Teddy Bears spread infections
January 28, 2002 12:26 AM   Subscribe

Teddy Bears spread infections In a complicated world, even things we once held dear have become a threat.
posted by AsiaInsider (13 comments total)
 
In the "olden days" they used to burn sick children's belongings (Velveteen Rabbit much?) so this is hardly a modern complication.
posted by donkeyschlong at 12:29 AM on January 28, 2002


I see teddy bear retailers running with this. Be the first kid on your block to own Typhoid Harry, the cutest, cuddliest, most infectious little bear you've ever seen.
posted by mathowie at 12:34 AM on January 28, 2002


Maybe its time for latex teddy bears?

Maybe that's a little gauche in this context -- even if it does mean the kids still get the toys...
posted by shepd at 1:04 AM on January 28, 2002


I seem to remember this incident from history class...
posted by owillis at 1:15 AM on January 28, 2002


there's also an article in this week's new yorker about the "lice lady" in nyc who claims that a particularly tenacious litter of the animal spread through a pillow fight at a slumber party.
posted by pxe2000 at 6:14 AM on January 28, 2002


everything children touch spreads disease! even teddy bears. i know this is a shock, fuzzy toys covered in spit...
posted by rhyax at 7:15 AM on January 28, 2002


I can tell you from experience, the last thing you want to hug while you're sick and in the hospital is a LATEX toy! Can't them boil them or something after they're used. I swear, pretty soon they're going to outlaw kids for spreading diseases!
posted by aacheson at 7:46 AM on January 28, 2002


If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise...


Like, with a surgical mask.
posted by pracowity at 7:49 AM on January 28, 2002


Hmmm.. you could wash them in hot water and dry them on high. That is what I do with my daughter's toys after she is sick and every three months or so to get all the nasty dust/dust mites/god knows what out. Banning toys is not the key... parents practicing good hygeine with their kids and their kids' toys is.
posted by gloege at 7:55 AM on January 28, 2002


Pracowity, I always LOVED it when my mom sang me that song. I had completely forgotten. Thank you for linking that!
posted by aacheson at 9:11 AM on January 28, 2002


Couldn't you just give a plush a good spray with Lysol at the end of the day? You could even use one of the fancy powder or 'crisp linen' scents so it doesn't smell like the rest of the doctor's office.
posted by darukaru at 9:36 AM on January 28, 2002


I swear, pretty soon they're going to outlaw kids for spreading diseases!

'Bout damn time.
posted by pudders at 10:22 PM on January 28, 2002


Couldn't you just give a plush a good spray with Lysol at the end of the day?

If a kid is small enough that s/he is sneezing and coughing on his stuffies instead of using tissues/hankies, then they are also likely to be of the age where they're sucking/chewing/kissing their stuffies too. The last thing I want my kid getting a mouthful of is Lysol spray. I don't know what the hell is in Lysol, but I know that it's not meant to be consumed, even in small amounts.

We've gotten altogether too anti-germ, with antibacterial soaps and sprays and handiwipes and so on and so forth, which research shows is actually making us more prone to hand-to-mouth passage of virii and bacterial infections. If a child is sick, then you take most of their stuffed toys away except for their favourite loveys, and when they've recovered, you throw the stuffie in the wash. Plain, simple, easy.
posted by Dreama at 10:32 PM on January 28, 2002


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