to let my 8month old son play with the soil in the plant pot?

[PavlovtheCat]

We have a nice big money tree in a pot, which in turn in placed inside a big square wooden pot.

DS loves to use it to stand up.

He is currently standing, holding onto the wooden edge with one hand, leaning in to the pot, and busying himself with the soil, reaching down to lift it up, turn it over, look at it, drop it, eat it, chattering away to himself.

He has been there for 10 mins.

DH would be like 'noooooooooo stop that!!!' and I am thinking oh why stop him, he is having fun. And DH is not here.

So, AIBU?

I'd say no yanbu. as long as he's not damaging it or himself. he may need a bath later tho!

juicy oh he needs a bath alright! He just crawled over to me, pulled himself up on the sofa, and looked up, he has the most enormous wide mouthed grin on his face - and his face is covered with soil, as is his mouth, hair, hands, chin. He looks very pleased with himself!

So cute! YANBU unless you have a cat or dog who may have peed or pooed in plant pot... But otherwise am sure it won't hurt him. My son is also obsessed with soil and pebbles, always putting these in his mouth since he was your DS's age. My boy is now 16 months old and he is still here, fit as a fiddle. Has never had a tummy bug thus far...

Playing with it isn't so bad but eating it? Yuck! Hope you don't have a cat!

We have two cats but they never ever pee, or poo in the plants. They would not be able to get their fat asses into this one for sure, as its dropped down into this pot.

I am not entirely sure what the problem is with eating the soil. He is not shovelling it in yet not like DD's habits on the beach, and had sandy nappies for days

booty oh it is the cutest, he was there, in his little green dungaree shorts, stubby legs stuck out the bottom, head down in the pot, turfing out the soil and making the most adorable noises.

I love this age.

me too, they are adorable. smiling away and giggling at everything.and oh so snuggly.

How lovely! Do you have a camera at the ready?

I'm with your DH - soil isn't for eating!

At 6m ds2 was teething on the composted bark chipping in the garden. I'm so glad he's my 3rd, otherwise I'd have been desperately worried! But as all three loved nothing better than to chew the buggy wheels, I was able to be chilled about it.

Just think to yourself "cute, and a healthy immune system"

YANBU

All good for his immune system, but obv. not if risk of poo or pee in there from animals!

No camera at the ready, as the digging and rummaging and busying has tired him out, and obviously the soil has made him thirsty! He is now asleep (not 10 mins after the event) on my boob

YANBU - a bit of dirt won't hurt and what fun washing it off in the bath. Enjoy!

atmywitsend oh yes, baths are fun. We have a huge red flexi tub and a little blue flexi tub. I put them both in the bath, fill them up, DD aged 4 goes in the red one and DS goes in the blue one, cue lots of wooping and excitement!

It'll do him no harm. Soily breasts might be harder to explain to your DH.

mine have always done the same and still do. It's harmless fun and kills boring afternoons.

I'd just like to point out two things: a) the soil, is it natural soil from the garden, or did it come from a bag in a garden centre? Because those often contain chemical fertilisers, so make sure.

b) Before you give him a bath, you may want shower him quickly

from a garden centre, but a looooooooooong time ago.

just read the bit about the sofa, it might need a "bath" too. You're brave, I don't let them in and out of the house when they're "gardening", just on the patio furniture, cushions are far easier to clean. When they're done playing/it's almost bedtime I strip them completely (because somehow there's soil even in their underwear!), babywipe their feet and march them straight in the bathroom.

well done for letting your lo enjoy the world, it's sad to see how many parents don't....

I used to eat dirt as a little boy and it did me no harm.
My mum tells me I used to sit in the garden with a big lump of dirt in my hand eating it like an apple
I remember licking dried mud of wellington boots

I used to eat muck

I still have the odd nibble

i ate mud. I made mud pies. How didn't make mud pies?

who. I meant 'who' didn't.

Outside - no problem, but I'd discourage him eating the soil - who knows what chemicals/plant growing stuff is in it? Garden mud, sand etc are different, not my preferred snack, but hey ho...

Inside - no way, I don't want soil all over the house and I don't let them do things I don't want them to be doing later on... otherwise when you you stop letting him take the soil out of the pot - when he reaches 1, 2, 3....?

But I definitely would have got a couple of photos before saying 'No'

I would have said YANBU but dd suffered from a really bad bout of salmonella at the age of 13 months which took her a good 6 weeks to get over.

We'll never be certain what caused it, but the day before she was playing in the garden and putting soil in her mouth, and no one else in the household was poorly.