Sick All the Time - Anna,TX

I'm not aware of anything that's clinically proven to improve immunity though there are lots of products that make those claims (from Vitamin C to "immunity" enhanced cereals and yogurts).

We have 2 kids in day care. One is 3.5, the other is 23 months. The 3.5 year old was nursed the first year, was at our home with a babysitter until his 2nd birthday, and is hardly ever sick. His sister has been in day care since 9 weeks, has had 7 ear infections (tubes last year and 3 infections already this year). She's always sick. I could only nurse her 12 weeks because of needing to start chemo.

Different kids, different immunities.

I'd highly recommend being diligent (but not crazy) about handwashing and using sanitizers. I used to not be a fan, but they kept me from getting a potentially life-threatening infection during chemo when I had no immune system. At the time, I was working full-time (in pharmaceutical sales going in and out of doctor's offices all day) and had 2 kids in day care.

Good luck.

I do know from talking to my Oncologist's office this week that it's been a REALLY bad cold/flu season and everyone's been a little more sick than normal.

My daughter was the same way. We had her in one of the best daycares in McKinney (a very top notch, clean school) and she still managed to get sick ALL of the time. She was on antibiotics every 3 weeks, she ate healthy, took vitamins and it never failed that she was sick. Finally at 18 months I took her to the doctor and knew that this was it, if I wanted my daughter to be healthy I had to start staying home with her.

I quit my job right before she turned 2, she is now 4 years old has not been on antibiotics at all since staying home with her. I know this is not for everyone and I am sure I will get some hate post but it worked for me. We had to make a lot of life changes; go from two cars to one for a while, cut back a lot but it worked out for the better.

Good luck!

Hi A.,

Detoxing your home will immediately help with his immune system. He gets healthier at home and is able to fight things off at the daycare. When I detoxed our home, my youngest's ADHD was gone, my allergies went away and no one in my home gets sick anymore. It's amazing how much damage cleaning supplies and even laundry detergents and bath and body products can do.

Elderberry syrup is a good immune booster, tastes good and is fine for little ones. A teaspoon can be added to his sippy cup drink...

Hope I helped!

M.

Hi A.,
Probiotics all the way! Get it from the health food store. Even eating yogurt everyday is fantastic. Your immune system starts with your gut, when the gut is strong, he will be able to resist any little cold and such. Not jsut any yogurt, READ the ingredients. Must have 5-8 live cultures, not your "kiddie" yogurts they contain dyes and lots of sugar. Multivitamins and minerals are good too.
www.yummibears.com and www.jarrow.com

I felt this way when my son was this age. But by the time he was about 2 yrs old, it all seemed to come together for him and he was sick a lot less. Just stick with a healthy diet, good nutrition. I remember being sick a lot when I and my sister started school (we were home with a sitter until then). I remember a lot of throwing up at school. Just my personal theory but I think when ever a child starts going to more public places (school or daycare), it seems to take about 2 years of catching every bug that comes through and then your immunity has fully developed and comes on line, and then sickness is just a once in awhile thing.

You are right - daycare doesn't help - been there! You may want to check into a few things... some kids get mucusy from lots of milk, maybe have him drink more water for a while. Also remember that the "sick" season is almost over... .and the next one won't be so h*** o* him. I have also found that I like Sinupret (WalMart) that is an all natural syrup to support the sinus and immune system. Probiotics are also a good supplement at any healthfood store (Whole Foods, Vitamin cottage). Good luck and hang in there.

I would just try a little extra vitamins. I would also do a suprise visit on the daycare and check out how they keep things clean. It may be that they are not as sanitary as they should be.

A.,
Check out Shaklee's baby and kid supplements at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife. Safety, efficacy and integrity are the bottom line at Shaklee. They have more published peer-reviewed research than all other supplement companies combined. I wouldn't give my children a drug that had not been thoroughly tested, so I won't give a supplement that isn't either. Some companies will say they have research, but it usually says something like "studies have shown..." That's a red flag that the studies were not done on their products.
They are also the leader in safe nontoxic cleaning and laundry products.
Hope he is better soon.
Victoria

Hi A..
I strongly reccommend Ultimate Aloe Juice. It supercharges the immune system and will keep your son healthy. My kids never get sick. There is a strawberry kiwi flavor that tastes like a freeze pop so kids love it. My kids are constantly sneaking in the fridge to get more. It's all natural so they will absorb what they need and pee out the rest.
Here's a link with more info. Let me know if you have any questions.
http://www.marketamerica.com/nicoleryan/index.cfm?action=...

HI! A.,
It's so hard to see our little ones sick, isn't it?! I have been SO happy to have found a company that makes natural, pharmaceutical-grade products for supporting my kids' immune systems at all ages. If you want specific details about what is recommended for an 18 mo. old, feel free to send me a private message (probably best to include your regular e-mail address so I can contact you that way -- these reply boxes, wonderful though they are, don't work very well for the stuff I have to send :).
Blessings,
A.

A. - I feel your frustration! My 3 yr old (then 2yr old) used to get sick every month for weeks and I know the feeling of helplessness when you can't relieve their symptoms. I personally declared war on the subject and started doing a ton of research about chiropractic care and in my findings I was confident in giving it a try. Low and behold it did tremendous things for my girl (and myself, I might add). Research it online - google "chiropractic care and childrens immune system". It's worth looking into! Now my daughter rarely gets sick. I also agree with the probiotics suggestion. Good luck!

Our kids were constantly sick at a daycare they went to from October to the beginning of December. Each of them ended up with croup and ER visits. We changed daycares for several reasons and they have only had a very minor cold since. I think a lot of it has to do with how they take care of their facility and the hygene they teach. The daycare they are at now sterilizes the toys in a bleach solution in the dishwasher instead of just warm water. All kids wash their hands when they walk in the door and everytime they come inside after playing outside. They didn't do this at the old daycare and I think this is a big part of why they haven't been sick from December to now. They are 3 1/2 and 18 months so just about everything goes in their mouths. They both take One A Day vitamins too.

Probiotics are huge in boosting everyone’s immune systems. You can look for foods that are high in probiotics, like yogurt, but I suggest taking supplemental probiotics. We combine probiotics with our multi-vitamins and regular chiropractic care. Both of my girls are in daycare and we can an occasional flu bug, but in general, we are all very healthy. I have found that the Florify brand of probiotics is great and very affordable.

My son is 17 months old and we have been going through the same thing since he started day care at 6 mo. His doctor finally had enough of seeing him every 3 weeks and decided to do some allergy testing. We did an IGG test and it came back telling us that he had several food allergies. This test actually looks at allergens vs. allergies. It's a little hard to explain ... but basically his immune system had been knocked down so many times that his body was rejecting everything even good, nutritious foods. The good news is that we can train his body to process those good foods again by changing his diet. Over the course of the next 3 to 6 months, I'll be able to reintroduce those foods he tested allergic to after his body's had some time to recover and his digestive system has had time to recuperate. I also consulted my cousin (very, VERY smart lady) who is also a doctor. She says that this is becoming more and more common in little ones and that if we follow the plan (avoid some foods now & slowly reintroduce later) we can strengthen his immune system and most likely avoid long term health complications.

You ARE building your child's immune system by having him in daycare. My son started daycare just after he turned 2, and he'll be 4 in June. He was sick all of the time that first year. It seemed as though for the longest he was one week on and then one week off. Later into the year I discovered he had allergies on top off all of that. After getting over the counter meds for allergies, that stopped most of the visits to the doctor...almost 4 months! From then on he's only seen the doctor twice this school year. I can really see he's getting a lot stronger because now if I or my husband gets sick, he doesn't which is good. But yeah, all of our friends said the first year or two of daycare seems like a never winning battle. Again, hang in there and things will seem to get better sooner than you think.

Is it possible that he is allergic to something at the daycare? Or some food that the daycare is offering?

My son get sick every 3 weeks for a year. High fevers, vomitting, etc. The drs would say its the flu or a virus. He'd get on a 10 day med, be okay for 2 weeks and get sick again. Finally one day he broke out in hives. Took him to the allergist and he was allergic to pears, which the school was offering for lunch every other week.

My coworkers son kept getting sick every other week. It turned out to be that they were offering a food that he was allergic too. She started sending his lunch and it helped.

Just a thought.
M.