No blowing out candles on birthday cakes for Aus kids

The iconic tradition of blowing out candles on birthday cakes may soon be passe - at least for Aussie kids! Australian children are to be banned from blowing out candles together on birthday cakes - because they could be puffing germs onto one another. In what is seen as an attempt to "bubble wrap" children, youngsters attending birthday parties will be told to take along individual cup cakes on which to place single candles. Australian doctors have warned the strict new hygiene guidelines for childcare, by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), go too far, 'News.Com.Au' reported. The NHMRC is urging childcare centres to stand up to parents who insist on sending a sick child to daycare - even if they have a medical certificate. The daycare staff will now have to wash toys, doorknobs, floors and cushion covers every day. "Children love to blow out their candles while their friends are singing 'Happy birthday'," the NHMRC document says. "To prevent the spread of germs when the child blows out the candles, parents should either provide a separate cupcake, with a candle if they wish, for the birthday child and (either) enough cupcakes for all the other children (or) a large cake that can be cut and shared," it says. The NHMRC says children who play in the sandpit must wash their hands with alcohol sanitiser before and afterwards. However, The Australian Medical Association AMA warned the clean-freak regulations place "kids in a bubble". "If somebody sneezes on a cake, I probably don't want to eat it either - but if you're blowing out candles, how many organisms are transferred to a communal cake, for goodness' sake?" AMA president Steve Hambleton told News Ltd. He also criticised the rule requiring children to wash their hands before and after playing in a sandpit. "Just wash your hands before you eat," he said. "It's normal and healthy to be exposed to a certain amount of environmental antigens that build up our immune systems. If you live in a plastic bubble you're going to get infections (later in life) that you can't handle." said Hambleton. The NHMRC says the best way to "avoid stress and conflict between parents and educators" is to have a written policy setting out when children must stay home. However, Hambelton said a child's GP was in the best position to clear a child for daycare.