Connecting moms in Polk County, Fla.
Dirt: It's Good for Kids!
I don’t know how to say this without sounding crazy, so I’m just going to be blunt. When I was a child, I liked to eat pebbles and stones. Well, technically I didn’t eat them, just sucked on them. Yes, I was a closet rock sucker. Away from the judging eyes of friends and family, I secretly relished their earthy, mineral flavor.
I’m sure, like any mother, my own mom would have been considerably horrified at the idea of her small child sucking on dirty rocks from God knows where. And, while my strange appetite persisted from about ages 4-7, almost all parents have witnessed their younger babies or toddlers shove an ample handful of dirt or sand into their mouths. Probably on more than one occasion.
What is it about kids and dirt? Why the deep mysterious magnetism? According to Mary Ruebush, PhD, author of Why Dirt is Good: 5 Ways to Make Germs Your Friends, the attraction is for our own human good. And, the great news is, it’s a match made in heaven. Just like any other muscle in our body, the immune system needs to be exercised in order to fully develop and become strong enough to resist illness and disease. Eating dirt as a child turns out to be the ideal training to build your immune system’s overall fitness.
We’ve written about the Hygiene Hypothesis and the overuse of antimicrobials in the past, but Ruebush, professor of microbiology and immunology for Kaplan Medical, really brings it home. Her detailed description of the immune system is not only extremely informative, it’s also surprisingly entertaining. Really! She has these delightfully silly pictures of blood cells and bacteria that had my kids peering over my shoulder, giggling, and asking what the book was about. And, the writing is equally as comedic and engaging. She writes about viruses gettin’ busy making baby viruses, macrophages burping up crumbs of their meals, and T-cells going to school and taking final exams.
The main points of the book are simple: let kids eat dirt and don’t overuse antibiotics. According to Ruebush:
Mother Nature has given you the elements to build a strong immune system, but you have to put it into action and take care of it. A strong immune system gets built up by plenty of exercise – that’s why you need a lifetime exposure to plenty of dirt. Your healthy immune system is your savings account for a healthy retirement. If you constantly make withdrawals and live with a negative health balance due to too much stress, too little rest, and too many chemicals, you will arrive at a point where you have no reserves for any catastrophic illness that might lurk in your future. A lifestyle that gives you the food, rest, exercise, and other elements you need for basic good health contributes to a healthy immune response and increases the likelihood of a long, productive life.
Sounds like the perfect prescription to me! So, relax. Let your kids get dirty. Stop trying to sanitize every square inch of your home. And, unwind with a good book (like Why Dirt is Good). It’ll make your whole family healthier and happier.
P.S. My childhood affinity for sucking rocks was likely pica, a medical disorder that can make people hungry for non-food items. Turns out, I’m slightly anemic, so my body was craving iron and hoping to get it from the mineral content of rocks. Pica is not uncommon in children and pregnant women. If you or your child are craving non-food items, talk with your midwife, nutritionist, or physician.
By Janelle Sorensen
For the full article CLICK HERE!!!
Views: 35
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stacie (Paco10778) on -
wow that is interesting! What did we always hear growing up "a little bit of dirt don't hurt" and through this particular author that adage seems true. I agree with the whole let kids get dirty (just don't bring it into the house, b/c mama doesn't need extra cleaning duties! LOL) and I've heard that the overuse of sanitizers, antibiotics and even vaccinations (to a point - i.e. the chicken pox, yes while miserable and a parent's nightmare to quarantine their child) - they are building up their own immunities by getting germs. I'll admit, I hate using sanitizers - what happened to good old fashioned soap and water?? Though I'll also admit I'm a compulsive hand washer - even if it is only water....
With all these "new products" touting stay healthy - it could be why our kids are sicker, strains of colds/bacterial infections/etc are immune to antibiotics is because we aren't allowing our children's bodies to naturally acquire the immunity they need.Even today - I still implement with my daughter the "five second rule" when dropping something on the floor, just because a little bit of dirt don't hurt!
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Permalink Reply by Shane on -
I can now backup my own judgement, that little ones playing in dirt are actually benificial for growth. Both physical and mental. Getting dirty, with a little dirt in the mouth is a good thing for children. My slightly over a year old grandaughter recently placed a mouthful of dirt in her mouth. No one panic, just washed out what they could, and made no issue with the child. Call it old wife's tales, or just common sense. But dirt is good. Just keep it out of open wounds.
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Permalink Reply by Alicia (Alsan) on -
I'm a big believer in letting them get dirty. LOL, I'm usually the only nut at football practice who's kids are splashing in the mud puddles with me saying "it's nothing the bath won't take out" I've believed for a long time the more we try and shelter are kids from exposure to many illness, the worse off they are in the long run. Now a newborn, yeah I wash my hands before I ask if I can hold your baby. But after the 1st child of mine (who was ALWAYS sick) I figured keeping things as germ free and clean didn't help him any so I relaxed. The 2nd was much healthier. Now, I do believe in individual differences no matter what you do. My 4th was a sickly guy too, go figure, and still gets sick more than his 4 siblings. But the dirt doesn't bother me - go ahead and play in it! On a good day I'll join them :)
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Permalink Reply by Bryssy on -
I'm in agreement. I grew up on a farm and dirt was just the norm. That being said, my daughter (6) and middle son (3) never lets me wash a clean shirt....even the baby (he's 8 months) is in on it! I say - PLAY!!!
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Permalink Reply by Jmarr on
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I think my son had pica for a while. He loved to chew on everything and ate holes in book and in chewed through the wood in his crib. At about 10 mos old, he saw another child pick up a crumb on a carpet and eat it...then he started doing the same, but he would pick up everything! Crumbs, dirt, strings, etc. For about a year, until about 1st grade, he ate erasers. His teachers told me about it, but I already knew. He got a bad stomach virus once and I told him it could be because he is eating too many erasers and they might have germs on them too (ick!). He stopped eating them after that!
Just a word of caution for those parents who's kids eat everything, even dirt, from around an older home. The percentage of lead in paint in the US was very high, and gradually got lower until the 1970s. My son started eating the window sill at our home which was almost 100 years old. I would chase him down and try to get all the chips out of his mouth, but I knew he was swallowing some, so I took him for a lead test. Sure enough, he had lead poisoning. Levels were pretty high, but not high enough for chelation therapy. We re-tested every three months until levels were in the safe range (they got down to 3). Anything over 10 is considered high, but there is talk of lowering that number to 5 since even kids with a level of 10 often have developmental delays. A woman in my neighborhood said her daughter also tested high. It is common in older homes. Toys fall on the floor, where there is lead dust and then the babies put the toys in their mouths. If you have done any rennovating recenly, it increases the risk.
I agree that we overuse "anti-bacterial" products, and anti-biotics. I get such a good feeling when my kids get a little sniffle or fever and I wait it out for a day or so before going to the doctor and then their little immune system kicks in and does the trick!
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