Water

[tbplayer]

I was wondering if anyone ever took their children to Philippines from the states....my son will be 15 months old when we return to Iligan city and was wonder how in the world do you bathe your child without them ingesting any of the water and getting sick. My wife doesn't seem worried about it, but it doesn't really take that much water there to cause someone to get sick does it? :unsure:

[sonjack2847]

I think the problem with the mains water here is that if you use it for drinking it can upset your stomach. This happens because the mineral content is different than you are used to. For bathing with it I have never had a problem. In Cebu MCWD say their water is safe for drinking.

[Call me bubba]

Body Adjustment. most people will "suffer" this issue.

why not contact your US child peda and ask what he/she can do before hand? offer some medicines or tips.

if your concern about your OWN WATER SUPPLY,

why not install filters?

or BRING over a system that you can use

.also make sure (if you live outside the city or in a crowded area) that your water lines are untouched

( not tapped in) as some ppl will do any thing to save a peso.

Usually just a simple filter system can,, stop most Crud. but not all.

or consider bottle water, (just to costly over the long run)

but at bath time the water a child consumes while "playing" should not be a concern,

I repeat SHOULD NOT be a concern,(as this is the philippines and i have seen things that I was never warned about)

Edited November 9, 2012 by Pittman apartments Sgn

[Tom in Texas]

I was wondering if anyone ever took their children to Philippines from the states....my son will be 15 months old

Maybe I am just a woosie... but, I would never take a very young child from the States to any 3rd world country.

I am concerned about my own health when in the PI... probably overly careful about what I eat, drink only bottled drinks (sprite, sprite, sprite), keep my mouth closed when in the shower, use hand sanitizer frequently, etc, etc,

A very young child will touch everything they see, stick their hands into their mouth, be exposed to whatever pathogens are in the air, water, dirt, food, etc. --- I would not risk that exposure to a very young child with an immature immune system and very likely minimal aquired resistence if I had any option to avoid doing so.

Ok, ok... all you tough guys who shoo the flies off the street food and dig in... get it over with and call me an over-protective mama's boy who is going to make kids into sissys.

[Call me bubba]

Maybe I am just a woosie... but, I would never take a very young child from the States to any 3rd world country.

Tom . thats such a TRUE statement. the possible HEALTH ISSUES outweigh the benefits,

and the other personal-safety issues too.( thats for another topic)

[nor cal mike]

Our 4 year old son has been to the Philippines 4 times in his short life and has never

suffered any illness other than a weather related cold. His first visit was at 8 months for

Baptism. We use well water for bathing and of course bottled water for cooking and drinking.

This is not a recomendation only a sharing of our experience. I like the recomendation of

Pittman to check with your U.S. pediatrician which is what we did. Best of luck on your visit.

[JJReyes]

If the water system in the Philippines is so terrible and unsafe, how come millions of Filipinos and thousands of foreign residents are not in bed sick with dysentery and similar water borne ailments? One possibility is natural immunity is developed over time. The other is the reality that most of the water in the Philippines is potable and within international safety standards. I do follow certain personal safety guidelines such as drinking bottled water. A good substitute, according to the World Health Organization, is drinking beer anywhere in the world, from the bottle.

By the way, bottled water is a relatively new product. We use to boil water that was stored in two gallon containers for use while traveling all over the Philippines. And let's not forget the case of beer.

A child's bathing water should be fine, unless there are open wounds. You should then apply an antibacterial ointment on any open wounds after a bath. Your wife is correct. Don't worry about it. Just take a few simple precautions and everything will be fine.

Edited November 9, 2012 by JJR

[Dave Hounddriver]

One possibility is natural immunity is developed over time.

Yes, its the travelers that get sick. Hence the term Travelers Diarrhea

The primary source of infection is ingestion of fecally-contaminated food or water. . . .

Travelers often get diarrhea from eating and drinking foods and beverages that have no adverse effects on local residents. This is due to immunity that develops with constant, repeated exposure to pathogenic organisms.

[Call me bubba]

why not contact your US child peda and ask what he/she can do before hand? offer some medicines or tips.

altho this is off topic

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILDS SHOTS ARE CURRENT

as the "making or process " of the medicines/vaccinations offered here may not be up to the US standard.

excuse the BOLD print and off topic post

[tbplayer]

I was wondering if anyone ever took their children to Philippines from the states....my son will be 15 months old

Maybe I am just a woosie... but, I would never take a very young child from the States to any 3rd world country.

I am concerned about my own health when in the PI... probably overly careful about what I eat, drink only bottled drinks (sprite, sprite, sprite), keep my mouth closed when in the shower, use hand sanitizer frequently, etc, etc,

A very young child will touch everything they see, stick their hands into their mouth, be exposed to whatever pathogens are in the air, water, dirt, food, etc. --- I would not risk that exposure to a very young child with an immature immune system and very likely minimal aquired resistence if I had any option to avoid doing so.

Ok, ok... all you tough guys who shoo the flies off the street food and dig in... get it over with and call me an over-protective mama's boy who is going to make kids into sissys.

I hear what you're saying, but I can't see keeping my boy from meeting his lolo and lola and all of his cousins and such. I think he is blessed from having two cultures and I'm happy that he will know both ways of life.