Dig That Dirt for Immunity-Boosting Fun!
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Exercise is just one benefit of letting kids be kids in the great outdoors.
Dr. Yinka Davies admits she's germ-phobic. But having kids has changed her perspective.
"I have 2½-year-old twin boys who love to play in the dirt," Davies says. "The first time you go to the park and try to keep washing their hands, you quickly learn it's more important for them to get out and dig and have fun."
Whether it's mashing mud pies, building sand castles or stomping in puddles, doing what comes naturally outdoors can result in one dirty kid. But that's OK as long as there's a balance between staying generally clean and getting a little "good dirt."
Kids Need Some Bacteria for Immunity
Though Davies still wants her boys to wash their hands when they're done playing, the Sacramento, California, pediatric gastroenterologist realizes her own obsession with cleanliness can be overkill when it comes to building her children's immune systems.
That's because trying to eliminate all bacteria actually can lead to a decline in the good bacteria our bodies need to fight the bad ones.
Why Outdoor Play Boosts the Immune System
Some health care professionals believe that triclosan, found in antibacterial soaps, adds to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. If the normal microflora we carry in our bodies change, our immune systems may not respond, possibly leading to a greater chance of allergies in children.
Mary Ruebush makes the case for "clean dirt" in her book, Why Dirt Is Good: 5 Ways to Make Germs Your Friends. An associate professor at the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana & Idaho Rural Health Research Center and Medical School, she suggests that we can actually become healthier by exposing ourselves to a bit of dirt and germs.
In fact, farm kids may get a health boost because of them. Two recent Canadian studies indicate that farm children have a lower risk of asthma than their urban counterparts. Researchers speculate that exposure to compounds called endotoxins from animal viruses and manure stimulates the body's immune system and keeps it busy fighting bacteria. That reduces the risk of the body turning its immune attention to the lung inflammation that causes asthma.
So while you still want to be vigilant in protecting your children from the infectious diseases they can pick up from surfaces and other kids, you can also relax and enjoy the occasional sight of happily, sloppily, blissfully dirty kids.