OVERLY CLEAN?

A lot of experts are telling us we are too obsessed with cleanliness and are breeding a future race of disease prone children because they haven’t developed immunities to everyday living. I’ve been saying this for decades but that is no reason to ignore normal health problems babies are prone to.

What is the best product on the market for babies’ skin?

A baby’s skin is delicate and sensitive so you need to be very careful of any cleansers that you might use on the skin. You shouldn't be using the same products on your baby as you would use on your own skin even though symptoms appear the same. Our skin is hardened by exposure to such a variety of factors; sun, wind, chemicals etc.

The products that have been formulated for use on babies are a lot milder and designed to reduce specific rashes and other skin irritations. If you find that your child is getting skin problems then you need to look at all aspects of the products you’re using on your child.

You will also need to look at the products that clean your child's nappies and clothing and even the materials used for the clothing your baby is wearing. Some fabrics can irritate the skin. Even if it is natural cotton, it may be treated with chemicals that may cause a rash.

Obviously it is essential to pay particular care to nappies. Make sure they are well rinsed after washing. This will ensure that there are no cleaning products that could cause skin irritations If you have a child with particularly sensitive skin you might need to consider using disposable nappies rather than washing your own reusable nappies.. The down side to this is the disposal problem. They have to be securely wrapped and they do contribute to unnecessary landfill.

Young children do get rashes and skin irritations however there are some excellent products on the market to help comfort a child. The idea is to minimize as much discomfort as possible. Let the child go nude often, particularly in sunshine. Sunlight kills bad bacteria and it’s free so use it instead of lotions.

You should also air your baby's bedding in the sun regularly and check for any dampness otherwise you could be inviting bacterial problems that can also cause breathing problems. Adult beds have all sorts of bacteria and for the most part we cope with them. It’s the same with babies only they don’t have full control over bladder and bowel movements yet.

Even the condition of the baby's room can have a dramatic effect on the child's skin and breathing. Make sure the room is clean and free of dust, dampness and is well aired.

If you find that you're not solving a particular skin issue consider changing any products you’re using, even those that you have used successfully on another child. Children are not all the same. You’ll find one product could cause problems whereas another similar product is completely satisfactory.

It’s no surprise that many of the baby skin care products on the market contain some ingredients that can cause skin irritations and other allergies. Many manufacturers of baby care products are unfortunately focused first and foremost on their profits and they know that packaging and marketing are what sells their products more than anything else.

For this reason they will add fragrances and colorants to enhance the look and smell of the product to boost sales. These additives are there to impress you, not the baby. Unfortunately they can play havoc with your child's comfort and health. This is mass market stuff and everybody is different, so keep an eye on products.

Look at the ingredients on the packs and see if they have included any chemicals or colors that could be causing your problems. This is one very good reason to recommend all natural products for baby skin care. There is less chance of problems caused where fragrances can affect breathing and asthma type symptoms.

You can always make your own products as that will be one surefire way to know exactly what is going into them however you're probably already coping with a shortage of time and energy so for most people that won't be a viable option.

Another thing to consider is the fact that they have always got their hands on their mouth and anything that comes in contact with their hands is likely to get ingested. For this reason anything that you put on your baby's skin has to be safe orally or at least taste bad enough to dissuade them from doing it again.

Baby is going to suffer one major irritant, nappy (diaper) rash.

Keep the diaper clean and dry. It’s the moisture that softens the skin and allows penetration of toxins. Remember they don’t just pee themselves. This combination in a warm enclosed diaper will cause all sorts of trouble. And when a child changes to more solid food they need to be changed more often.

So what is the best all-round product to protect baby? Cleanliness is essential and nothing will replace it. But petroleum jelly or Johnson’s Baby Oil are top of the list to protect against chaffing and forming a barrier against poisons entering the bloodstream through the skin.

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While writing this issue a friend asked what was meant by the first sentence.

Kids eat dirt, bugs, and flowers and put their own poop into their mouths. It’s simply what they do. It is a learning process and teaches them a great deal. But more than that; it prepares the body to fight the nasty things they will encounter.

The problem arises when they ingest poisons like rodent bait, garden fertilizer or medicine cabinet pills. Obviously these need proper storage or being kept beyond their reach

We tend to use cleaners so much that we create a sterile environment that can produce kids with underdeveloped immunities. They’re not ‘toughened up’ so they’re vulnerable to any nasty bug that may come along in later life.

We could argue that the cleaners themselves could be a source of health disruption to an oversensitive child like this.

A male child who develops Mumps (parotitus) won’t get it as an adult. That’s fortunate because it can cause sterility in teenagers and adults. See what the purpose of immunization is?

Becoming immune to these assaults on the body is a survival technique. The people against immunization can’t deny this but they say we have gone too far in introducing unnatural immunization that can actually harm rather than help.

Please, if you disagree send a comment.

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Do your children believe in Santa Clause?

What is “eclampsia”? We’ll get onto these topics in the next issue.

It’s quite surprising but about 50% of children under the age of twelve have an “eidetic” memory. What’s that? It’s what is commonly known as a ‘photographic’ memory.

Somehow it disappears as we age. This is probably because it is not encouraged. We were taught by other adults who let this ability slide so we do the same. But it is there and you can develop it if you know about it.

Show your child a picture for a short time and then ask questions about how many of certain items are in it; or what color something is.

Gauge the state of the child’s eidetic capacity over a few different times and if you like what you find start developing it. This can be done with normal memory games but with a greater slant to the visual aspects.

Such a talent can be a huge benefit in life so it’s worth your while.

• If you would like to contribute more than a comment, get in touch at iqchildren@gmail.com If you have a blog on a compatible topic, I will promote it if it benefits my readers. Get in touch.

Be good to each other,

Jay Ross.

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