DO you know that a fast food restaurant's play area is more germ-infested than a public bathroom, according to one study?

Play area equipment simply almost never gets cleansed.

Harmful germs — such as those in the mucous that kids wipe from their noses — linger for days.

A boy recently lost his watch at a restaurant's play area and was very upset. His mother dug and dug in those ball pits, trying to find the watch and I helped her.

Instead, we found vomit, food, faeces and other stuff. She went to the manager and raised hell. We found out that the ball pit is only cleaned out once a month. I have doubts that it is even done that often.

You will easily find rotten food, knives, half-eaten candy and the stench of urine.

If a child is not safe in a child's play area, then where is he?

Before letting your child loose in one, make sure the play area's maintenance staff spot-clean the pit once a day and wash all the balls every week.

Although it is difficult to properly wash the balls and dangerous objects that sometimes collect at the bottom of the pit, yet I request all parents to keep care of this factor.

HIRA HABIB
Via email