How healthy is your family’s home?

How healthy is your family’s home? It’s not an easy question to answer because, depending on your child’s age, there are different concerns. Children grow up faster than we could ever imagine, and each age brings a different stage of growth, development and learning.

Since we can all use a few new tricks, Heidi Murkoff, author of the “What to Expect Series” developed “What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home” through a grant from The Clorox Company. A new supplement to the guide, “What to Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart,” gives parents helpful tips for a healthy home during each milestone of a child’s first few years.

Here are a few useful tips from the guide:

As they grow: Did you know that the average child can touch up to about 300 surfaces every 30 minutes? That can add up to a lot of germs being passed around. But don’t stress out about all those microscopic menaces. The good news is that your home is probably a lot cleaner than you think. Yes, even your seemingly messy home — the one with the toys covering the living room floor and the laundry basket that always seems to be overflowing — isn’t such a dirty place after all. Thanks to improved sanitation and personal hygiene, food safety and preventative medicine, the likelihood that you or your kids will get seriously sick from the mess you call home is pretty slim.

Still, you don’t want to give all those germs an all-access pass to your home and your kids. So when you’re doing your regular cleaning, pay special attention to frequently-touched “germ hot spots” around the house, such as door knobs, light switches, keyboards, phones, hard toys, kitchen counters, and bathroom surfaces by wiping them down with a disinfecting cleaner or wipe.

Hand washing is the most effective way to help keep germs from spreading. Make hand washing a house rule – before meals, after using the toilet, after coming in from playtime, after blowing noses, and so on. To make hand washing fun and effective, have your kids wash their hands in warm, soapy water for as long as it takes the sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. Add to the fun by using foaming soap or soaps with yummy smells (don’t forget to ask for a whiff after they’ve washed up).

0 to 3 years: By the time your baby reaches his or her first birthday, you’ll have changed nearly 2,500 diapers. Setting up small changing stations with baby wipes and diapers in multiple rooms in your house can make diaper changing a little easier on you. To help ensure all those diaper changes don’t contribute to the spread of germs, remember to wash your hands with warm soapy water before and after changing a diaper, and wash the changing pad cover in hot water once or twice a week. Clean hard surfaces of the changing table with mild detergent and water every few days, and for those times when soap and water won’t cut it, disinfect by wiping surfaces of the changing table with a disinfecting cleaner or wipe.

1 month: To make bottle cleaning easy, put bottles and nipples in the dishwasher. If you wash them by hand, use hot water, soap, and a bottle brush for those hard-to-reach places.

3 months: You’ll notice that your baby will put toys — and just about everything else — in his or her mouth. Keep those hard toys clean by washing them with soapy water (rinse well) or tossing them in the dishwasher.

6 Months: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all children get an annual flu shot, starting at six months old.

1 year: It’s now time to baby-proof your house. Make sure your outlets are covered, wires and cords are hidden, and cabinet doors and drawers have breaks or locks on them. Also, make sure small items that could be a choking hazard are out of reach.

2 years: To show germs and allergens to the door after a playdate, toss stuffed animals in the laundry. If a stuffed toy isn’t machine-washable, you can put it in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight to help get rid of dust mites.

3 years: Make sure everyone has his or her own toothbrush and no one shares, and store toothbrushes at least one inch apart.

4 years: After playing outside, remind your child to always wash his or her hands when coming inside. Also, when you’re out and about in the family car, try limiting food and drinks on the go.

5 years: Don’t leave your home without hand wipes or hand sanitizer, and pack
bottled water or a juice box so you can skip the public water fountain.

To download free copies of “What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home” and “What to Expect Healthy Home Growth Chart,” visit www.Clorox.com.