The Value of Experience - A Mom Example

"If kids died from eating dirt, there would be no people." ~ me

In my previous job, I learned I could easily tell a first time mom from an experienced mom by how concerned they were about dirt. One great example of the difference is how the mothers treat a pacifer that's just fallen from their baby's mouth onto the floor. Here's a summary of how I see the mother's reacting to the situation:

First time mom. She will pick up the pacifier, take it to a sink, wash it with soap and water and dry it before returning it to the baby.

It is natural for the first time mom to think cleaning the pacifier reduces risk for the baby. After all, we know germs can cause diseases in adults and therefore, we want to avoid having a baby come in contact with things that aren't clean. In fact, there is even a desire to be anti-bacterial.

Experienced mom. She will pick up the pacifier, shake off the large particles, and wipe it on her shirt before putting it back in the baby's mouth.

The experienced mom knows there is very little change in risk between a clean pacifier and one that has fallen on the ground. It's not uncommon for babies to put non-food items in their mouth, when moms are not watching. The reality is that babies are coming into contact with a lot of items from the ground. If dirt was dangerous, there wouldn't be many people alive, because they wouldn't have made it passed being a toddler.

Of course, I would never tell a mother not to wash a pacifier that has fallen on the floor. However, first time moms become experienced moms very fast and understand that dirt on a pacifier is one of the lower risks to a baby.

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