Are germs good for kids?

by Irene Nam (Subscribe to Irene Nam's posts) Apr 6th 2006 5:32PM

An article on cnn.com reports that germs that many parents disinfect might help build children's immunity and fight allergies and asthma later. Some experts are beginning to believe that too much cleanliness might be a contributing factor to the increase of allergies in the past 15 years and studies of of babies in households with pets or in day care have found that they have fewer allergies later.

Some parents like Michelle and Mark Sukenik let their 14 month-old daughter Madison crawl around the house, restaurants, doctor's office and even eat food right off the floor. Madison didn't get her first cold until she was 13 months old. Others like Kara Sherry wipe down the edges of shopping carts with antibacterial wipes and sanitize toothbrushes. Her kids are rarely sick.

I used to be a clean freak too when Sean and Will were little babies and they were sick all the time. But now that I don't vacuum clean the house every day or iron my children's clothes to kill germs and just stick to a consistent hand-washing routine, I notice that the boys are a lot less sick. Still, I could never let them eat something that had fallen on the floor.

What do you think of this article? Do you think germs are good for children?

(Thank you Jenny for the tip)

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Comments (16)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ethel 4-06-2006 @ 5:58PM

You know, after spending the last month and half helping my kid fight four colds, gastroenteritis and an ear infection I wish it hadn't bunched up on us like that! I am sure it is associated with him no longer breastfeeding (he is now 15 months old) and very mobile, so everything goes in the mouth. I believe that his illnesses will be good for his immune system, despite really not caring for the diaper blowouts several times a day.

However, I am very careful with what he gets exposed to. I don't think that we want our kids exposed to E. coli, hepatitis, pertussis, menigitis, or any of the potentially deadly illnesses that we can vaccinate against before they are effectively vaccinated - and to not be careful is a dangerous game. Colds are one thing, like having your clothes used as snot rags (thank you my darling!), but potential disabling illness or death are so much another kind of beast. That is why I suggest using other kids at play groups, daycares, nurseries as fomites (good word to know) and not shopping carts and the floor.

Sharon 4-06-2006 @ 6:14PM

Hmm... I don't know if this is good or bad. My girls rarely get sick (one daughter only once in 6 years and the other maybe three times).
My house isn't dirty, but I don't vacuum or clean the toilets every day. There are dust bunnies under our bed much of the time. Our primary focus is keeping the kitchen clean. Floors are the biggest challenge. Because we don't have much carpet in our house, hardwood doesn't lie. Every single crumb shows and I can't always keep up. We don't have a housekeeper, so our house is what I would call "comfortable".

If this is why our kids don't get sick very often, I guess I'm finally doing something right!

People don't believe me when I tell them how messy our house gets, because we always manage to clean it up quickly for guests! The more guests we have over the cleaner the house.

I don't know if there's a connection, but I know some compulsively clean people (their house is more sterile than a hospital) whose children get colds all the time. On the other hand, I know some people who live in filthy houses whose kids get sick alot, too.

Ms Sisyphus 4-06-2006 @ 6:29PM

"Antibodies!" has always been my mantra. When the kids put stuff in their mouths or touch the pole on the bus, I just remind myself that they're building their immune systems.

mamaloo 4-06-2006 @ 6:41PM

I'm in the "a little dirt won't hurt 'em" category. They have been saying, for some time now, that antibacterial stuff and overcleanliness is not good as it encourages more resistant bacteria (hospitals, long a bastion of hypercleanliness and antibacterializing are massive hotbeds for freakishly resistant bacteria).

So, people who are clean freaks are keeping their children from consuming healthy amounts of the local bacteria (a process which "immunizes" a child against that bacteria) and they are also causing once normal bacteria to become stronger (meaning that when a child does become sick, the effects of the sickness are worse and harder to treat).

Of course, like Ethel pointed out, there are definitely a few pathogens you want to steer clear of.

In general, when something falls on the floor, if it's picked up soon enough, it can be eaten. Apple slices falling in dirt? Nope, too dirty. Smarties found under the couch? Well, dust 'em off first.

Nancy Toby 4-06-2006 @ 6:45PM

My twin girls are almost three and they're just finishing up the 2nd cold of their lives.

How have we kept down colds? Basically they're almost never around other kids, rarely around adults (other than medical professionals or therapists), and rarely go into stores. And we wash our hands a lot.

But inside our own home - we go by the 10-second rule on the floor. Or even longer, if it's something especially tasty. :-)

Michelle 4-06-2006 @ 6:52PM

Now, I am not the world's best housekeeper, there are just other things I would rather do with my time. But, when my son was born EXTREMELY premature and came home from the hospital at the beginning of RSV season, I became a germ FREAK! (my poor 2 yr old daughter wondered what got into her mommy!)I've always been against eating things off strange floors. And let me tellyou, doctors' offices are the most germ-infected places, yuck! But other, than that, no biggie! But when my son came home, I became addicted to those Clorox Wipes. I vaccuumed the vents, fans, carpets, furniture, bedding constantly! I was a mad woman! Now he is 20 mos old, and I'm not quite as obsessive. I still wipe off the carts, he doesn't crawl on the doctors' office floors or play with the toys, we bring our own, we disinfect hands after the playground, etc. And I vaccuum every other day or so (but mostly, bc that is his therapists schedule) Mostly I was just trying to keep him from having to go back into the hospital, bc a cold in a normal child can be fatal in a preemie, but we are almost past that phase! Thank God! I can go back to being a slob!

cee 4-06-2006 @ 7:14PM

I am by no means a clean freak, but I do clean a couple of times a week. Cleaning includes wiping down door knobs and light switches. I try to stay away from anything antibacterial. I think plain old soap and water does the trick, unless someone in the family is sick then I break out the lysol. I am *weird* about public bathrooms and the doctors office, I don't let the kids touch anything and we wash up before we leave. I also wipe down the grocery cart handle with a baby wipe. I noticed that my local Ralphs grocery store now has wipes next to the carts so that the customer can wipe them off.

I used to have a five second rule, for home. If dry food has been on the floor for less than five seconds it is fine. That has expanded to the 30 second rule, lol.

My kids are pretty healthy, when they do get sick it isn't too bad and it never lasts very long.

Elyse (2) had never been sick until I weaned her at 16 months. Then she got her first cold, rotavirus and roseola in a months time. She has never been to the doctor for a sick visit.

suburban misfit 4-06-2006 @ 7:47PM

The only thing I really have to worry about is dust. I'm highly allergic to it, and so is my son, so I have to be extra-vigilant about the dust bunnies in our house.

I don't use anti-bacterial soap (the physical act of washing for at least 30 seconds is what kills most germs, anyway) or wipes or the hand sanitizer stuff. All those things kill way too many "good" germs. We're sticklers for keeping hands off of faces and out of mucous membranes, so we don't get sick too often.

ann adams 4-06-2006 @ 9:14PM

We're fortunate enough to have no allergies. I'm from a generation that played in the dirt from sunup to sundown. My mom's house was immaculate (I didn't inherit that) but her kids sure weren't. Except for the usual childhood illnesses (which are now preventable), we were seldom ill.

I watched my dil moderate her views from fanatical (child #1), careful (child #2) and laid back (child #3).

Five, ten, or thirty second rule. I'm so there unless it's butter side down toast or a bowl of cereal perhaps.

Missy 4-07-2006 @ 12:23AM

I'm not a crazy germ fanatic. We all play in the dirt, at least once a week. We have two cats. My house is no temple of cleanliness. I breastfeed my son still, and he's 16 months old.

Still, he's got a crapload of allergies.

Some things are nature, some are nuture.

nonlineargirl 4-07-2006 @ 12:36AM

I think that getting some germs is ok, and I fear the damage antibacterial everything (handsoap, laundry detergent, etc) is doing. These products will never kill off all bacteria (nor would we want them to), but if they are killing of the weak ones, what's left is stronger and harder to fight.

I guess it is lucky that I think this, because it would drive me crazy to be constantly fighting germs. I wash my hands and my daughter's, but a nine month old explores by puting things in her mouth. I can't worry about everything she's picking up; it is one of those things you have to live with to a great extent. I don't let her lick the grocery store floor, but if a cheerio falls on our kitchen tile, I am not going to be stressed out when she zips her arm out and stuffs that morsel in her mouth.

Bonnie 4-07-2006 @ 9:20AM

Nancy Toby wrote,'How have we kept down colds? Basically they're almost never around other kids'

Ok, I get the not wanting your kids to get sick, but keeping them away from other kids? They'll be going to school in a years time, aren't you worried about them having problems socializing with the other children? I would be more worried about that then a cold.

Nancy Toby 4-07-2006 @ 9:47AM

Bonnie:
In answer to your question, no, for us the risk of infection was the most important concern - since they were 28-week preemies, and one of our girls had open heart surgery at 5 months. (Actually they're 2 surviving triplets). Contracting RSV could have been life-threatening for them. So we were extraordinarily careful about contact with other children. As twins they have some built-in socializing that singletons don't have, too.

Michelle 4-07-2006 @ 12:39PM

Exactly, Bonnie, my son was a 25 weeker. I will kill any bacteria I can get to and worry about the other ones when he is stronger!
My daughter was full term and went to school at 12 weeks, where I was a preschool teacher and had RSV her first 2 winters, constant ear infections and had what they call RAD, which means every tiny illness goes to her lungs.
Simple illnesses in otherwise normal, healthy children are easily fought off. In a preemie, the effects could be devestating.
I have had to hurt many people's feelings when they have wanted to come over and visit. During RSV season, NO ONE comes in my house, except therapists and Grandma, and they have all had the flu shot, and even then, I have strict hygeine rules. There is a sign on my front door stating so.
Germs are a part of every day life, but a preemie's environment needs to be kept as microbial as possible, especially during RSV season.

Michelle 4-07-2006 @ 12:41PM

oops, I meant to say a preemie's environment needs to be kept as antimicrobial as possible. ( I think?) I'm tired! I don't know my own name half the time anymore!

christy 4-07-2006 @ 2:30PM

Well, this is not taking into account preemies or anything (a totally different situation obviously) but anecdotally: my sister-in-law is a total germophobe and the second her kids hit school they were sick constantly. I swear they have missed more days in grade school than I did in my entire school career. I am not a clean freak at all, and my kids have their sicky moments but my now 4-year-old hardly ever even gets a cold anymore. But that's just our experience.

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