Letting Your Children Get Dirty is Actually Good for Their Health.

Playing in the sand and stomping in mud puddles is not only enjoyable for children; studies show that it is also beneficial to their immune systems. Continue reading to find out why, in the name of good health, allowing your children to get dirty is a good idea.

Allowing your children to get dirty is actually beneficial to their health, according to studies.

Have you ever heard of the hygiene hypothesis? It basically says that Americans are too clean, and it is harming our children. Among other things, the theory contends that children born in the United States are more likely to develop severe allergies than those born elsewhere, particularly in what we refer to as "developing nations." Here's why according to the FDA:

The problem with ultra-clean environments is that they do not provide the necessary germ exposure to "educate" the immune system so that it can learn to launch defense responses to infectious organisms. Instead, its defense responses become so ineffective that they contribute to the development of asthma.”

What the experts have to say about the hypothesis theory

The theory first surfaced in the 1980s. Since then, epidemiologists, immunologists, biochemists, and other experts have conducted extensive research. Let Them Eat Dirt, a must-read book by B. Brett Finlay, Ph.D. and Marie-Claire Arrieta, Ph.D., is also about it. Finlay and Arrieta argue in their book how important it is for children to be exposed to healthy bugs and bacteria.

According to the authors, the first 100 days of your baby's life are critical for establishing the body's microbe defense system. They (obviously) do not advise placing your infant in the dirt. Finlay and Arrieta, on the other hand, believe that children who are exposed to a diverse set of microbes are more likely to develop an immune system capable of defending against pretty serious things like diabetes, asthma, and negative vaccine reactions. They aren't the only ones. Let's take a look at some other studies that support allowing your children to get dirty.

More and more studies show that allowing your children to get dirty is beneficial.

A Brigham and Women's Hospital study from 2012 "provides evidence supporting the hygiene hypothesis" while also explaining the "how" and "why" behind it. They looked at two groups of mice. One lived in a typical germy environment, just like regular mice. The other lived in a germ-free environment that was highly controlled and over-sterilized.

The germ-free mice had significantly more lung and colon inflammation, similar to that seen in people with asthma and colitis, than their germ-free counterparts. In terms of the “why,” researchers discovered that the culprit was “hyperactivity of a unique class of T cells (immune cells).”

Another study discovered that habits we normally consider to be "nasty" or "dirty," such as nailbiting and thumbsucking, can actually be beneficial. Again, it all comes down to germ exposure, which children in sterilized environments would not normally have the opportunity to acquire.

Several studies compared allergies and autoimmune disorders in children in the United States to those in other countries. They discovered that children in “developing” countries with limited access to basic hygiene necessities were less likely to develop these issues. Households in the United States are far too clean. We go overboard on antibacterial products.

Sprays, wipes, soaps...you name it, we'll use it if it has "antibacterial" properties. According to studies, the triclosan in all of those sprays and soaps is to blame for increased rates of asthma, allergies, and hay fever.

Based on these findings, here are two important recommendations:

Based on their findings, Drs. Finlay and Arietta, along with other scientists, make a few recommendations.

1- Stop using cleaning products that contain bleach, ammonia, and other hazardous chemicals. They are, at best, a waste of money because there are so many natural solutions that work better. They are, at worst, toxic, especially to young children.

2- Reduce your use of antibacterial gels and soaps. We are using them more than ever before right now, with the pandemic still raging. While experts claim that masks and handwashing will not harm your children's immune systems (and they are correct), once things return to normal, we must strike a better balance between "clean" and "too clean."

3- Ensure that your children are exposed to a normal and healthy amount of dirt and bacteria. This one is so simple! Allow them to play in the sandbox, be outside in nature, dig for treasure, have a dog, go to public playgrounds, and interact with other children.

Allowing your children to be children is the key to raising healthy children.

Allow your children to play in the dirt because they enjoy it! Allow your children to climb and roll down hills. Allow them to dig for seashells and build sandcastles on the beach. Make mud pies and stomp in puddles. Allow them to sing and dance in the rain and slush snow. Allow them to do what comes naturally to them. To put it another way, allowing your children to get dirty is the way to go.

The "proof" is overwhelming: one of the keys to raising healthy children is to let them be kids and get dirty. They'll thank you later, when they're adults with strong immune systems. They'll thank you for allowing them to have so much fun!

“Let your kids stomp in puddles,” a friend once advised me. Mud washes away. “Memories last forever.”

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