When Did Your Child Stop Getting Sick So Often?

I agree - It is not daycares in general that are the problem. However, you do want to find a daycare where the rules about bringing in sick kids are strictly enforced and where frequent hand-washing (one of the single best ways to prevent the spread of infection) is encouraged. A couple other thoughts:

1.) Kids who go to daycare/pre-school are ahead of the game by kindergarten. Every teacher I know says they can pick the stay-at-home kids from a line up because they are sick throughout their first year of school.
2.) I do not believe what your son is dealing with could; by any stretch of the imagination, be called common. I suspect some of conditions dealt with post-birth are contributing factors...And perhaps allergies?
3.) Has he ever had a neubulizer? My oldest was diagnosed w/reactive airway and for about 6 months, at the first sign of cough and snotty nose, we used our at-home neb. He eventually grew out of it.

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Wow. The views on this one are all over the place.

First, anyone who disses on homeopathic medicines and living life without biochemically engineered chemicals or eating organic/natural foods, obviously hasn't been sick enough to try that route. Our family eats organic, whole foods, and I am slowly phasing out all big company/pharmaceutical/Monsanto-made killing household products. Unless you've suffered from asthma or allergies or other strange illnesses, and have never tried the organic, natural route, you don't have any business putting it down. NONE. Prescription drugs are Band-aid drugs; all they do is relieve the symptoms *and many, times, they don't even do that*, they DO NOT address or cure the underlying cause. Homeopathic remedies do. If you don't want to believe it, that's your choice. But since switching our household over last Aug 2008 we're seen such strides in healing and improved health, it's phenomenal.

While I do think daycares contribute somewhat in children catching colds and being sick more (because it's a communal setting, and that's what's going to happen when a lot of people get together; germs spread)--my daughter was in a daycare from 6 months to 5 years (I pulled her out the summer before she started Kindergarten and I now work out of the house/am a stay at home mom)--I also blame the poor quality of the food offered for sale in the supermarkets and the chemicals and toxins we're exposed to every day. These chemicals are not and never were intended to be put into our bodies every day, day in and day out. Our bodies are unable to process and eliminate these toxins, so they remain inside our bodies, which in turn wears down the body's innate immune fighting mechanism.

My daughter was so very, very sick as a child. When I think of all of the medical prescriptions that were pumped into her little body...I do agree with one poster; by the time my daughter entered Kindergarten, she was the healthy one while half the class was always out sick. She's had countless ear aches, had 3 ear tubes installed, caught almost all of the childhood illness/diseases, had her adenoids out, and at the age of 7 had her tonsils out. This, finally, got rid of the systemwide strep and UTI infections she was getting. It seems her tonsils were full of infection that would just sit there, under the lab radar, until it decided to flare up again. So in essense, for the first 7 years of her life, she basically had a continuous strep infection that no one knew about.

Since last Aug 2008, when I made the conscious decision for our household to begin switching over to an organic, whole, natural lifestyle, my daughter and I have also been seeing an Integration Doctor (in addition to our own PCPs). We both have tested positive to heavy metal toxicity (some very severe), we both have nutrient element deficiencies, which has us both on supplements to help cure our malabsorption problems. We both have had genetic testing done and found out we're both POOR METABOLIZERS, which means our bodies are unable to get rid of toxins, and we also have difficulty properly absorbing and using prescriptive medications. I have tested positive for 22 food intolerances, to include gluten intolerance. I am at the end of a Gluten-challenge to see if I have Celiac disease. If I do, I will have the genetic test done so I can alert my relatives. My daughter will also be tested and if she tests positive for the genes, she too will undergo the colonoscopy, the endoscopy, and the biopsy.

There are many reasons people get sick; many illnesses today can be directly traced back to our food supply and what we put in our mouths and the chemicals we use around our homes.

K., your little boy is very sick. I would think about getting him tested for food allergies and intolerances (a naturopathic or Integration Doctor has some wonderful tests for this); if he comes up positive for gluten presence (gliadin protein), then I would push to have him checked for Celiac disease as well. Celiac is an autoimmune disease that runs in families; that's why having a genetics test taken is important. There are over 309 symptoms of Celiac disease; most conventional doctors don't know about it and refuse to test for it (I've battled almost 2 years to get to the point where I'm going in for the diagnostic tests). And most of the symptoms also mimic other health problems so that Celiac disease is almost never thought of as a diagnosis.

If I only knew then what I know now, I would never, ever, have let me daughter suffer like she did growing up. Thank God, though, that we're finding all this out and changing our lifestyle when she's 9; I had to wait 41 years to start.

Good luck to you, K., and your darling son.

AH! I noticed the last line of your posting, stating he was tested for allergies (food), which turned out negative. Good. One down. Now go and find a Natureopathic or an Integration Doctor and have him tested for FOOD INTOLERANCES. It is not the same thing as a food allergy. Trust me. All I've been doing these past 8 months is educating myself on all of these different issues. Being positive for gluten intolerance will cause asthma and wheezing (for one very simple fact that even most doctors don't know--there is something known as a wheat-induced asthma, or a wheat-induced exercise-induced asthma).

Most people who test positive for gluten intolerance also test positive for soy intolerance and also casein allergy (this is dairy)==casein allergy will give you the stuffed up nose, the stuffed up head and sinus feeling, the green snot/sinunitis problems, and being pflemgy. (I have these three intolerances--glulten, soy, casein.) And there is a difference, again, between Lactose Intolerance (meaning your body can't process and breakdown lactose in the small intestine) and casein allergy (which is when the body is unable to process the casein protein because it sees it as foreign). Lactose Intolerance can go away, if the person abstains from eating dairy for a period of time while the gastrointestinal system heals itself. A person NEVER outgrows or gets rid of a casein allergy.

You can substitute a little goat or sheep products (but use in moderation/minimally==some say they are okay to use, others say they still have some proteins that are close to cow's milk.) There's also rice, almond, oat, hemp, and soy milk, although I wouldn't touch anything soy with a ten-foot pole, knowing what I know know about all the bad stuff with soy.

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K.,

It sounds like you have a lot of challenges. My first daughter seemed like she was not without cold or an ear infection during her nine months. She was at a daycare center as well. We switched her to an in home licensed day and most of her problems cleared up. Some of it may have been that had become more immune to some viruses, but I believe a bigger factor was that instead of sharing germs with 50+ families throughout the center she was now only sharing germs of 4 other families.

My three other children have all gone to an in home provider and have not seen the issues that my oldest did. Which is why I think less exposure to germs from a lot of families had some impact.

I wish you luck, it is very difficult to function when you are worried and stressed all the time.

G.

Have you had any allergy testing done?

You can also try to boost his immune system naturally, with probiotics (you can get them in packets at a natural/organic foods store, and you just add them to his formula) which have been shown to help boost the immune system.

I'll respond with the same thing I said in the other post: I would take him to a chiropractor ASAP. If his spine is out of alignment, which is very easy to do at that age, his immune system will be totally out of whack. You can find a good chiro at www.icpa4kids.org. There is some really good information on that site about how chiropractic helps kids. I prefer Chiros that practice the Gonstead method, but that's a personal choice. All of my kids have been getting adjusted since as early as six weeks. Good Luck.

Well, I can tell you it's completely normal. FRUSTRATING, YES! But normal. My older son went through the same thing. And my youngest, who is only 10 months, has been sick since October as well when he started daycare. And I kid you not he has NOT been healthy since. He comes home with a new cold/runny nose every week, the past 2 weeks it has been a cold and cough, he's had 8 ear infections since Christmas, tubes put in, pink eye, bronchiolitis, the nebulizer as well, and multiple rounds of antibiotics obviously. It really can't be helped. When they are that little and in daycare, the germs are going to spread because all they do is explore with their hands and mouths and it's impossible to stop the spread of germs. Believe me, I am SO over it too, but hopefully it will get better during the summer. I can tell you that it's going to be like this until your child is 2-3 years old. From 1-2 my son had colds and sinus infections all the time, and then he caught all the other weird illnesses (hand, foot & mouth for example). From 2-3 it gets a little less, and after 3 it is so much less it's wonderful. My 3 year old has hardly been sick this year at all. And even his colds are no big deal anymore.

Hang in there! It will get better...over time! The doctors always say that I could switch to a home daycare setting where they get sick a lot less, but that just is not an option for me. I want my kids to stay in the daycare they are in.

I have two kids in daycare. Both started daycare at 12 weeks of age. My daughter had a constant snotty nose, chronic ear infections, pink eye, etc. for the entire first year and into the second year. I have noticed that things seem better this spring. She had the usual cold and flus that my husband and I both caught this winter (not sure who started them- her or us), but hasn't had much sneezing, snotting, coughing in the last couple months.
My son is closing in on 6 months now and is also very snotty and coughing...although, at least he doesn't seem to have the constant running of snot that my daughter had!
So, maybe it's actually the first TWO years of daycare that are the worst. Good luck and keep the tissues handy! :)

My 5yo had a runny nose from day three of the daycare center (starting at three months of age) until he was four years old. He caught at least five or six really bad things a year. Once, his room at his daycare had 15 illnesses in it. And that was only HIS room, not any of the 5 other age rooms. And, of course, I either caught what he had or something else running around the room. When he was four he didn't have the flu shot. So, he got influenza B. I had the flu shot and got bronchitis instead. Both were from his room. This year, we both had the flu shot. He was not sick this winter at all. Even when I got sick from co-workers and when his year-old brother and me got sick from the home daycare that his brother goes to. I truly believe that daycares, especially daycare centers, are festering germ hotels. I know that some centers try their best with bleach cleaning etc but one center my 5yo was at he kept getting weird things that were connected to not being cleaned at all. If the docs are not concerned, and you have 2nd opinions, try waiting it out. Just give the best care you can. Hopefully by the time he is 4 for 5 he won't keep getting the infections as much.

Daycare is way more horrid than school! The kids at this age are putting there hands and mouths on everything. My DS started daycare at 7 months and went through 7 months of being continuously sick (rotovirus, colds, ear infections, multiple courses of stronger and stronger antibiotics). When he was recommended for ear tubes I finally got smart and took him to a chiropractor. Viola! No more ear infections, very few colds and those were just a day of sniffles!

Start with about 4 chiro adjustments and see if he improves.

K.,

Our daughter was sick from the day she was born. She had ear inferction after ear infection after ear infection. Sinus colds, she almost died becasue she was profoundly anemic. She had the tubes put in, than the flanged tubes in. Every school picture she had a red nose and runny eyes because she was sick all the time.

I can only say that since we got the chemicals (cleaning products) out of our home,started using more natural alternatives, got her on some great supplements...ones that actually work!...did she get healthy!

Our son hasn't had an asthma attack in over 8 years and our daughter hasn't been sick with a cold in I don't even know how long.

The products on the market are NOT GOOD for use in the homes. The government does NOT protect us. When I started educating myself on all the products that I used in my home after switching stores, I was in tears...I couldn't believe that the products that I was using everyday were making my family sick. Then I got mad and started sharing what I learned with others.
There are healthy, safer alternatives. I can't tell you how much our lives have changed since we 'JUST SWITCHED STORES". I even begin to tell you how much we have saved in doctor bills!

A friend of mine told me about the store and I thank God every day that she did.

Let me know if you want to know more about it. I'd be happy to share.

Educating is everything!

Blessings,

J.

I did home daycare for 5 years and never had a child that seems as sick as yours. To me, that is NOT TYPICAL! To the person who lumps all daycares in 1 catergory (as hated or aweful) is just downright rediculous! Most families need 2 working parents and need a place to bring their child/ren. I agree that there are some bad daycares out there but there are also a lot of good ones!

I agree with the post about getting rid of chemicals in the home. All I use for cleaning (including pet messes and glass) is a spray bottle with water, vinegar, and essential oils in it. It works BETTER than any store cleaner I've ever bought!!! (And I used to have a huge closet full of cleaners. I threw them all away.) I scrub my floors with Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner and water. It can't hurt to try that.

We also believe in natural methods first. So, we try the chiropractor before going to the regular doc. Perhaps getting her adjusted would help her fight these things off better. And the chiropractor can show you pressure points where you should massage to help get things moving. Just ask. Or watch where they massage.

We also have our kids on Nordic Naturals Nordic Berries for their daily vitamin. Just another step to keep them healthy......

Are you vaccinating? Because they say that your child should be completely healthy at that time. So, if the doc is giving them to him when he's still sick with something, that could be interfering with his healing. A body can only deal with so much at one time. Just a thought. (And to be clear, we ourselves have chosen not to vaccinate at this time and our kids (4 and 2) are usally really healthy.)

Good luck!

My son was sick with colds pretty much constantly for about a year. He is 3 now and quite healthy. It was somewhere in that 6 months age when he started catching every single cold and about a year later when it turned to the occasional cold and like I said he's 3 now and healthy as a horse. Once in a while it was an ear infection or something like that, but usually "just a cold". It sucks, but it does end. hang in there- there's light at the end of the tunnel!

My daughter never went through all of that. She had the runny nose 2 ear infections 1 sinus infections and a couple of nights when she had stomach issues but nothing that required an ambulance ride! How many children does your daycare provider care for? Mine at her most has only had 5 at a time. The daycare should promote clean hands and you should find out how they take care of the common toys and the sleeping areas. A lot of germs are shared in those two areas. They should bleach the toys every night and have a routine about the care of sleeping areas. Good Luck. I feel lucky that my 2 year old daughter has been so healthy!

Unfortunately, children in day care seem to catch everything that goes around. But if he is consistantly sick I would advise to change day cares because it appears that the other children are not being sent home when they are sick and infecting all the other children. My oldest son had constant ear & sinus infections along with tonsillitise. I would suggest if at all possible, and I know that it might not be if you have to work, is to stay at home with him while he is on antibotics and get him well. Make sure he is getting daily vitamins and then send him back to daycare when he is completely well. This will allow his body to regain it's strength and be more able to fight off the other "germs" or "virus" that are being harbored in the day care setting. I would also ask you day care professional if the toys are clearned on a regular basis with clorox and if other kids are being sent home when they have a fever or are contagious.

Also, he could have an allergy that is causing him to be run-down. Also good ole fashion fresh air and activity will help him.

I didn't notice a significant drop-off in sickness until my first daughter was about 2 or 2.5 years old. My little one is going through it all now. She still gets sick often and is 13 months. Fortunately, my husband and I don't get as sick this time around as we did with the first. I did read that kids that are exposed to lots of illnesses early on are much less likely to come up with auto-immune problems and lukemia. That probably doesn't make you feel much better but it's one little positive. This sickness stuff is just something you and your little one have to get through. It sucks.

Kristen -

It's so frustrating!!! My first was sick pretty much from the age of 6 months to 18 months and my second, who just turned one, STILL has a cold that he's had since October (constant colds and sinus infections and ear infections). Both of them also went to daycare.

I'm not suggesting that daycare caused this or that it's bad because all kids at some point are introduced to lots of other kids in close quarters and their immune system gets bombarded! I work in an elementary school and it's always easy to pick out the kindergartners who did not go to daycare when they were little because they are sick all year long!

On the bright side it is totally normal - my oldest, now 4 has been to the doctor only 3 times in the past 2 years (2 well checks and 1 bought of the flu). He started getting better around 18 months. His second year of daycare was better - but he did get 1 bad cold and he got gastroendronitis (spelling?). After that second winter things have been so much better!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!

Best of luck,
K.

Hi K.,
My little guy had the same sort of issue. He had almost constant ear and sinus infections (and he did have tubes in his ears). My son had the added complication of having Down syndrome, so the craniofacial structures are smaller than normal which adds to the issue.
I finally called a friend of mine who does a lot of holistic work. We made 3 big changes which made a big difference in how often he was sick and then he eventually outgrew it.
1) We switched him to a vitamin called Mighty Mins
2) We switched him to rice milk instead of dairy (causes less mucous and also gluten free)
3) We bought a tuning fork and started tuning fork therapy with him every time he started getting sick (to help drain the sinuses and ears).

I hope this helps. It is so hard on everyone when your child is sick so often!
K.

Hi K. - I know this post doesn't really help with your ?, but I felt I needed to respond to the poster who said they HATE DAYCARES. I am an in-home daycare provider and I take serious offense to what was written. Just because you had a problem with your daycare, don't apply that to all daycares. I also have a problem with people who blame every sickness on their daycare. To these people I would ask: Is daycare the only place your child is allowed to go? Are they not exposed to other people anywhere else? When one child gets sick in daycare, of course there is a risk of other children being affected; but if you have a good daycare, they will take every precaution to not have that happen. I honestly don't know the last time I had a daycare child stay home due to illness - I think it was this past winter. While I don't think what your child has gone through is completely "normal" K., I do agree that a child being sick does boost the immune systen.
It just really ticks me off when someone says they hate daycares. Some parents really don't have a choice but to take their child to daycare, and in some cases, daycare is the best place they could be! Sorry to vent so much.

I worked at a Day care for 7 years and so it doesn't surprise me that he has had some sickness since then as he builds his immune system up. I have two questions... One is how much bleach do you use to clean your house. I have seen how kids who grow up in a very clean home, with moms who use lots of bleach to keep their homes germ free, get sick much more often then those who's mother's are lax germ killing at home. I am not talking dirty house, but not to the point that it never has dust. Those germs at home will help the immune system before getting into day care. The other question is how often does your day care clean their toys and disinfect them. The two questions seem to say the oppisite but actually if parents keep their home too clean, kids don't get a small amount of bacteria to boost their immune system. If day cares don't clean the toys every week or so they have too many germs and it spreads like wild fire because there is so many hands and mouths on those toys. Your son should also be washing his hands before meals there so ask how they handle snack times and meal times hand washing. If they don't, then request that they start at least with your son. Also parents take their kids to day care while they are sick and that spreads those illnesses so fast. We seen it with kids coming in fine and in a couple hours are running a fever. The kids tell us mom gave them some medicine before coming to make them feel better. So if your child is having green or yellow gunk coming out of his nose, coughing and running a fever... keep him home.