Water

[Dave Hounddriver]

I would never take a very young child from the States to any 3rd world country.

I have two comments. If the child does not bond with his/her filipino side at an early age then there is a strong likelihood he/she never will. That coming from my own childhood experience. Second, whatever does not kill you makes you stronger. The child will learn to appreciate what he/she has in the US if and when they know the other side of the world.

[Jollygoodfellow]

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.

Filipino kids seem to survive quite well it cant be that bad???? :)

[Jollygoodfellow]

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.

I really like you JJR; drink beer and bathe in it I read between the lines. We will always get along just fine :nudie:

[i am bob]

Tom, you beat me to it... JJR is absolutely correct! Drink and bath in beer only! And, when brushing your teeth? How white do you think beer can make your teeth? And that lovely smell of beer on your breath after is sure to please the Mrs! :mocking:

Seriously, a while back we had this discussion on how safe the water was. So I did some research at the time. Almost all the water in the Philippines is safe to drink. And there will be lots of notices if it is not - such as boil water notices! Why don't people regularly drink the water then? Because it tastes like crappe! It's ok as far as bacterial count. Filtering your water will get rid of the bad taste and clean up your bath water - or you can just buy bottled water and keep using the main water supply for cleaning and bathing. You ask - so why do people get sick from drinking the water when they first get there? For those who have been there, think Mexico! Use Pepto Bismal for the first week until you get all the flora in your intestines acclimated to local conditions. That actually goes for just about any country you visit. As for bathing your little ones in the water? The worse they will get are wrinkled toes and fingers if you let them play too long! Seriously, kids are more resistant to getting ill from things like the water in different countries. It's us older kids who have a tendency to spend 3/4 of our vacation in the CR.

Sorry folks but that's the way it is... If you are seriously dead set against the water, as JJR says... Switch to beer! I hear it also makes a great marinade for the beach! :mocking: