Now that your little one is crawling, they love to be on the living room floor, shuffling this way and that. And during one such adventure, your dog – and their favourite playmate – rushes up to lick their face all over! Despite your child’s gleeful giggles, you pull the dog away and give your baby’s face a quick wipe with a wet flannel. After all, you don’t want them to be exposed to any germs. Or do you? Isn’t some exposure to germs actually a good thing for your child’s immune system? Is it possible you’re being a little too much of a clean freak?

The ‘how clean is too clean?’ question is a hot topic among parents, and with some validity to both viewpoints, which one is the right one?

Well, to begin with, let’s explore the differing perspectives.

What are the different perspectives?

One perspective is that newborns need constant and vigilant care to protect them from exposure to germs because their immune systems are weaker than ours. Therefore, parents should regularly wash their hands and use hand sanitisers, and keep home surfaces free of any germs.

The other, more common, perspective is that exposure to common household germs and dirt helps your infant to develop a strong immune system, while over-sanitising the home environment will cause their immune system to remain immature and hypersensitive.

But why is it that germs and dirt help to strengthen my baby’s immune system?

In simple terms, when our immune systems are introduced to a new bacteria, they learn to fight said bacteria and then essentially memorise how to go about defending from it in future. It’s also the case that some bacteria are actually good for our guts, helping the digestive system to function.

So with all of this in mind, which is the correct perspective?

Well, there’s truth in both. Certain illnesses are more harmful to babies than they are to us adults, and so there are occasions where you need to be careful. But ultimately, infants should see some exposure to common germs so as to build up a strong and resilient immune system.

So when do I need to be careful, and how can I safely expose my baby to germs?

How can I safely expose my baby to germs to improve their immune system?

Now, you certainly shouldn’t go about exposing your baby to someone who is ill and, until they’ve had their shots, it’s best to avoid being in heavily populated spaces such as supermarkets, hospitals and aeroplanes. It might also help to have some sanitiser and masks at the ready in case of any ill visitors to your home. But do avoid going about the home over-sanitising their environment and let your baby get into some messes that will ultimately help to fortify their immune system.

Once they’ve had their shots, let them crawl about in the garden (under your supervision), let them roll about on the living room floor with the dog, and instead of giving their dummy a wash when it falls on the kitchen floor, just stick it in your own mouth before giving it back to your baby (if the idea of this makes you cringe, don’t worry, it’s not absolutely necessary).

So long as you’re not sanitising your home from top to bottom and always preventing your little one from getting into a few messes, which they inevitably will, exposing your baby to germs isn’t really any more complicated than that!

In fact, the NHS recommends sterilising bottles until babies are a year old but the American Academy of Paediatrics does not. General paediatrician Dr. Su Laurent, author of parenting book Your Baby Month By Month recommends cleaning bottles in hot soapy water or a dishwasher, and not sterilising anything ever.

Having said this, you should steer clear of any sick children until your baby has had the necessary vaccines, as some childhood illnesses can be dangerous for babies. And bear in mind that if your baby is less than 3 months old and develops a fever, they will need to be seen by a doctor.

How clean is too clean?

On Unii’s Baby Health Journey, we look at how clean things really need to be for your baby.