Constant Colds?

Hi J.
I have read somewhere that it is normal for children to have about 12 colds a year. My 4 year old granddaughter seems she no sooner gets over one infection than she goes down with another.It is only a few weeks ago she had a cold and now she as got an ear infection. The Doctor says it is nothing to worry about,Also with your child being in day care they are more likely to catch any thing going so i would try not to worry
Hope your little one is well soon
Regards M.

My son has clear runny nose all the time and he was 2 in Nov. 07 -- the Dr. had him on a daily dose of Clartin worked for a little while but we had to be put on Allegra 2x a day. He is doing much better but it could be an enviornmental thing .. I swear my son is allergic to the hamster in his classroom and everyone thinks I'm nuts!

Sounds absolutely normal.... The more kids they are around, the more viruses, etc... they get. My oldest was in daycare and got more "stuff" than you can imagine.... strep, colds, pneumonia. I think her resistance was better by the time she reached first grade - so hang in there!

I hear you - this is also a major source of frustration for me! My youngest is 9 months and she has had a constant runny nose, cough, and even had brochiolitis (common in infants, NOT bronchitis) three times this winter. It's sometimes hard for me to tell if she has a runny nose because she is teething, or if she's actually sick. She had an ear infection in January so I worry about that returning. My oldest was also in day care at an early age and has had her share of colds, but I feel like they actually went away with her, as opposed to the baby, who it seems just continues on with them! So I wish I had better advice for you... at least you know you are not alone. Just remember, they build an immunity when they're very young from day care, or it hits them in preschool and kindergarten - trust me, I am also an elementary school teacher. Some way, they're going to get the germs, unfortunately! Good luck and let me know if you discover any secrets!

FYI: I heard in the news not too long ago that humidity helps against the spread of germs. It protects the air passages and skin so that they don't get dry and crack - allowing germs to enter the body. You can tell if there is too little or too much humidity in the air during the winter if you live in a cold outside environment. If the windows have water clinging to them on the inside of the house - to much humidity. If the windows are dry on the inside of the house - time to turn on the humidifier.

I do have food intolerances which aren't allergies but they are an immune response. It causes me to have post-nasal drip, enlarged tonsils with abscesses, and fluid in my ear(s). Since changing my diet I've had less post-nasal drip, my tonsils are smaller with less abscesses, and I can't hear the fluid in my ear anymore. When I could hear the fluid, the physican's assistant who was checking my ears told me he couldn't see any.

Good luck!
M.

Hi J.

My daughter started day care in January. Also 3 days a week. She has had a runny nose and cough ever since. My husband and I have also shared in her symptoms on and off for the past 2 months as well. Once my pediatrician found out I was sending my daughter to day care in January, she had warned me she would have increased colds and "bugs." My pediatrician also had me start her on a flu shot before she began daycare.

So I think it's just a fact of daycare. Kind of hard with all those little ones, not to spread germs and keep passing the cold around the circle.

A. L.

My son and nieces and nephews have all suffered from the constant runny nose. The ones who cut milk products out of their diet, or minimized the amount of dairy consumed, no longer have constant runny noses. Believe it or not milk is a huge culprit. They don't have to pass an allergy test to discover that milk is the problem. Milk products cause mucus production...ta dah! I was heartbroken to find it out, since I too was having issues and needed to cut out milk...I love milk! Cut out dairy, bananas, sugary foods for a while and see what happens. It's tough, but it's possible!

Good Luck!

When my daughter went to daycare at 6 months, she was sick all the time (6 ear infections in 4 months). My pediatrican said that the first year that kids are "out and about" in the world (daycare, kindergarden if they've stayed home) they get on average 10 colds that last 10 days each! That's pretty much being constantly sick. The only upside was that things got much better in the summer, and now, her third year in daycare, she's hardly ever sick (knock on wood!) Good luck getting through it!

I don't know if your child has any other symptoms, but I recently went through a problem with my daughter, now 3 who was having problems with a runny nose and cough, she had so much mucus that it would cause her to cough and throw up. After many doctor's visits including an allergist, she has been diagnosed with Asthma. I would have never thought that could be the culprit, she takes singulair at night and has 2-3 breathing treatments a day to control it. We have also found out that cold weather can trigger this in Asthmatics. Wish you luck!

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Hi J.:

I have a 5 yr old daughter and 2 yr old son. We just recently (Nov. '07) moved to a new part of the state. Both of my kids are enrolled in Day Care 5 days per week, while I work full time. Since we moved my daughter has had ear infections, once it was swimmer's ear and the other time was an inner ear infection. But my son has had ear infections on 2 different occasions and both times it has been inner ear infections, the last time in both ears. They were both put on antibiotics for 10 days. My son has a had a runny nose off and on for the 4+ months since we have moved. Before we moved he was barely ever sick. The Pediatrian just says it's new germs and new Day Care with more kids. The area we moved to does have a higher population. My son has also had goupy eyes off and on and I've been told that is tied to the ear infections. He just finished his antiobiotic about a week ago, but still has the goupy eyes, so I'm wondering if he still has an ear infection. However, he is a lot less irritable than he was and he has his appetite back. I have missed a lot of work due to this, and I'm in a new job...so I am just as frustrated as you must be.

Hope this information helps you in some way.

J.,
This is very common among children who attend daycare. Once their immune system builds up to all the germs the other children bring in, the symptoms will subside. Unfortunately there isn't a lot that you can do in the meantime. (At least spring is comming ~ that will help a lot too!!!)

You didn't say exactally how old your child was... however...

If they are old enough to learn to wash their hands that would help. Try to teach your child not to put his/her fingers in any body cavity - mouth, eyes, nose... those are easy things that you, as a parent, can do to bring down the amount of colds.

However, daycares are known for a child getting more colds - thats the unfortunate side of daycare. You daycare provider should be disenfecting frequently -- clorox and water works. If it's a home provider they may not be as dilegent as a large facility due to staffing.

People will say "more kids, more colds" but my son is in school and he doesn't get sick (two sniffle colds all year). Of course, he's 6 so he knows to wash his hands, not to pick his nose, not to put things in his mouth, not to eat food he drops.. etc. etc. And the schools disenfect daily.

My first child was home with me til he was 4, then he went to preschool, only 2 mornings, and had about 8-10 colds that year!!! Bad ones too, constantly he was treated for sinus infections, I think it was just bad colds that wouldnt go away, but they did.

When he went on to kindergarten, he caught a few colds that year, 1st grade about 2-3 colds, and even less as the years go on.

If she is a toddler, she's probally more likely to catch stuff, cause some dont know to cough in their sleeves, and they wipe their noses with their hands, and put their hands to their mouths in general.

I hope thing get better for you guys.......

I spend a lot of time with snotty sons - a 4 year old and a 6 month old. I chalk it up to day care... there tends to be less in the summer. Overall they are both very healthy (few ear infections, no GI stuff, active, growing, learning, eating) so I guess I haven't given it much more thought than hoping I don't catch too many of them myself.

I don't know if your child has any other symptoms, but I have heard from many parents that this symptom was related to food intolerance and when they tried an elimination diet, found the offender (usually gluten, dairy, or soy).
M.