To not want to take my kids to farms

[Lifeohlifeohhhlife]

Have a 5 month old and 3 Yr old.

I must admit I'm a bit of clean freak at home. Anyway I've never taken my kids to a farm. One of the first questions a Dr asked me at a and e when my baby was very ill was 'have they had any bbq food or been to any farms?!' and its kinda stuck with me..

Im sure I will take them eventually just really nervous while they are so young and vulnerable...... and would really like to take them sooner rather then later.

I know aibu but does anyone feel the same about all that animal poo and germs?! Happy for people to talk me out of this one or show some solidarity if you feel the same..

From a germ point of view I would rather be in the open air surrounded by animals than in soft play with toddlers

We have dpets and take dc to farms.. They never get coughs /colds or d/v..

My in laws own a farm and my DC visit several times a year. My 7 year old wants to be a farmer when he grows up like his uncle. He loves the animals, tractors, fields and streams. I would say that some of the chemicals that some farmers use could potentially be hazardous and my BIL keeps the children away from the cows when they have calves but as for germs - no. They wash their hands before lunch and tea and that's about it.

Argh we've had the dreaded norovirus recently and all the snot from local playgroups. The farm is starting to sound more appealing. Thanks guys!

I don’t take mine much as the smell makes me heave.

The childrens farms I’ve been too all have big notices and good facilities to encourage children to wash their hands, so it’s a good opportunity to teach them that hand washing is important.

I'm pretty sure that there are studies that show if you take children to farms when they are under 1 they are much less likely to suffer allergies and asthma. I thought it was good for them

When mine were little we still had our horses / ponies on diy livery so mine were always around dirt / mud etc they survived .

Could you try a farm but take some of that hand sanitiser foam?

Farmers daughter here married to a farmer.

completely agree with this. Kids need germs. They need mud and grime and all sorts to build their immune systems. I don't know many farm kids who aren't incredibly robust. It's also vitally important our children know where food comes from.

I grew up on a farm and still spent plenty of time at friends and families farms so DS hasn't had much choice!

There was a very interesting Horizon documentary a number of years ago looking at gut health and the rise in childhood allergies/illnesses and the outcome was we need to ingest more dirt and animal poo through messy play etc and live less sterile lives in order to boost our immunity.
I don't mean cat and dog poo but sheep, deer etc which sounds yuk but it was really interesting.

DD brought up on farm and now her DC round here all the time. Healthiest kids - fresh air, germ immune, no allergies and know where food comes from.

I’ve always worked around horses and I have an immune system that should be the subject of scientific study. I’ll admit I near never wash my hands and will share an apple with one of the horses and do lots more that’s if imagine would make you feel at best faint and at worst queasy, but I don’t think I’ve had even a cold in 20 years and worked all the way through Covid and haven’t had it yet.
All I can guess is my insides are so bloody toxic no bugs can take hold.
anyhow, my point is your kids will be healthier with exposure to a bit of dirt. And probably mentally healthier spending time out doors

All children should go to farms. They should also be educated about eating Peppa pig and lovely lambs. So they have eyes wide open

thats really interesting. DS was allergic to cows milk and eggs when weaned. The paediatrician we saw encouraged us to eliminate both from his diet. When we asked why he admitted there was no firm evidence either way (to be fair he didn't have a massive anaphylactic shock, just a bad rash and a bit wheezy). He advised if giving them give in tiny amounts or baked into something.

We did that and he grew out of his allergies and eczema by 2 years old.

Some germs are good for kids! Too much hygiene is bad for us! (See below) Take them quickly! (You crazy person you - kids adore farms)

www.vox.com/2014/6/25/5837892/is-being-too-clean-making-us-sick
www.vox.com/platform/amp/2014/6/25/5837892/is-being-too-clean-making-us-sick

My baby has come with me to the stables to sort my horse every day since she was 5 days old. She’s done ok so far (11 months now) 😂

We live in rural Wales. I’ve never been to a petting farm but all the fields round here where we walk the dog have sheep or cattle in. Chickens a

Chickens are common too. Horses trot up and down all day. Avoiding farm animals is next to impossible. The kids like to feed the horse in the field next door (owners approves). They are a pretty healthy bunch of kids! I think you are very over anxious about this.

They're more likely to catch things from other humans 364 days of the year than from a single trip to a farm (where they wash their hands).

Yes I do this too. Sheep freak me out with their germs. I think because I lived in the country during lockdown and all we could do was walk the fields but the midwives notes make a note of toxoplasmosis or whatever it’s called which is an issue for pregnant women. Anyway I did actually go to a far (not a petting one) and it was nice. Just walking round chucking food at the animals. Not chucking in a mean way lol. Just not hand feeding. And it was nice. But I still get the heebies at the idea of letting them pet animals. Totally unreasonable but I feel you. Just so you know you’re not alone.

Apparently kids brought up on farms are the least likely to have allergies and asthma. The "dirt" is good for their immune system.

I have lived on a livestock farm all my life and raised two DC's here, we are a healthy lot. There are very few diseases which transfer from livestock to humans. The only time I had any worries was during lambing when I was pregnant as that can be a problem. Other than that you are in much more danger mixing with other humans who you can catch many illnesses from. It sounds to me like you may have developed some sort of phobia which can be difficult to overcome but recognising it as that would be a start.

The risk is from Toxoplasmosis and more specifically from Chlamydiophila abortus (amongst others). The risk is presented in advice for female shepherds to avoid birthing and aborting Ewes.

As your kids aren't pregnant, they're probably going to be pretty safe from the consequences.