Toileting babies

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how fasting affects acne and how phthalates and air pollution affect brain development. We then talk about diaper dermatitis - what it is and how it affects both short and long-term health. We then discuss how other cultures react proactively to baby toileting and what that looks like in practice. We finish by discussing how to know when your baby needs to go.

Topics covered

* How Ramadan fasting affects acne [00:40]

* How phthalates and air pollution affect brain development [03:34]

* Why we should care about diaper dermatitis [10:03]

* What diaper dermatitis is [17:16]

* How other cultures manage infant toileting [24:07]

* Which cultures still use proactive toileting? [36:17]

What topics should we cover next?

Resources mentioned in this podcast

* Bacterial immunity, viral immunity, and the effects of fasting: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)30972-2

* The effect of Ramadan fasting on acne: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00403-024-03561-5

* Prenatal phthalates and neurodevelopment: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57273-z

* Readable version of the particulate pollution and neurodevelopment paper: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250401131319.htm

* Babies who toilet outside of diapers learn how to fully empty their bladder earlier than those who don’t: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1477513113001198

* More common bedwetting with disposable diaper use in China: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/nau.24002

* Infant toileting in China: https://www.soultravelers3.com/2013/01/bare-butt-babies-in-china-diaper-free-split-pants.html

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