Babies and Germs - Nutley,NJ

I never was a germaphobe. I try to be reasonable about clean hands and such. Otherwise, for me the first time I saw my precious baby/toddler do something like lick a trashcan, or pick up heaven's knows what from the ground and shove it into his mouth before I could even think about reacting, or some equal travesty against cleanliness, I think this entire topic took on its proper perspective. He's still breathing to tell the tales and my nerves are probably the only thing worse for the wear.

Do you know that there is very very very very strong research showing that children that are kept too clean are more likely to develop MS later in life?

The kids never get exposed to anything and therefore never develop the covering for their nerve endings or something like that. They miss a vital step in their cellular development.

I know 2 people who have MS and both of them were not allowed to go out and play in the dirt, or even do normal kids play on a playground.

One had a governess and a nanny that kept them in dressed up clothing and they only came down from the children's quarters when someone famous was dining with their parents. She and her brothers did a good evening sort of thing like the family in Sound of Music. Children were seen and not heard otherwise. Her family was quite wealthy and had guests like Clark Gable and other big stars of the day. She does not ever remember going outside to swing or play on a regular play ground.

The other lady had much older parents and they didn't have any play equipment in their yard. The children only got to do indoors activities and didn't go to public school until 6th grade. Her sister that is about 8 years younger than her has no symptoms but she was quite the tomboy and once they started public school would come home each day filthy from playing outside.

So if you google the research you will find that a normal childhood includes normal contact, normal activity, normal roll in the mud kind of stuff when it's appropriate.

After 8 kids a baby rolling in the dirt wouldn't bother me.... :)

I'm with you. A little exposure isn't going to hurt.

This is the second time today I've recommended this documentary, but you simply must see the movie "BABIES." It's on Netflix. Our society is so ridiculously over the top when it comes to sanitizing and safety. Seriously. The developmental differences between the Western baby and the Third World baby are amazing. See it. :-)

Moderate exposure to 'normal' germs is healthy for a baby. I wouldn't freak out over the dog thing (dogs have less germs than humans anyway). And there's nothing wrong with good clean dirt.

But I am careful about smokers near my kids. The studies show that not only secondhand smoke (someone smoking near another person) but also third hand smoke, the residue left over from smoking that stays on their hands and clothes, is very harmful. Sanitizer is not going to help that because it's not germs. It's oils and tar and residue that rubs off on others very easy.

I let my kids roll around in the dirt. And lick the dog. hahahaha

I'm sure I was more germ conscious with my oldest, and she's the least healthy. So I guess that didn't do me any good.

And even though I let him roll around in the dirt and play with the dog, my son is an absolute germophobe. However, he rarely gets sick. So I guess that's working for him!

Who knows? Just whatever you do, don't stress.

Germs equal healthier kids. Babies raised with pets have less allergies.

It's scientifically proven that it's healthier to be exposed to a few germs, and unhealthy to live in an over-sanitized environment.

Not to mention, there are a lot of chemicals in cleaning products, unless your relatives are doing all their cleaning using natural ingredients like vinegar.

I did go through a bit of a compulsive, germ-phobic phase when my kids were little, though, mostly related to hand washing and shoes in the house.

While you do not want your baby to catch anything major like the flu, it's not a good idea to over protect your baby either. Babies do need a small amount of germs to build thier immune systems, or they will wind up with health problems like allergies, weak immune systems, etc. Here's some websites to help you out.
The benefits of owning pets:
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/fea...
Germs and babies:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/d2n-stopping-germs-12/germ...
An arguement against hand sanitizers:
http://www.alsearsmd.com/why-i-dont-use-hand-sanitizers/

I subscribe to the theory that "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt." I agree that some germs are necessary to build a strong immune system.

I think I'm in the middle?
When they are super tiny, I like people to wash hands first, especially during cold/flu season. I wouldn't worry about a doggie lick here and there, but not like licking the babies mouth and leaving slobber all over.
Smoke bothers me and washing hands is not enough in my opinion. Smoke soaks into clothes and guess were babies face and mouth and nose rest? right on those smoke soaked clothes and then they breath it in! MIL used to have to change her shirt when she wanted to hold them. Or wear an overshirt or jacket while smoking and then take it off when she came in and wanted to hold them. Again, that was when they were small I knew they couldn't hardly hold their heads up, so their faces would be resting on her. I am also ok with "dirt" germs more than "public" type germs. If something of theirs fell on the ground outside, I would be way less worried than if it fell on the floor at a store or something.

My baby(almost 18m) goes out of her way to bite our large dog on his lower back cause it startles him and she thinks its funny! The dog does not leave her alone either so they have a mutual obligation to annoy each other. There is a lot of doggie kisses too. I let my kids play and I just try not to worry about germs. I always wash hands before we eat or as soon as we get home or squirt some hand sanitizer while we are out and about. I also tell my kids to not touch their face, but besides that there is only so much you can do. I clean my house and wipe things down everyday but I don't have a spotless house. My kids are rarely sick and have never had anything besides a cold either. A healthy diet with lots of fruits and veggies is the key IMO. :-)

My grandmother used to say, "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die."
We evolved in a germ-filled environment. Our immune systems can handle everyday germs. If our immune systems aren't challeneged, though, they atrophy, just like an unused muscle.
We lived by the five-second rule, and it never hurt us.
And my dogs have always licked me in the face, and did the same with my daughter. She loved getting "puppy kisses" - still does now that she's grown.

More and more scientific evidence is showing that too little exposure to germs (including things you've never think of -- like unnecessary c-sections, which prevent the baby from being exposed to all the normal flora, aka healthy bacteria, in the vagina!) makes us weaker.

Obviously, there needs to be common sense, so you don't let a kid play on a hospital floor and not wash his hands, and you do need to be more careful with a newborn (a stage your child is just out of), but when it comes to "normal" dirt and germs, I'm relaxed.

You are doing the right thing in my opinion. My son loves other people because I am not afraid to pass him off to everyone. Now when it comes to people that are sick I tend to be a little more weary of letting them hold him. The dogs licked him about day 8-ish and he is just fine. He is now 6 wks old and yes i still worry about him getting sick but he is just fine!

I'm with you - and the studies support us. Children who grow up with dogs, for example, get fewer infections according to a Finish study. The hygiene hypothesis posits that the immune system needs to come in contact with allergens and pathogens to mature, which makes sense to me. That's exactly why we are immune to chicken pox after, and not before, catching it.
My husband though disagrees, so we have had to make some compromises. The dog was never, ever allowed to lick the baby, for example, since that thoroughly grossed him out. Which is fine. Like you say, to each her (or his) own.

I think there is a middle of the road. I don't like dogs licking my face but I pet my dog, let him on furniture and beds, etc. and am not hysterical if a child does the same. When our 8 kids were growing up we had dogs, rabbits, cats, etc. All were outside and dogs inside. They played outside in mud, dirt, grass, etc. They were to wash their hands after playing and before eating, etc. but I was not hysterical about it. My mother is very germ conscious and her house had a chlorox smell often she was so sterile. She still gets upset if we eat out and hands aren't washed. Germs are around us and we build up some immunity. On the other hand there are so many new things out there so I think being careful and hands washed is good but just not if we get so upset over it that we can't live life too.

I really don't think we need to go overboard with the cleanliness thing. But I find dogs licking people's faces extremely repulsive, regardless if they are tiny babies or adults. I can totally see how your grandpa freaked out.

Maybe I missed it, but how old is your baby?

I'm not so anti-germ as I am anti-grossness. Mine is 21 months, and I still don't let outside shoes onto the rug that he plays on. I wash his hands before he eats. When he was tiny, I would give visitors who wanted to hold him close a T-shirt to put on. His new skin did not need to rub against the fabrics and absorb whatever they had run across during the day.

At this point, it's not so much about protecting him against catching anything. I just don't want to bring everything home with me...into my bed or my plate. I think that people don't really consider all the nasty stuff they touch all day. Would you wrap your mouth around a door knob? Would you rub your face with the bottom of your shoe right after leaving the restroom? That's what some of it amounts to, and I think that that's gross.

I might have a different mindset if I had pets, but that is one of the reasons that I don't have pets. Also, I can't imagine allowing my dog to lick my baby's face, not just because of the grossness but also because I'd be concerned about biting. I've seen too many cases of the family pet (dog) turning unexpectedly--even briefly--and biting a family member. I wouldnt' be willing to take that chance.

If I had to place a bet, I would bet your kid will be sick/have allergies far less than your cousin's kid.

My experience those who are too clean, have more health issues than those who feel you have to eat a speck of dirt before you die.

I am definetly more lax when it comes to germs. Both my kdis are in daycare/school situation and are mostly healthy. Yes, they get colds but they fight them faster than the kids that don't get exposed to as many germs.

I think the more germs exposed to the more the immune system has a chance to become a well oiled machine.

I help it along with foods that are viatmin rich, and get in as much good stuff as I can. Yogurt etc..

I think what you have been doing is just fine. Congratulations on the little one.