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I have a 1 year old, whom I've been taking to playgrounds nearby me here in San Francisco since he was 6 months old. He is on his naked feet, in a public space,

I have a 1 year old, whom I've been taking to playgrounds nearby me here in San Francisco since he was 6 months old. He is on his naked feet, in a public space, almost daily and gets great joy out of it, and there are lots of super clean, really nice facilities here. I've also been biking him since he hit 20 pounds, at 9 months. There are acquaintances of mine closer to 2-10x as wealthy as I am, and they have never taken their 1 year olds to a playground. They drive everywhere. They don't childproof their homes, they are filled with designer furniture. They have big playpens. They're definitely elite educated. They are certainly aware of the benefits of this kind of development / play for their children. They own all the same Wirecutter approved crap as I do, so they are online, they have read this stuff. These are cultural differences. They are not motivated by racism or something like that - you know, potentially encountering the "other" at the playground is not really what it's about. People feel the outside world is dirty and their babies are clean and that dirt is stress. Imagine this for 10 years. You will be driving your kids a quarter of a mile. The best thing to do would be a viral Instagram momfluencer campaign. This is just how the "clean" people think and consume. You do not comprehend how stressful children are for this group. It's bimodal.

deleted 4y ago
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rippercushions 4y ago
Yup, a friend of ours turned into one of these "babies are clean" moms, down to wiping their hands with baby wipes every time before they were allowed to touch food. Unsurprisingly the kid's completely undeveloped immune system decided to compensate by developing severe allergies to wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts.
shagie 4y ago
> People feel the outside world is dirty and their babies are clean and that dirt is stress. I just stumbled across this the other day... "How mud boosts your immune system" - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220929-how-outdoor-play-boosts-kids-immune-systems https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220929-how-outdoor-play... > Children love getting dirty. They are drawn to puddles like muddy magnets, with no regard for footwear or the colour of their clothing. But getting mucky could have a powerful effect on their wellbeing, too. > "Don't get dirty!" was once a constant family refrain, as parents despairingly watched their children spoil their best clothes. Whether they were running through farmers' fields, climbing trees or catching tadpoles, it was inevitable that children's whites would turn brown before the day was over.
midoridensha 4y ago
>These are cultural differences. ... People feel the outside world is dirty and their babies are clean and that dirt is stress. Imagine this for 10 years. You will be driving your kids a quarter of a mile. No wonder younger Americans all have deadly allergies to so many common things like peanuts.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

rippercushions 4y ago

Yup, a friend of ours turned into one of these "babies are clean" moms, down to wiping their hands with baby wipes every time before they were allowed to touch food. Unsurprisingly the kid's completely undeveloped immune system decided to compensate by developing severe allergies to wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts.

shagie 4y ago

> People feel the outside world is dirty and their babies are clean and that dirt is stress. I just stumbled across this the other day... "How mud boosts your immune system" - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220929-how-outdoor-play-boosts-kids-immune-systems https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220929-how-outdoor-play... > Children love getting dirty. They are drawn to puddles like muddy magnets, with no regard for footwear or the colour of their clothing. But getting mucky could have a powerful effect on their wellbeing, too. > "Don't get dirty!" was once a constant family refrain, as parents despairingly watched their children spoil their best clothes. Whether they were running through farmers' fields, climbing trees or catching tadpoles, it was inevitable that children's whites would turn brown before the day was over.

midoridensha 4y ago

>These are cultural differences. ... People feel the outside world is dirty and their babies are clean and that dirt is stress. Imagine this for 10 years. You will be driving your kids a quarter of a mile. No wonder younger Americans all have deadly allergies to so many common things like peanuts.