Even more important now with covid.

My Dad was a GP back in the 50’s. He always told us exposure to germs was the best way to build up immunity after all germs are always in the air and we
can’t see them to avoid them. Our home was kept reasonably clean and we kids played outside in all weathers…..in mud, on the lawn, in swamps and in the bush etc. Minor scrapes were just disinfected (if we bought them to Mum or Dad’s attention) and we were sent out to play again. Usually without the wound even being dressed. Even today, I love walking in the rain in bare feet. I have never had the flu and average a cold once every 2 years or more.. I have a bottle of Dettol in my medical kit but don’t have any other disinfectant in the house.

Some great tips in this article, and good ideas for creating good habits. All 3 of my kids have gastro at the moment, and yet we do a lot of what is recommended in this article. But I know it’s not completely bad for them, and will help build their immune system. MoM is getting me through at the moment, haha.

Washing the hands before dinner and after a visit to the toilet and after touching or playing with animals is certainly rule in our house. I must admit I don’t wash the toys really, only when I see they’re dirty

Unless they’ve had bodily fluids on toys, we don’t really wash them. We do however consistently expect them to wash their hands after the get home from school and before eating.

Great article. Very wise and valid points. Thank you Lillian.

Apart from making my kids wash their hands before they had a meal, I never did anything else. They played outside in the dirt and probably ate quite a bit of it, they toys were hard and so didn’t get washed, they made a lot of their toys and fun themselves and I preferred them to wash their hands before going to the toilet because they were so dirty. None of them or their progeny to date have any allergies – our houses were clean but not sterile. Something bad has happened in the last 50 years.

My home was always a shoes off at the door home and then we had slippers or thongs just for inside. This was only when my kids were little.

If your baby plays on the floor it is probably as wise to try to keep it reasonably clean too. Their hands and toys are constantly on the floor. They often put some of their toys in their mouths at some point, probably fingers too. We have no idea what we walk in outside and spread throughout the floors inside.

This is so important to keep germs away!

It’s a fine line. It can be tricky to find it.

A very interesting article. It certainly is a balance between keeping kids germ free but still exposing them to allow their immune systems to flourish.

My kids had lots of germy outside time growing up. I didn’t spend any time washing their toys though. They don’t seem to have suffered much because of it

And I think it’s also important to teach kids to wash their hands after coming out of a bus or train. Those are places full of germs too. And too often you see kids touching everything in the train, and then eat.

One thing I have to stay alert to is sometimes young ones are in too much hurry to get back to what they were doing that they don’t flush the toilet and wash their hands…..or they wash the tips of their fingers and tell you they have washed them.
Before meals it is also a good idea to wash their faces or at least around their mouths uness you know exactly what they have had on their faces.

I think anti- bacterial soap can be dangerous in the long run. Otherwise this is pretty sensible.

I’ve never sanitised toys. Washing their hands after using the loo is about all we do and my kids rarely get cold or tummy bugs. Plenty of sunlight and outside nature play will ensure good health all round I say!

I’ve always thought I must be overly fussy when it comes to hygiene, but reading your article has reassured me that I’ve been doing the right thing all along.

Great tips. I think the sanitation of toys is particularly important especially when little ones always have them in their mouths.

I believe teaching them to wash their hands after outdoor play is a great starting point!