Changed my mind about kids eating dirt after a playground conversation

I used to be super strict about my daughter getting clean the second she touched mud. But this mom at the park in Austin said her kid ate a handful of soil and she just shrugged. She told me the microbes actually help build immune systems and her pediatrician confirmed it. Now I let my kid play in the garden until she's caked in it. Has anyone else gotten more relaxed about mess after hearing something like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia31727d ago

Tbh that same playground dirt talk totally changed me too, now I just hose my kid off outside.

simonp4727d ago

Oh man, that story about the Austin mom really got me too. My wife used to freak out if our twins even looked at a mud puddle, but now we just let them go wild in the backyard after hearing that same kind of advice from our own doctor. It's wild how a little bit of dirt can actually be good for them, not something to panic about. We still do baths after heavy garden play but I'm way more chill about it now. Makes me feel less alone knowing other parents had that same lightbulb moment. Honestly, kids are tougher than we give them credit for sometimes.