When my youngest was in preschool, within a minute of entering our home, they would immediately be “hair-free.” As they waddle out to play, socks, shirts, pants, and even headbands from their braids are unceremoniously dumped on the floor in front of the door. Now that they are teenagers, they keep their clothes on (mostly) except for their socks until they take a shower at the end of the day. But…what did they think when they were kids? That’s what pediatrician Dr. Gabriella Dauer, who posts on TikTok as @oncallpeds, wants to know.
“Do you kids change your clothes when you get home from school?” she asked in a recent post. “I actually thought this was going to be an old wives’ tale, but I saw two pediatricians I actually follow posted about this recently, like, ‘One of the ways to keep your kids safe is to start when they get home. Change clothes afterwards. I’ve never done that.
Apparently, she noted that if her kids were particularly sloppy or sweaty, or came home from strenuous exercise training, she would let them change, but other than that, they just played in their school uniforms until it was time for baths and pajamas .
As a scientist, she wanted to learn more about whether her current practices were putting her children at risk for the disease, so she looked at existing research… which is good news for less…more of us Attentive mothers…
“The chances are slim,” she concluded. “[It’s] Very rarely is enough Staphylococcus or enough E. coli. E. coli can actually survive on your clothes long enough that you touch the area and then your mouth and nose. It had to be a perfect storm for you to get sick.
Doyle went on to warn that while health care workers who are often around patients may need to change clothes after get off work, or if there is an immunocompromised person in the home, anyone should change clothes. However, generally speaking, you can let your child wear the same clothes all day long.
“Honestly, I’m shocked at how this myth is being spread,” she marvels.
Despite this information, commenters were largely unconvinced.
“If I were sitting in a public place, I would change my own clothes,” read one comment that had more than 350 likes as of press time.
“Yes!” another agreed “Right in the house, take off your clothes and take a shower. Every time!” (This sentiment is one of the most frequently repeated in the comments.)
“I tell them to wash their hands as soon as they get home,” read another, more cautious response. (In fact, doctors and scientists agree it goes a long way toward preventing disease.)
But most people think that’s not good enough.
Another commenter replied: “No shoes in the house, change of clothes, hand washing, and washing lunch boxes and backpacks with Lysol before they come in.”
personallyI don’t mind outside clothes coming in, but if people feel it’s better to change clothes or have their kids change clothes, well, that’s their life and their clothes.
