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Now Playing: 5 Second Rule: Is It a Myth?
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How many times can a baby drop a sippy cup to the floor? Plenty!
Uh-oh.
But no worries. If mom picks it up within five seconds, it's germ-free. Right?
Go ahead kid, it's the five second rule. It's not five seconds, pick it up and eat it. And I was told that. Everyone was told that. You know, it's just common, sort of, wisdom.
Wisdom, or a lot of hooey? To find out, San Diego state researchers dropped food items like carrots and sippy cups on highchairs, trays, countertops and floors.
We picked them back up again within five seconds. Then, we swabbed off whatever surface it was and we put it on what was standardly called Petri plates where you can grow bacteria. Almost everything had, within five seconds, had some bacteria that were growable.
No surprise to scientists who study micro-organisms.
I don't know what people were thinking. Like you drop it in there and then the bacteria start running towards it? No!
Kelley says bacteria are everywhere. You can't avoid them.
Baby crying.
Sounds creepy, but most are harmless. Some bacteria are even good for your health.
It's only a few ones that you occasionally have to worry about and almost always, they come from someone who is already sick.
To protect your family, keep surfaces clean.
Clean down surfaces with, you know, ethanol or bleach or something like that.
That way...
Sippy hitting ground.
...if you follow the five-second rule, you can reduce the spread of disease. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.
WebMD's experts answer questions from around the country on skin irritants and more.
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