What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home Growth Chart

After about 5 months of pregnancy, I hit the nesting stage. And everything had to be clean. I would spend hours cleaning every little nook and cranny of our house, not wanting a single germ around my baby.

Over the last 5 years, I have toned down my cleaning obsession a bit, but I still like to keep things clean. I'd rather spend a few minutes disinfecting the house than a week dealing with a sick little one.

Heidi Murkoff, author of the What to Expect series, recently published the Healthy Home Growth Chart with a grant from Clorox. The chart offers advice on keeping your child healthy from birth up to age 5.
For example, Murkoff says moms of 5-year-olds shouldn't leave home without sanitizer or anti-bacterial wipes, as playgrounds can have more germs than a public toilet. Moms should also have a bottle of water handy so that germ-laden water fountains can be avoided.

Around here, we have never leave home without our all-natural hand sanitizer (so I can use it without worrying about it containing alcohol), and we have a sports bottle personalized with my son's name so he feels special carrying it. Both have likely saved us from catching colds or worse over the last few years.

The Healthy Home Growth Chart is a great reference for moms who only have a few minutes to read over the tips. It also has very practical advice, with a huge emphasis on proper hand washing and general care.

And just so you know...I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox and the What to Expect Guide, and I received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.