is not for me. The rule in my house is if it falls on the floor, throw it away.
.-= Jackie´s last blog ..FREE Tax Filing using TurboTax for Americans with Limited Income =-.

Jill Kathan
Jill Kathan
14 years ago

Oh I have a good one for this!
If we are at home, my parent’s house, friends, or family – we allow my 2 1/2 year old daughter Kelsey Anne, to pick something she drops off the floor and eat it – ONLY if it is clean place! Now, if I am out at a store, outside, ect NO WAY! However, we have tried to teach her to show us BEFORE she eats it! Well, just recently, somehow our cat’s food was on the floor and she thought it was her food – so she did NOT show my husband it and ended up eating it!
She DID NOT like it! She told the cat – YOU HAVE YUCKY FOOD! I DO NOT LIKE IT! YOU EAT YOUR FOOD – I EAT MINE! We died laughing! She NEVER has touched his food again!!

denise
denise
14 years ago

My 3 year olds and I do not follow the 5 second rule, but for my husband old habits die hard. They tell their Dad to (sani)tize all of the time. One of my sons’s secod word was “tize”.

denise_22315 at yahoo dot com

Madonna
14 years ago

we have no 5 second rule because In my house, there is a 6 month old mini pin and shes fast as lightning. You wouldn’t stand a chance on anything dropped. She catches it as it falls and it never hits the floor.
.-= Madonna´s last blog ..Happy Groundhog day =-.

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