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Q. My kid insists on eating snow when we are outside but we live in a city and the snow has to be dirty

Dr. Zibners' Answer:

Ah, the dog pee and motor oil must be what attracts her. Eating snow is fun and while I sure would prefer my own kids to eat pristine, just fallen flakes from the middle of an untouched meadow, the reality is that most kids are going to be grabbing from the piled up frozen mountains right on the sidewalk. I wouldn’t encourage the behavior and would try to distract her or look for “clean” patches where she can grab a treat. However, I also wouldn’t worry myself too much about it. My favorite saying is, “You eat a pound of dirt before you die,” which is just my way of reminding myself and others that our immune system is perfectly capable of sorting the good from the bad and probably even enjoys the challenge. The younger the kid, the more delicate and immature the immune system, so I’m less likely to let my 4 week-old eat mud than I would a 2 year-old but if your kid is old enough to grab the snow and put it in her mouth, she’s probably big enough to handle whatever impurities she finds in there.

Dr. Lara Zibners, Feb 19, 2010

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