Many babies use their hands to relieve stress or soothe themselves. But thumb-sucking and nail biting are two ‘bad’ habits parents try to correct. Yet, a recent study shows that children naturally use these habits to boost their immune systems.

So, don’t get mad if your kid would rather suck his or her fingers than a pacifier. The good news is that children who engage in these habits are 30 percent more likely to build an immune system strong enough to stave off most allergies.

Professor Malcolm Sears, lead author of the study and researcher with McMaster University School of Medicine, explained that it is essential for kids to get in contact with pets, house dust mite, and dirt.

The latest study, which was recently published in Pediatrics, confirms the hypothesis that being too clean may prevent kids from building strong immune systems. It is widely known that children who have parents obsessed with cleanliness  are more prone to develop allergies or catch colds.

Prof Sears recommend parents to let their kids get exposed to dirt from their infancy. He explained that when a kid is biting his or her nails or sucking thumbs, he or she is also exposed to various types of bugs and bacteria which helps them stimulate their immune system.

However, researchers don’t advise parents to encourage the two habits in their children. Instead, they should just let kids be kid. For instance, researcher Salima Milliot recommends allowing kids play in the dirt and grass.

“That’s what kids should do.”

Milliot said.

Yet some parents may argue that thumb sucking could ruin their kids’ tooth development. Researchers explained that the habit can have a negative impact only when the child develops permanent teeth which happens around the age of 5. Nevertheless, you should take advise from a dentist in your kid’s case.

Still, researchers by no means encourage nail biting in adults as a way of boosting their immune systems. According to a separate study, this habit doesn’t have the same positive outcomes in adults as it has in toddlers.

An adult who is frequently biting their nails does not only ruin their manicure, but he or she also introduces zillions of pathogens in their mouths. So, the risk of catching a cold or developing a disease multiplies.

An adult can also develop a hard-to-treat skin infection called paronychia which affects the skin around the nail, researchers said.

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