How clean is clean? Where should parents draw the line?

Dr Badi Alatasi, consultant paediatrician at Valiant Clinic Dubai (left), highlighted the fact that excessive cleaning can increase the chances of developing allergies.

“Our systems need to be challenged with bacteria to stop them from developing allergies,” he said.

“I would not recommend the regular use of antibacterial cleaning products for that reason — despite there being no confirmed evidence that obesity in children is caused by using such cleaning products.”

Dr Alatasi added that there are places that require regular use of antibacterial cleaning agents such as hospitals and clinics but households are not in this category.

“In our households, we need to be clean but not sterile,” he said.

According to Dr Sridhar Kalyanasundaram, consultant neonatologist and head of department at Zulekha Hospital, Dubai, “The hygiene hypothesis addresses the fact that children reared in relatively germ-free, protected environments have a higher risk of allergic diseases like asthma, allergic rhinitis, etc, compared to children brought up in environments with lot of exposure to soil organisms, animals and relatively earthy surroundings.

“In simplistic terms, if our immune system does not get adequate opportunity to fight infections, it increases the risk of developing allergy, etc. The same applies to kids who play more outdoors (getting dirty) with no restrictions compared to those confined to indoor play.

“Parents would do well to remember that teaching clean habits doesn’t mean depriving the child of normal outdoor play. It would help not to be obsessed with cleanliness. Instead, develop a balanced approach to [children’s hygiene] by allowing normal play, exposure to soil, etc. At the same time, ensure the child washes [his/her] hands before eating and cleans up after. Parents could also use regular soaps/cleansers rather than antibacterial [products].”