CF Parenting IRL: Assessing the risks - Muddy puddles and mud kitchens

A muddy puddle that has dirty stagnant water in it may contain many different types of bacteria - the most common being e.coli and pseudomonas. If a child steps/splashes in a puddle, there is a chance that the water will be aerosolised sufficiently to be inhaled, so given that puddles can contain some very nasty things the guidance is that children with CF are safest staying out of muddy puddles. When Arlo was diagnosed, one of the first things that our team said was; “Arlo can do everything any other child can do - except jump in muddy puddles.”

Interestingly, I have seen a distinction made with clear pavement puddles where the water does not stagnate and is not in contact with mud. These tend to be made from fresh rain water and dry quickly, so it may be safe to splash through. But I am not sure it is worth it and I think it would just confuse a child!

Now, when it comes to mud kitchens and ‘muddy play’, these activities *can* be okay with the precaution of very thorough cleaning afterwards. As per my previous post - total avoidance of compost and soil that is contaminated by organic fertiliser or animal manure is recommended. But I have read on numerous sites (including NHS sources and a paper published in the cystic fibrosis journal this year) that play that involves ‘fresh’ mud is said to be okay because any PsA/bacteria in the mud will not be aerosolised (as it could be in the case of a muddy puddle). So as long as you make sure that you clean your little one’s hands properly after mud kitchens and muddy play in the garden, it’s believed the risk is minimal. (Although please apply common sense with babies that still put everything in their mouths as you may not be able to control the risk.)

**However**, I am mega nervous about the idea of “muddy play with precautions”, and if you read the UK CF Trust site they still advise against ‘extensive contact’ with mud. So this is a very murky/muddy one (pardon the pun!) - I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable enough for a very long time (and I mean years) for Arlo to play in any kind of mud.