The Real Reason My Kids Are So Healthy

September 26, 2007

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I have 4 healthy kids who have no allergies or chronic illness. None of them take any medications and not one of them has ever had an ear infection. The only time I have ever had to fill a prescription for antibiotics was once when my daughter developed a staph infection on her finger, and I was weeks away from delivering a new baby, and didn’t want to have an active staph infection going on. Her finger didn’t respond to alternative treatments, so I opted for the meds.

But … this is not because I’m some kind of supermom. In fact, it may be an indictment on my housekeeping skills. ;) My sister, who is 7 years older than me and whose youngest is a year older than my oldest (meaning I got to observe and learn a lot from her mothering journey!) had a saying. It went something like this:

“When your first kid drops the pacifier, you pick it up, sanitize it, and hand it back to the kid. With the second child, you pick it up, rinse it off, and hand it back to the kid. With the third child, you pick it up, put it in your mouth to “clean” it, and hand it back to the kid. With your fourth child, you take it out of the dog’s mouth and hand it back to the kid.”

LOL! She had four as I do (and her, four boys back to back), and this little ditty was a way for her to explain the folly of trying to keep a spotless house with a houseful of young un’s. Turns out that keeping a too clean house may make our kids sicker.

First the news was that antibacterial soaps (the kind that contain Triclosan) were contributing to nasties like candida overgrowth on people’s fingernails. Ick. Now the research is pointing to overzealous use of hand “sanitizer” and antibacterial everything for household cleaning as a possible explanation for the sharp rise in allergies in kids. There’s also some evidence that kids who grow up in a home with multiple siblings and pets (read: dirtier) are healthier.

Personally, I always let people hold my hours or days old newborn babies as long as they washed their hands with soap and water first, and thought mothers who whipped out the hand sanitizer on their newborn’s delicate digits to be not only overzealous but actually putting their babies in danger. Those hands go right into the mouth.

I hereby give you permission to put your feet up, read a book and do something wonderful for your children’s health!

References: Hygiene Hypothesis
Triclosan (scroll down to “health concerns”)

Posted by carrie | Filed Under Babies, Health Tips, Homemaking 

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Comments

3 Responses to “The Real Reason My Kids Are So Healthy”

  1. Elizabeth ashe on September 27th, 2007 3:22 am

    hey, Carrie. I totally agree - many people do not realize that what they think they are doing to protect there children is really hurting them in the long run. It was so funny you brought the pass down kid example up, because I was having bible study w/ two sisters and they saw how i was not worried about a couple of the things the children would do . Tammie the sister laughed and mentioned the same example, it was something her aunt or something told her.

    Anyhow great post, Our children need to be able to build up their immune the normal healthy way, and as we can see now that everything man continues to do or try to help to do is clearly a testament to that we all need to just let nature take its place as god intended it to .

  2. Jenny on September 27th, 2007 11:05 pm

    I couldn’t agree more. Everything is over-sanitized in our society. Hands are sanitized. Food is sanitized. Dirt is abhorred. In all this zealous sanitizing, we’re not allowing our children or ourselves to develop a natural immunity to many of the relatively harmless microbes we (should) come into contact with on a daily basis. That, and we’re bathing ourselves in chemicals.

    I, for one, think a little dirt under the fingernails is good for the soul.

  3. casual friday everyday on September 30th, 2007 3:50 am

    Carrie, you are so blessed. Four healthy children. And they are blessed to have such a smart, strong Mother.

    As you know my son is dealing with difficulties that honestly break my heart to the core. I’m strong and positive, but no Mother wants to see their child struggle…especially so young.

    I know without a shadow of a doubt that a large factor to his set-back’s thusfar are due to the vaccines, after vaccines, after vaccines that were pumped into his tiny little body. I really do believe that had he been free from vaccines he’d be a totally different child. And no, that isn’t just some desperate Mother grasping at straws like many PED’s like to make you feel.

    As far as antibacterial soaps and washes, freaking out about germs, and people holding the kids I am not weary of that. My Mother is crazy anal about such things, but thankfully I didn’t get that “clean freak gene” lol

    I also think antibiotics are the devil…oh ok, so that is a bit harsh. lol They are good for very important issues, but I’ll always look for the natural remedy first. For example, my dentist saw me for pain in my mouth. He THOUGHT I might have a stress crack down to a root, but he wasnt positive.

    He wanted me to see another dentist for it. But before I leave he hands me a prescription for an Antibiotic. I questioned why. And I told him why I was so concerned. After delving into my experience with them, my body’s reaction, he told me I didn’t need to take it if I didnt want to. It was more or less just for precaution INCASE their MIGHT be an infection!

    Turns out it wasnt a stress fraction, wasnt a root canal situtation, wasn’t an infection…simply is sensitive teeth! Just yet another example of my strong opinion that most doctors/dentists prescribe antibiotics without there really being a need for them.

    Okay, I’m doaning on about this…don’t want to take over your blog. lol Thanks for your post, your advice, opinions, and the way you raise your kids…they are blessed and so are many of us who listen and learn from you as a parent.

    Nell

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