Kids parties are funner than adult parties because there’s always cake. And candles.
The kids (and some adults) gather round the lucky little one and sing happy birthday. All is good.
Then, the child blows out the candle. With really young kids, more saliva escapes their mouth than air and it tends to coat the top of the cake. So yes, that spreads germs.
But once they’re a little older – say two or three-years-old – and similarly with adults, the candle blow-out tends to be relatively clean.
Or so it seems.
Listen: cake at kids’ parties not your thing? Maybe a glass of champers or a vodka red bull is more up your ally. Post continues after audio.
The Journal of Food Research conducted a study this year to answer the question once and for all: does blowing out candles really spread germs all over the top of a cake.
Researchers spread a layer of birthday cake icing over foil, which was then placed over Styrofoam (to represent a cake). Candles were then lit and placed through the foil into the Styrofoam.
Subjects were asked to consume the greatest of all party foods – pizza – and then extinguish the candles by blowing.
Top Comments
Why must everything fun about childhood and life in general be ruined! Just stop already, please! How many people have actually got sick from eating birthday cake? I am not talking about eating too much or an allergic reaction to the ingredients, Chances are if you or your child came away with a cold it's because some kid sneezed on you, or didn't wash their hands after sneezing or blowing their nose. Just please quite with all the germaphobia! We all survived childhood with our friends blowing out the candles on their cakes, so why can't our children?
Oh please. Give me a break. You ARE the fun police. Just stop.