All RN Mothers

jax · Nov 27, 2003

I am coming from the opposite end of the spectrum. I say let them get grubby and build up their immunity. Lots of interesting research about kids growing up in super super clean houses and not being exposed to the every day lurgies( very scientific word), and the rise of asthma.

What they eat, that's a different matter. I am pretty particular about healthy diet, but they still get the odd treats. Let the kids get down and dirty! jax

karenG · Nov 27, 2003

yep me too..............let them eat worms if they want to!! there is a growing body of evidence that suggests our children are less healthy because we dont expose them to bugs!! mine have been allowed to do anything and eat anything (and tom did eat worms!) They are both healthy teenagers who are never ill! so dont mollycoddle them!

Karen

Trauma Columnist · Nov 27, 2003

I guess I can say this say this since my sons are now 18 and 23, but I always kept a pretty clean home. Certainly not perfect, but then who's is? Anyway...I do worry about my boys (even now). I think I would do whatever you feel comfortable doing. If you know you can't feed your kids hamburgers, then avoid that place. You can go through life saying "I wish I had done this or that", but you only get one life, so good luck and relax. Take care.

Rapheal · Nov 27, 2003

The only thing that puts a feeling of dread in me is when bacterial meningitis is reported anywhere close (for me this means a 50 mile radius). I am truly afraid of how hard, and fast this can hit a teenager or young adult and how deadly it can be. Most younger kids do not get it because they are protected by their vaccinations- but the teens and young adults are still at risk. I admit to being paranoid over this one.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Nov 27, 2003

Most infections come from:

hand to hand contact

air contact

not cleaning wounds

kids: oral fecal route

So I focused on:

Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands!

Cover your mouth when coughing, use tissues!

Clean cuts with soap and water, triple antibiotic ointment, cover bandaid.

Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands!

Digging in the dirt and getting messy is healthy for kids just...

Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands!

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Nov 27, 2003

The getting dirty thing is fine by me, but I am a fanatic with handwashing! She doesn't eat red meat, so I am safe there and she only eats deep fried chicken so I am pretty safe there.

The Ecoli thing scares me too...we have a secretary that had 2 grandkids die from it in our PICU.

Of course there was the pseudomonas in the eye that the eye doc suspects came from the public pool :eek:

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Nov 27, 2003

Originally posted by jax
I am coming from the opposite end of the spectrum. I say let them get grubby and build up their immunity. Lots of interesting research about kids growing up in super super clean houses and not being exposed to the every day lurgies( very scientific word), and the rise of asthma.

What they eat, that's a different matter. I am pretty particular about healthy diet, but they still get the odd treats. Let the kids get down and dirty! jax

AGREE 100% !!!

Katnip, RN · Nov 27, 2003

I agree with Jnette and Jax. My kids have always crawled on the floor, dug in the dirt, and eaten God only knows what when they were small. They're now 18, 15, and 13 and beyond the usual sniffles, one flu, and a few cases of strep throat among them, they've never been sick, even the one with asthma (he's now grown out of that). They've gotten into the habit of handwashing frequently now that they're older. They're doing just fine.

I worry more about alcohol, drugs, others bringing firearms to school, and wrecking cars than I do germs.

flashpoint · Nov 27, 2003

I can't stand it when people think only RNs are nurses...

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 27, 2003

My kids are all pretty hardy specimens who get sick only about a third as often as I did as a child, and I think it's because they've been allowed to get dirty and play with other children in homes that may have been less than spotless (as well as our own, which occasionally features dust on the furniture and---OMG---a floor you can't eat off of! :eek: ). Of course, when I was growing up in the '60s, my mother stayed home and cleaned house all day, so my immune system never got a chance to flex its muscle. These guys, on the other hand, have grown up with pets and mud and grass and other germ-ridden substances.....as well as a mother who has always been totally anal about handwashing!:)

stressednurse · Nov 27, 2003

My kids ate bugs, dirt and who knows what else. All 3 healthy and don't get sick often, now 23, 20 and 13. We lived on a small farm so tetnus shots for the scratches around the horses were the big deal. Washing hands was also stressed.

We cleaned stalls and cages for most every domestic farm animal...horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, pigs and one year we incubated 140 eggs to hatch over 10 days for the county fair....lots of chickens, ducks and geese came from that cellar!

My oldest was sitting on horses before she could walk, (of course held by Mom).

Being around animals when they were young has given them a sense of what people are thinking...they learned body language from the speechless animals.