My 2 Boys Are Continuously Sick

Hi, it may not be your home but the day care center.
How many are sick at the daycare center and did any need to go to the hospital that go to day care?
Any other kids have strep at daycare?
Usually the first kick start of our furnaces will stur up some stuff into the air when fall forces us to begin heating the house, but after that it seems me that most times school or daycares or around people who sneeze in general is where we get the start of a cold or worse.
Make sure you remember to change the filter on your furnace, we do every month in the winter.
Wipe TV controls remotes to tvs sometimes overlooked.
Im sure you wipe the tables and other things in your home.
We have been lucky 2 years now without colds, I am a dealer for a fresh air unit, which we put in the house and it kils germs and bacteria mold mildew ect.....
They cost $750.00 but worth it I think.
Plus we have wood floors so dirt and germs aren't embedded into carpet from years of caughing, sneezing,dander and other germs, and we bleach water the wood floors.
But I would look into the daycare for starters.
R.

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Sorry to hear of your problems. First of all, antibiotics kill off good and bad bacteria. The problems is that bad bacteria grow faster than the good, so your child is alo more likely to get sick after antibiotics-- You need to give them good bacteria, acidopholis to get there systems back to normal. Also, if it continues you may want to see an alternative Dr that specializes in meridian testing, like Dr. Larry Everhart.

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In my experience, there is a lot more involved in keeping kids healthy and minimizing illnesses then cleaning the toys. According to my pediatrician, my kids are well below average on getting sick. Getting enough sleep and eating the best foods also has a big impact on the abilities of their bodies to stay well and fight illnesses. Washing hands frequently is a must! Dr. Sears (he has a whole bunch of parenting books) has some great advice on his website regarding sleep and nutrition - www.askdrsears.com. Unfortunately, I've read in parenting magazines that studies show most kids in the US aren't getting enough sleep. Get rid of the junk food, increase water intake as well as fruits and vegetables, and increase sleep time. Especially when they are taking antibiotics, make sure they eat quality yogurt like Stoneybrook farms - something with a lot of live, active cultures (it will say on the labeling) and less added sugar. Make sure they take a daily vitamin. If you want any advice on healthy kid snacks and food that they'll eat, please send me a private email and I'll be glad to help! Take care! J.

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First, I would check the day care. My son, always had ear infections and what not constantly, when I became a stay at home mom, 2 1/2 years ago, he's been sick once with ear infection, once with cold so maybe find out if other kids from daycare are sick and find out what they do to kill germs and stuff. Also, do you give them vitamin c? If you give them a dose every day (you could crush a chewable and put in the baby's food or bottle) and then triple the dose when they start getting symptoms, (you can't over dose on vitamin c) it helps boost their immune systems. It sounds like your keeping your house pretty well germ free. Hope this helped

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A.,
Three years ago we were in the same situation. We went from one cold which turned into an ear infection to the other child getting it and ear infection, to the stomach flu, back to the ear infections.... It was horrible. I realized when I did my taxes that next March that we were in the Dr's at least 2 times per week the entire cold and flu season !

Please know I don't know much about strep...as my kids get ear infections. But here is what has helped us.... Airborne! It is homeopathic, without side effects and the kids have not been sick only maybe once per year since we started using it ! I have not been to the Dr with them now since June when my daughter had a very intense ear infection and had emergency ear tube surgery.

We take the Airborne whenever we start to feel even a twinge of a cold, when we are over tired, when the kids sneeze more than a few times or cough. We also take it if we are going into a situation where there will be lots of people or other kids other than school. I also take it when I know there has been a lot of the flu or stomach flu going around. It simply boosts your immune system to help you not get sick, and to help you get over it quicker if you do get sick.

Most major stores carry it now. It is with the cold and flu meds. It is $5-$6 a tube of 10. Compared to paying for 2-3 Dr appts and prescriptions every week...it is CHEAP !

Blessings.
M.

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This respitory season has peaked early this year. Usually kids all get really sick around the same time around this time of the month. For us here at children's hospital it peaked in november right before thanksgiving. as i reading you said a key thing DAYCARE. since your son's are attending a daycare there are still children that they are coming into contact with that has this respiratory bug. i am sure from your experience that you know that rsv is a virus, so is the flu, the common cold, etc...this means that there is nothing that can actually be given for the cold, flu, rsv, itself, but the nasal decongestion that treats the symptoms of these viruses. these viruses usually last 7-10 days and when the virus is at its worst its usually between days 3 and 5. it sounds like that you have done everything on your end to the best of your ability. the next step that i would take is seeing how many children have been sick at the same time in the daycare. just like they do schools they may have to shut it for a day or two just so that the center can be clean be cleaned properly. i know that it may be an inconvience to most, but it sounds like it needs to be done. maybe they haven't thought about either because a parent haven't yet bought it up. it makes no sense that you get your boys well they go back to daycare 2-3 days later they're sick again. hope this helps. let me know what you decide to do.

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Hello, A.. I am so sorry to hear about your little ones getting so ill! I work in a childcare/learning center and have for just about 9 years. This winter has been horrid! My 3 and 1/2 year old son and I have gotten ill, also. (As has my husband since we usually carry things home) I would have to agree to be sure the center is disinfecting toys regularly - at least daily as long as they see symptoms. It can be a tenacious job - but it is their job! Also, please know that they may be doing all they can to avoid passing the germs around. So many parents do all they can to push their children back to school before they should. They should be required to stay out for 24 hours AFTER symptoms disappear. It is so frustrating to see a child get a fever conveniently 5-6 hours after they have been dropped off. This is usually a sign they have been medicated and now everyone has been re-exposed!
Parents don't realize what they are doing - they have things that need done at work or can't stand to be home with their sick children any longer or what not. They don't think about the day the center will be closed because all the workers are home ill. It almost happened to us one year, so yes, this does happen!
So I guess I am saying you are more than likely not the problem... the center may not be either as far as they know. It is hard to know if the children have been contagious more than one day if they have been home a couple of days. There is a reason for that 24 hour rule. Please make sure your center posts illnesses and required time to be absent when illness strikes. It's better than nothing!
Good Luck!

The simple solution would be to keep them out of daycare. It is the source of many sicknesses and other sick problems throughout life. There are so many disgusting germs and so many kids, you don't know how their parents are with hygene, so for all you know these kids are sick and dirty. Any time you put your kids in a group situation you are going to have illness. You just can't rely on other parents to be as diligent as you are with hygene. I'm not saying to keep your kids from group activities, but limit them to things you can watch them do. When they are at the age for school, just be sure that they know not to share toys, pencils, etc. with other kids because that passes germs. Having them carry hand sanitizer helps too. Frequent hand washing helps. Teaching kids the right way to sneeze and cough is a big help as well. But mostly, keeping them limited to activities with other kids is the key. For all the money spent on medical bills and the rising cost of insurance, you could almost stay home with them to make sure they stay in good health. They are only little once! Take care, and good luck. Children's health is so important......having their little bodies all hopped up on medicine is so terrible. I feel for you, a lot of my friends have kids that are constantly sick, and I am always so glad mine are generally healthy (don't get me wrong, my just-recently-5 year old is in pre-school and has had his share of colds which have indeed been passed to my 2 year old, but nothing serious.) I hope it all works out for you - I will be thinking of you! Take care!

I don't have much advice except to just ride it out. My girls go to day care and always have. They used to get sick all the time, but I swear (knock on wood) because of all the illnesses that we went through early on, there immune systems are great now. My oldest (8 now) never misses school and my 4 year old has been very healthy since she turned 3. "They" do say that kids that go to day care are better off when they start school because they have already gone through all these tough times. Get some sleep and just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi A. M:

Sorry to hear about your boys. I'm a Mom of 5 under age 9 and it's definetly going around and lingering. I have a child that had chronic fevers, ear infections, etc. And now a nephew who has respiratory issues no one can seem to diagnose.

It's time for you to take matters into your own hands. Go see a specialist. Your pediatrician is there for your basic illnesses and will help you the best they can...but may not have the resources or always know the right time to suggest you move on to someone with a specialty towards that illness.

The hospital or ugent care center is basically there to make sure the kid stays alive. They treat the airway, breathing, and circulatory issues and when that's all good - send you on your way.

You need to take your boys to an office with a joint allergist and ENT. Together they are going to get these boy healed. Ask a lot of questions and if they are still sick, keep calling in. You are the CEO of your children's care.

Best of luck!

Hi A.,
I understand how frustrated you are with your sick kids. I was the one who was always sick here. I learned to get my immune system in good shape so I could fight things off, stopped using toxic cleaning products (and personal care products) which helped to challenge my immune system and now I have had only one bout with a cold-like issue (but mild) in two years. Let me know if you want to know what I did.
S.

Hi A.

A few weeks ago the flu bug hit our entire house. My 4 year old son started throwing up and having a fever of 102. Then on Sunday evening i got it and then my husband and 20 month old daughter got it the next day. When i started to feel better i used the clorox clean up spray because it has bleach in it and it also says it kills the flu virus. So i used that to clean my bathroom and kitchen counters and things. I also stripped the sheets off of the beds and washed then and sprayed disinfectant on the and in the room. So far we haven't had any repeats of the flu.

I am 32, married with 2 children, a son who is 4 and a daughter that is 20 months

I know it's horrible when your children are sick! There really isn't a lot you can do but let it run its course. That's easier said than done!

I'm a teacher, and yes, we've seen more sickness in our system this year then we have in the past - and its just now starting to calm down.

So needless to say, even if I don't get what my 1st graders bring in, I seem to take it home!

My daughter went from having strep (the youngest our doctor has seen with it) to an ear infection, to the other ear infected, to now just having what appears to be a common cold.
She was on 3 rounds of antibiotics - the last one being a BIG one - before she cleared up. BUT - she did end up getting a yeast diaper rash from it - which we are just now getting cleared up with another prescription! :)

General rule of thumb with antiobiotics - I make sure our daughter eats at least 2 things of yogurt a day - puts the good bacteria back in her system!

Also - as one of the other moms suggested - don't bust your butt cleaning things - if you live in a germ free house, your kids will eventually be exposed to germs elsewhere (school, storytime, other activity) and will just be more sick - exposure to germs helps build up their immune system. The same way it did for me - I was sick with everything my first year teaching, but now after several years I hardly get what my kids bring in, my body has built up a resistance to it.

I would recommend the Lysol Anywhere Hard Surface spray - I use it at home and in my classroom! Less harsh on you, your kids, and your pets! But I've also found that like hand washing - nothing works as well as hot soapy water! :)

Hope things are looking up and you and yours are feeling better!

My two boyz have been quite sick this winter also. They are nornally very healthy children. We have dealt with strep, pink eye, and at the present time they are both running high fevers. We went to ER last night, they said it was typical influenza, and all I can do is try to control the fevers and let the virus take its course. The youngest, 3, was already on antibiotics for pink eye, and we are continuing them. My oldest, soon to be 5 in March, vomited once and has had a fever since Thurs. that continually spikes to 102.5 or so. I have had to write down their med schedules to keep them straight. I did not put a full day in at all last week at work. My question is, Do I buy Lysol spray and just literally spray everything down, like toys, the couch and their beds? I have always been leary of lysol and bleach and do not use them because my mom is allergic to them and I was never sure if any of us were. I hate to find out the bad way.
Hang in there, you are not alone. I like to brag my kids are healthy, but our record at the ER shows differently. All in all, I know here in Ohio, it just got cold enough to kill all the germs this last week or so. We recently just started daycare last summer too, and things have been alot differently since then. They go to an in home provider, who is very clean, and gets sick kids out immediately, but I don't think some things can be avoided.

Take care and Good Luck, I sure need some.

Just a quick thought...make sure it's not from the peanut butter contamination, although it may not apply to such little munchkins. My children have also been vomiting, fever & diarrhea a lot lately, but it turns out we had a few jars of the contaminated p.b.

As a working mom, I appreciate the necessity of child care during the day. My only suggestion is to listen to your pediatrician and to be sure they actually swallow all of their prescribed antibiotics, and please don't beat yourself up over this. I know it's so tough to watch your children suffer, but it sounds like you are doing everything in your power to help them get better. My children were in day care until my youngest was 9 months old, then I switched them to a sitter for financial reasons. They've been relatively healthy both places (aside from the constant ear infections my youngest had until he got his tubes in at 9 months old). I just think it's sometimes the luck of the draw, b/c I am not a super duper housekeeper, and my kids have been sick less than most of my friends' children. Good luck and my heart goes out to you.

How funny I have a 2 1/2 y/o Erik Jr and a 10 month old Andrew, we could be having parallel lives.

We also have the bug.

We have been treating the fever when it comes with Infant Tylenol.

I have given a little infant decongestant when breathing gets really labored.

Other than that it is running it's course and the boys seem to be recovering or at least holding their own.

I like the product Joy suggested... and I hate the hospital. The things they give them at the hospital/doctor's office give temporary help and cause more hospital visits in the future.

Did they mention that your child NEEDS to be eating a good organic yogurt everyday and for a week following taking antibiotics? The fact that they have both had antibiotics and now their immune systems are functioning at a lower level isn't really a surprise.

I have heard Albuterol has had some odd links in recent studies. ?? I'm thinking worsening asthma and allergies?? but I am not sure. Can't find the info off hand. I really truly know that it is scary listening to a small baby labor to breathe. I haven't had much sleep lately myself.

I also echo the comments of others... disinfecting toys with Lysol is not a good idea. Especially toys which go into children's mouths. Several studies have been done which show that children who come from a disinfected homes get sick much more than others... seems odd and counterintuitive but it is based on science. So take a load off and stop cleaning :)

Hi my name is B., not sure what to tell ya about the flu bug butI can tell ya about spraying lysol and other house hold products that we really dont relize how dangerouse they are to our children and pets and ourselves, if there are safer products we should all be using them alot of asthma and cancer in our young children today are being linked to the toxins in our homes i have found a great wholesale club that sells great products been in buisness going on 21 years safe for everyone and work better and safer if you would like more info let me know.

Well, A.,
I can feel what your going through. I only have one child, but I spend all my time and money at the doctors office and in line at Walgreens.
My daughter is sick most of the time. Sometimes its light enough I think I can take care of it, then things get worse and I end up taking her to the doctor anyway.
I truly think its the daycares. Mine is really clean, but sometimes it the parents of the other kids bring thier kids in sick and then yours gets sick and then they just pass it back and forth.
I have noticed in the spring in summer it not as bad, but in the mean time its really hard to keep on top of it all. I have been wrote up at work for missing so much. My boss won't hardly even talk to me anymore.
We have to take care of our children. I don't want me baby sick. I would so much rather it be me.
It sounds like you are doing all you can do. I have done all those things too. Do you buy them new tooth brushes when they get better? Do you have a cool mist humi for them both?
I wish you the best and hope that your boys are healthy soon.

There is alot of stuff going around. My son got pnamonia Jan. 2 and on that next Sunday I took him back to the doctor and he had Ear infection, then on the following Tuesday back to the doctor and he had strept throat and the Flu, and had been on antiboctic since Jan. 2 so they gave him a shot in the leg with a stronger antiboctic then I took him back to the doctor a week later and he had pnamonia again, all along being on preizone and breathing treatments because he has asthma too. When I went Friday for his recheck is was fine, after 25 days of sickness, he finally gets to go back to school Monday. He hasn't been to school in 2007 yet. But after talking to the doctor on Friday he gave him a medicine called purcuit they he takes twice a day until A. when the flu season is over. When I complained that I was sick of him being sick he said this is not uncommon. I have four children and only one got sick so far. Just an friendly email, hang in there it does get better.

A.,

I'm an elementary teacher, and this year's virus has been especially tenacious! Another teachers's daughter had an ear infection that didn't respond to amoxicillin and required two courses of the heavy duty stuff. I got my first ear infection in my life. My two daughters got ear infections that were hard to kill. The ear infections came after the cold/flu symptoms. Kids at my school and another teachers son and a son of her friend all got inflamation of the chest muscles which caused these kids to scream bloody murder and grab their hearts like they were having a heart attack. The one teacher's little 2 year old girl had a fever over 103 for several days and her body was limp and her eyes were glazed. It was scary. Her mom took her to the hospital twice.

It seems like there are a lot of different symptoms that appear after the cold/flu symptoms start, but it takes weeks and weeks and weeks for everyone to get over it.

I would suggest throwing out as many of the toys that you can and start fresh. It's worth the money to get everyone healthy.

And don't forget to change those toothbrushes often!! Everyone needs a new one after being sick!

The day care is probably where they are getting it from. My middle child was constantly sick from the time she was 1 till she was 3. She would run fevers of 102 or 103 and would be sick long after the rest of us would get better. Easter of 2005 she had a severe stomach flu and we couldn't get her to keep anything down. My husband went to Walgreens and got ani-nausia medicine and it calmed her stomach enough that she could eat anything. One of my friends recomended giving her a supplement called Sovereign Silver. They come in liquid form and are tasteless. I put it in her water, milk, juice, what ever and she never knows. She throws up if she sees or smells medicine. She has done a 180 in her health. When she gets sick, which is rarley, her fever is low and the illness only lasts half the time it used to. You can get it at the health food store and it's a bit expensive, but alittle goes a long way. You only give them a 2 to 3 drops a day. It's well worth the cost to regain you child's health and your sanity.

I just want to say, I hope you can come up with some answers because we have all been passing around illness since the first of the year and I am about to go in the poor house from buying Lysol and Bleach! Definately thinking of getting stock in those right after I invest in Duracell! Good Luck!

Hi A....

My 2 year old daughter was sick for about 2 weeks straight a while back. She started out with a fever and not eating and that turned into a bad cold. We gave her Tylenol/Motrin for the fever. We took her to the doc for her cough/cold and they would not prescribe her anything and said it would run its course...they said to use Triaminic. Well I was tired of giving my daughter all of these over the counter medicines to help the symptoms. I wanted something that would kill the virus altogether.

Well I called my sister. She has 6 kids under the age of 11 and they never get sick. She uses all homeopathic meds for them. She recommended Virus Drops (which I couldn't find any of in Cincinnati). So I went to Wild Oats and talked to one of the workers there. I told her what my daughter was going through with this continued sickness for 2 weeks. I told her I wanted something to build her immune system and something that would kill the virus altogether. She highly recommended Sambucol. It is a syrup made from Black Elderberry. It is made by a virologist from Israel, I believe. This stuff has worked magic for my daughter. She hasn't been sick once since I started giving this to her. I am going to continue to give her 1 tsp of the syrup daily to keep these viruses away during this winter season.

Good Luck to you!

There is such a broad number of reasons and remedies with a situation like this...

But food for thought - - their diet and nutrition plays a huge part in their ability to stay healthy. I have 7 children (15yrs and under) and I guard their diet better than my own. I try to feed them only whole foods - nothing processed or preserved. It if doesn't come in it's original form, I try not to buy it. Also, vitamins are very important because nowadays, no one eats perfectly to get all that they need. I give my children vitamins everyday (and not the flinstone type). They get a multi, codliver oil, and very importantly vitamin D. They get others based on circumstances. Sometimes extra C if I fear that a cold may be about the house, and extra zinc. I can honestly say that my children are rarely sick, and if they do come down with something once a year, it is mild. I hear my friends talking about all the illness their children go through, and I feel bad that their children always seem to contract everything out there. 5 of my children are in school, so that's 5x the chance of them catching something at school or bringing it home to the rest of us, but it doesn't happen. I think about them climbing the stairwells and sliding their hands up and down the banisters, and all the germs on the desks as they change from classroom to classroom, and I don't even want to think of the bathrooms... but I have them wash their hands as soon as they come home, and as a rule, no one gets sick.

Just my 2 cents - food choices and vitamins are a very important consideration.
Good luck and I wish you all good health :)

My children had a long bout passing strep infections back and forth for 7 or eight months. I Finally took them to ENT specialists associated with Children's Hospital who were aghast that this had been going on so long. They scheduled tonsilectomies for both children and the illnesses were eradicated.

If your children are drinking out of plastic cups and glasses, you might consider consider switching to metal or corelle. They can be sterilized more easily by using the saniwash and sanirinse cycles on your dishwasher. Also, clorox water disinfects better then Lysol. You can rinse the toys with clear water after sanitizing with clorox water. Hope your children are back in good health soon.