dd ate some chewing gum off the ground! Should I be worried?

[Eulalia]

dd aged 5(who should know better) picked a piece of chewing gum off the ground and put it in her mouth yesterday. It was outside a leisure centre and before I had a chance she had run off. I finally caught up with her and got her to spit it out but she'd had a good chew at it.

She is fine today and not been sick or anything but it got me thinking could she have picked up something awful and it wouldn't necessarily show itself straight away.

Really worried now although I believe serious illness are carried through blood and not saliva. And its not as if it was taken straight from someone's mouth and put into hers.

I can't believe she is so stupid although I think part of it is forbidden fruit because I won't buy her chewing gum. Horrible stuff.

Gross! I'm sure she'll be fine though.

I used to do it all the time when I was her age (makes me shudder to think of it now), and I've reached 42 with no harm done!

same here, I used to eat chewing gum from the ground, the beter stuck the more challenging I found it! Have very

Don't think you should worry, what would they do but test her for rare stuff and worry you silly about it?

Anyway, I can beat that.

When DD was 8 months old I put her down in a public playground so I could help out her 2.5 yo big bro w/ somwat. I came back 2 find her with some half-chewed gum in her mouth. Dirt-encrusted and everything.

Other than thoroughly establish my minging bad mother credentials... it never occurred to me to worry about it. She's 6 yo now... can't see the harm done.

OK thanks everyone. I did meet someone once who had hepatitis, C I think, anyway I looked up risks etc and it said that eating utensils could be shared. It was just blood that was the problem. I am sure I am worrying unnecessarily.

I hadn't realised it was so common as I never ate chewing gum off the ground although did use to have bubble gum quite young, not sure what age though, I am sure I was more than 5.

Am totally relaxed about other things and our house is filthy and the kids are all fine

Oh and yes you win OHT!

Me and my sister were latch key kids and every day after school we would walk round the block looking for other people's disgarded sweets and chewing gum (sounds really sad now, but it was just something to do at the time). Anyway we both survived, never really been ill in our lives. Perhaps it helped our immune systems

I hold my hands up to doing this when I was a child . Ew!

Would give said child a dose of worming treatment, you never know what that gum had on it.

I remember eating a piece of gum from the bottom of a table when i was a kid. Nothing happened to me. I have a VERY strong immune system now (I’m 28). No health issues (that i know of)