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Germ/Dirt Exposure is Good

The immune system is building from day one. Once a kid hits the 4-5 month age mark, their immune system ramps up into the next level of building mode. The immune system, like many aspects of human development, builds best when there is a variety of exposure – in this case – to germs and microbes.

Modern man has moved into a much more sanitized way of living than the past. There appears to be extra cleaning done for almost everything around a baby – and even new kinds of products to disinfect their toys or gently clean their clothes with chemical/allergy free detergents.

Current research is showing that this level of protection from germs and allergens may be creating additional sensitivities to germs and allergens later in life. The human body is naturally exposed to 1,000’s of germs (antigens) everyday. The typical human body is well equipped to sort this out. These regular, everyday exposures actually stimulate the immune system, which helps make it stronger over time. If their early lives are overly sanitized, this may deprive them from exposure needed to grow their immune system. This is similar logic to what is now known about early food allergy introduction.

The point here is that new Dads have questions about exposure to germs, and while babies may seem so fragile and vulnerable, they are building strength daily. There is a balance of too much and not enough – and that’s where you come in. A little dirt likely won’t hurt, and a 5 second rule drop on the floor at home is probably fine. But do not deliberately expose your child to known bacteria or viruses or ill people, and licking door handles in an airport should probably be avoided.

Colds Happen – Have a Plan

Babes get colds and when those little heads get congested – it can be a bit of a challenge for everyone involved. This is an expected part of the journey as their immune systems grow. Be prepared – colds ramp into high gear as they start spending more time around others, especially other babies and in group care settings.

Here are some ways to get through these times as quickly and as pain free as possible, and even cut a few days off the recovery time.

Clearing Congestion: Most kids won’t fully grasp how to blow from their nose (forcefully exhale) to clear snot until around the age of 3. That’s a long time to deal with congested heads. You may have heard of or seen various “snot suckers” like the NoseFrida where you suck one end like a booger straw. Forget that – it’s too low powered, doesn’t have sustained back pressure for stubborn boogers, and people that are sensitive to sinus infections can get them from inhaling nose air from their sick kid.

Instead – try some horsepower. Many new, powered snot suckers exist, but the winner goes to the German designed Baby Vac (amazon link). It’s a snot sucker that you attach to a vacuum. It pulls all the bad junk out and leaves the good stuff in (i.e. their brains).

By consistently aiding in clearing the congestion, every 1-2 hours, with a good snot removal regime, you may shave 2-3 days off a head cold, especially if you add in some Saline Nasal Spray (amazon link) to loosen it. This may also reduce the chance of it getting into their chest. The bonus aspects to the powered approach is that you can eventually empower your child to help themselves through these colds and be an active part in self care

The above goes for Dad too. They get it, you get, they get it – it’s a less desirable kind of serve and return. Grab a Nasal Rinse Kit yourself (amazon link) and have the option to blast the stubborn grime out. A rinse every 1 to 2 waking hours for about 2-3 days usually keeps things tolerable vs miserable when it’s game time. When the congestion does hit – sleep inclined/propped up to keep it from going into the chest. The esophagus has a flap that keeps snot and drainage out of the lungs during the day, but when you lay horizontal the gunk can pool by the flap and some can slip in – yay – upper respiratory infection! Get ahead of it to get away from it. Easy for dad, but harder to safely prop babies and small kids, so proceed with caution.

Snot color gives insights into the internal battle – from clear to yellow to green to brown. The color comes from dead white blood cells and other waste products from fighting off a bacterial or viral infection, such as the common cold. The darker the booger, the harder the system is being worked, and may signal it’s getting overloaded.

Runny noses can sometimes be associated with teething – so check the list. Best way to confirm teething is to get your finger in there and feel around on the gums. If you can feel a tooth under the gums – it’s teething. If not… it’s probably not teething.

Probiotic Mysteries

Our gut – the stomach and intestines of the human digestive system – is full of trillions of microorganisms that are thought to prevent the gut from being overrun by disease-causing organisms. It’s an epic battle of good vs bad (bacteria).

This is called the gut microbiome, and researchers now know that the “good bugs” have an affect on our overall health. The microbes can produce vitamins (like vitamin K and biotin), and they help with the absorption of nutrients from food. They also appear to play an active role in our immune systems. While science knows the gut plays a critical role in health, scientists don’t yet know the details – so we have to exercise some precautions.

One area that has been popular for gut health for adults and kids has been the area of probiotics. Probiotics are a mix of organisms, or “good bacteria”, consumed with the goal of changing the gut microbiome for the better. Health of the gut, however, is complicated. It turns out that the “multi-strain” probiotics, the everything and the kitchen sink kind, that have been marketed widely in recent years might not be the best approach. They may even cause unintended harm that is not yet understood. What research is finding is that it appears to be safer to use very specific bacteria to support gut health for very specific reasons – in kids and adults.

For babies and kids, the best information at this point comes from a meta analysis (a large scale review of all published research on the topic) finding that certain bacteria strains with proven quality and safety can be effective in very specific applications. This includes lowering the risk of illnesses like respiratory tract infections – which can come from the colds typically passed around day care centers, playgrounds, and group care settings, etc. I personally like this late 2019 study in professional athletes which also showed that desirable gut outcomes were found to be highly dependent on the species or strain of the bacteria itself. This is something we confirmed in our sport science lab, as well, over many years.

So if you have a kid in group care or want some seasonal sickness buffering, then L. rhamnosusGG from a high quality source does appear to be safe and beneficial in reducing risk and duration of URI in kids. Of course – always do your own research and discuss with your pediatrician. Two quality suppliers of this probiotic are Bio-Kult and MetaKids.

If you do choose to add a probiotic, they take around 16-21 days to build up, at which point you can stop using them for a while. It seems that helping out the body for a bit and then letting it sort through it on it’s own is a useful way to avoid something from becoming a crutch.

In the end it’s up to you to decide if probiotics are right for you and your family AND to find what works for you and your family. If you are interested in chatting about this topic – reach out – we’d also appreciate learning your approach to this area.

Antibiotic Warning

When someone gets sick, it’s typically either caused by a virus or a bacteria (or another less common microbe like a fungi or protozoa). In babies and young kids, it can be costly and risky to determine exactly if something is caused by bacteria or by virus. Because of this, in western medicine, a general course of antibiotics is often prescribed. Yet, current research on antibiotic use points to them being overprescribed, and having undesirable outcomes if not used wisely.

Science now knows that taking antibiotics when not needed can help diseases become more resistant to antibiotics. Recent research has also shown that taking antibiotics too often, in too high a dose, or when not needed has other significant risks for babies, which include being linked to asthma, childhood obesity, some bowel problems, and even metabolic and immune system disorders.

These studies have mostly been correlated studies, meaning they look at kids with antibiotic use and kids with none and they look for differences. The reason why is still a mystery. What is known is that most antibiotics work by killing bacteria or preventing it from growing. Current antibiotics don’t differentiate between good and bad bacteria. It tends to wipe everything out, including your gut’s healthy bacteria. It is often recommended to take a probiotic when taking antibiotics in order to save as much of the good bacteria as possible.

The takeaway here is to really try to understand the differences in viral vs bacterial infections and to work with your pediatrician to understand when antibiotics are absolutely needed vs not. When antibiotics are used appropriately, for bacterial infections like chronic ear infections or urinary tract infections, they can be a savior – but there are some Do’s and Don’ts to be aware of in order to stay informed.

The why is a health advantage.
It’s not really a long discussion.

Think about it this way.
Your kid gets a cold.
The average time being sick with that cold is 10 days.
Let’s say you take an extra step by clearing the boogies with vigor.
You’ve reduced the cold to 7 days.
That’s 3 extra days of non-sick struggle time.
Estimate that they get 8 colds a year, especially if in a group care setting. Maybe more if they live an overly sanitized life.
Run some math… 8 x 3 = 24 days less sick a year.
That’s 24 days more of growing, playing, connecting and learning.

A little effort and knowledge can go a long way when it comes to knowing how to help a baby fight off the bad bugs while befriending the good.

In closing – always consult your pediatrician, which is a good reason to find one you like and build a trusting relationship with them!