HEALTHY HOME

HEALTHY HOME, HEALTHY KIDS How to Keep Them Safe

Ahealthy home for kids looks much like what’s needed for a healthy planet: clean air, clean water and clean food, all of which create a space in which our children can be well and thrive. Th is means taking active steps to eliminate everyday contaminants that can harm their developing organs and brains. “Children are not mini-adults. Th eir bodies cannot fi lter out toxins and chemicals as eff ectively as a fullby Ronica O’Hara

grown adult body can,” says Kimberly Button, author of Th e Everything Guide to a Healthy Home: All You Need to Know to Protect You and Your Family from Hidden Dangers. Here are some practical steps to take. Clean Air  Clean “green”. Th e chemicals in popular disinfectants alter children’s gut microbes and heavy use leads to

NaturalAwakeningsSWPA.com higher body mass index by age 3, reports Canadian researchers; eco-friendly cleaning agents do not harm kids’ health, they found. A solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water can be used to clean counters, fl oors and toilets. Th e acetic acid in vinegar can deactivate even the fl u and tuberculosis viruses, recent studies have shown.

 Get rid of mold. Mold, especially if it’s black, is highly toxic to children: a Polish study found it lowered IQs in children under 6. “When the mycotoxins in mold aff ect children’s developing nervous systems we may see fatigue, diffi culty learning, and attention issues,” says naturopath Jill Crista of Janesville, Wisconsin, author of Break Th e Mold: 5 Tools to Conquer Mold and Take Back Your Health. She recommends mixing in a glass (not plastic) spray bottle essential oils, such as rosemary, holy basil, tea tree or eucalyptus, spraying the mold, and using a disposable cloth to wipe it off . Th e essential oils “not only kill mold, but neutralize the toxins,” she says. “It won’t fi x mold on porous surfaces, which require professional remediation.”

 Ban smoking. Children that breathe secondhand smoke are more prone to ear infections, coughs and colds, tooth decay and respiratory problems like asthma and pneumonia, and they miss more days of school, reports the American Academy of Pediatrics. Even smoke residue that clings to clothes, furniture, bedding and other surfaces can harm a child when this third-hand smoke is inhaled, absorbed or ingested.

Clean Water  Get a water test. Because children drink more water per pound than adults, even low levels of contaminants can impact their IQ and behavior. Check with the local health department to see if it off ers free test kits, buy one at a hardware store or fi nd a local lab by calling the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.