It Seems My Kids Are Always sick...any Advice?

Give them a better chance to fight off some of the stuff with a high quality vitamin (flintstones just don't cut it)

I give my daughter Might-a-mins. It is a powder that you dissolve in water and they drink - it tastes great, kind of like orange soda. When it is mixed properly it becomes isotonic (which means that it will spend almost no time in their stomach, it will go straight to their small intestine and get absorbed almost completely) They have many key vitamins but also a great probiotic. You can only get it thru www.marketamerica.com

My daughter used to get sick all the time until I started giving her this and now she only occassionally gets a cold plus - when she does get sick she's over it in about 2 days instead of a week.

Also - try to teach them about how they are washing their hands . . . well, the 3 yr old at least :) Kids are SO BAD at washing their hands and it is one of the best preventatives to getting sick.

Day care centers are full of germs..that's a given.

Try giving them Arizonia Green Tea once a day. It has antioxidants and seems to keep kid illnesses at bay. It's good for adults too.

Nanc

This definitely helps... wash hands all day long. Even the 1yo. Especially as soon as they walk in the door from daycare.

My son takes Juice Plus, which is a whole foods supplement, not a vitamin. What that means is, they take 17 fruits and veggies, and put them into a gummy form. Everything from carrots to pomegranate, and everything in between. Antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc. This is the only children's supplement recommended by Dr. Sears (aside from his own fish oil supplement). They're great, my son loves them, and they really help. I can't say he never gets sick, but I have seen a dramatic improvement. My sister has seen great results, and she has four kids--said that the supplements pay for themselves, as this year she had fewer ped visits, antibiotics, etc. Let me know if you want more info--I don't sell them, but my mom does.

You have gotten a lot of great advice,I have a home daycare and would recommend you switch to one.There are fewer kids,meaning less chance of getting colds etc as often,and usually the moms are more understanding about a slight fever and cold symptoms,meaning you could miss less time at work.

Have you ever done any research about chemicals and toxins in your everyday products and the effects they have on our health? If not check out, www.concernedmoms.com
It was a wealth of information for me.I have simply changed where we shop to a health and wellness online store and what a difference it has made for my family.
My personal website is www.SwitchStoresForHealthyLiving.com

S.

It does seem like kids are always sick, but this sounds a little excessive...Truthfully, I would get them out of Day Care and find a home based provider (if you can't be there yourself, next best thing, imo)...with fewer children...and possibly better handwashing rules...It's sad they're exposed to all that at such young ages. Yuk!

Best wishes,
J.

Dear D.,

I am the owner of a daycare/nursery school and all of the illness you explain are common in daycare centers. However i am very strict on enforcing my sick policy and all of my teachers know the first sign of illness children are sent home and not allowed to return until they are symptom free for 24 hours. There is nothing you are doing wrong as far as their diet and lifestyle i am sure. I would check with the director of your center and make sure she is sending home children when they are sick. I know as a director that sometimes moms are not happy when they have to pick up their sick children because they do not have time to take off work. So therefore directors are sometimes reluctant to call them. Believe me i am sensitive to that, however that is the only way to prevent illness from spreading. As a director you have to consider all everyone in the center including staff. So i would make sure that your director is removing sick children from the facility at the first sign of illness. Also ask what their sanitizing practices are. Whenever we have a sick child they go to the office with me and rest on a cot until someone comes to pick them up. We then sterilize the area as best we can to try to keep the germs to a minimum. Hopefully they will build an immunity soon to all of the illness and their system will become stronger. Good luck!!!

Hi, I use probiotics for my son-- it has helped him. When he had more respiratory issues in his first year and a half I also used (at the advice of a doctor) xylitol (a natural birch-bark extract used in a nasal spray called Xlear)- works great. It is the saline solution w/ xylitol in it. Bacteria and viruses can't live/thrive in xylitol. My son did fabulously when I started using it. Also, I use nordic naturals fish oil for babies/toddlers w/ my son. It gives him the added natural vitamin D, zinc and other minerals not provided so well the diet. Altogether w/ a decrease in the sugary foods (including "white foods"/carbohydrates from white flour which is converted in the body to sugar) helped him. All these things you would find in a good health food store.
You may want to familiarize yourself w/ this website:
Mercola.com. He has very helpful & informative newsletters.

Lastly, remember that your children's immune systems are being developed so their getting sick is the way for their immune system to strengthen; provided it is in an environment that supports this; by nutrition etc....!!

Best of luck!

I give my daughter a really great liquid vitamin called "Child Life, Multi-mineral/vitamin" and Echinacea/Astragalus Herbs for Kids (deep immune support).....I give her the vitamin daily and when she starts to look like she might get sick I add in the echinacea 3 times a day in her water/drink and she gets over it in a day or 2...if it comes on at all!
Good luck!
-S.

Check out the cleanliness of your daycare. do they wash hands after they take care of the kids diapers? Do they teach the kids to wash hands too? Are they cleaning the toys each night after the kids go home??? It may look clean.. but my kids were getting all those things too... and I found out the toys weren't being cleaned... and the people working their weren't washing their hands a lot. Find a new day care... who really looks into cleanliness.. not just outside appearances.. but the things that matter... toys, hands... good luck

FInding a way to control sickness is to me the holy grail of motherhood! I have searched for 6 years and found nothing. The best I can say is to continue vitamins, rest, and healthy meals. The good news is that the more sick they have been in the past, the healthier they will be in the future. The beating they are taking now is building their immune systems and is really the only way to go.

In addition to the stuff you already do a couple things I do when school starts is give extra vitamin C & echinacea, daily acidolpolus, and 16 oz of orange juice in the morning is mandatory. Stress hand washing and try and relax. It will get better.

Keep away from sugar and sugary AND highly processed foods. Make sure they are getting enough sleep. Feed them garlic and onions and yogurt. (Not together) tee hee. Make sure they understaand the importance of hand washing. Make sure their diet is balanced. NO soda. Again a yogurt a day (with active cultures) keeps illness away. Fresh fruit and vegetables. NO SUGAR OR CORN SYRUP

D.....I'm sure we are all in the same boat. Once our children go to school there isn't much aside from hand-washing, to prevent the bugs! Teaching your children proper hygiene as they grow, sneezing correctly, sufficient sleep, and proper nutrition. Some things just out of our control. Wish I had some advice for you. Best of health to everyone!

I found that my son was CONSTANTLY sick (as were my husband and I as a result) for the first year, year and a half that he was in daycare (starting at about 2). He had EVERYTHING you mentioned and more, including a few really weird things. Then, his immune system kicked in and he is now almost 11 and NEVER sick. So, there is hope. Their immune systems are attacked by the germs and incapable of handling all of it, so they get sick. My son was a breast-fed baby, and very healthy, but that didnt matter. It does now as he is never absent from school anymore. My advice, let them get sick now and (hopefully), get it over with. Keep giving vitamins, plenty of water, a healthy diet, and plenty of fresh air and exercise and they will be fine. Just hang on through this time! Best of luck!

check your house for mold. S. C

My kids are always sick too! At our daycare the toddlers have to wash hands as soon as they arrive. My son had 8 ear infections (each one cleared before a new one developed) during his first 4 months in daycare, and then tubes were put in (by the way, I was exclusively breastfeeding for his first 8 months and he STILL GOT SICK). He's had only one ear infection in the last 10 months, but he's also had roseola, coxsackie, the flu, strep throat, fifth disease, pink eye, about 10 colds, you name it, he'll get it. I also get it. I'm out of sick and vacation time. It's very difficult. My daughter doesn't get sick as often (yet).

We do the handwashing thing of course, but that doesn't work with a 1-year-old. I give both kids a yogurt every day (live cultures). I give them fresh fruits with antioxidants in them (grapes, blueberries, kiwis, etc.). And I just live with the illnesses knowing that it's better to build their immune system before they are in kindergarten.

I have a friend whose daughter was never exposed to illness until kindergarten and this poor child was so sick and pretty much has been sick for 2 years. Even after having tonsils out and sinuses removed and allergies/asthma treated, she was still sick. Finally after having her immunities checked (they were rock bottom low), she received an extra pneumonia shot and she's healthy and has better immunities than ever. You could always talk to an allergist or pulmonologist too, just to rule out an underlying problem? Or a homeopathic medicine expert too if you prefer that route.

I've heard endlessly that the first year in daycare is the worst and after that, they develop a good immune system (this is for full time daycare, but I don't see why it wouldn't apply for part time too). Good luck!

Hi D.,
I recommend you teach your kids how important it is to keep their hands clean. You might even provide them with packaged wipes. I would also be sure they are taking vitamins from a company called Melaleuca. They also have the wipes. I went through this with my two boys - it is no fun. Take care of yourself first and foremost so you are available to take care of them!
L.

My 2 year old (now 3 and a half) had a sinus infection, ear infections and flu pretty much constantly from sept - may last year. Our holistic prediatrician said there has been a lot of solid research confirming that vitamin D - which your body can only make in the sun, and without which your immune system is badly compromised - is a good preventative. It can be given to kids with lots of fish, but if you are scared of too much heavy metal in the fish, nordic naturals makes a great cod liver oil balls for kids. they are less than one cm round, have liquid on the inside and are squishy (kinda like fish eggs - you can pop them in your mouth), and taste like strawberry. Most healthfood stores in the city have them. Good Luck!

Isn't it awful?? My best friend is going through the same thing, and it's a common problem with day care. It's so good for them to have all the social interaction, but it's rough on the immune system at first!

There's not much you can do, but there is hope. As a former Kindergarten teacher, I can tell you this: children who went to daycare and/or preschool have WAY less trouble with illness in elementary school than children who stayed home. I am a SAHM, but I actually take my child to playgroups all the time so he does get exposed to all the germs!

Studies have shown that mild illnesses early on mean less serious illnesses later. I know that's absolutely no comfort to you now...but at least there's a tiny silver lining?

Good luck!

This is a health site that you should use to learn how to keep your children healthy. http://www.pcrm.org/ It is a fact that people following a well balanced vegan diet are more healthy and rarely get sick. I know because I do and I never get sick. You could also enroll your kids in cyber school if the germs are too much in a public school. It's free. www.k12.com

This may not be what you are looking for...but I saw a chiropratic for some time and he said that sometimes the reason that children get sick so often is because they need to be adjusted. If you have never been to one...I can understand why you might be skeptic...but just get some information about it. I had a friend and her son kept getting ear infections..they thought it was the dog...got rid of all of the pets...and found out it was because he needed to be adjusted....Hope this helps! - good luck!

What is your day care provider's policy on handwashing? If the policy is a good one, do they stick to it and reinforce it? My son was in a daycare from age 16 months until 4-1/2 years old and rarely got sick. Starting in the infant room they were very stringent about handwashing. They were also very strict about their sick child policy. If one kid got something, rarely did another kid get it. Make sure the school is really good about the handwashing--it is the best and easiest way to prevent illness. If they aren't willing to work with you on this issue, sounds like time to think about switching providers. And make sure you reinforce handwashing at home, too!

my kids are the same way and they just started daycare full time so i have the same concerns. i was always sick as a child too and my mom made me take a tsp of cod liver oil everyday and if i remember, that seemed to help. i think it is vitamin A and D so check with your Dr first, but it might help.

I would start nds with the day care center. Maybe they need to reevaluate their sick policy. Do they have a strict policy regarding kids and sickness?

Things that I do on my own - I have my daughter wash her hands whenever we come home from an activity. She also washes her hands before she eats. Also, my daughter was getting a lot of sinus/ear infections. It turns out that she suffers from allergies. She takes zyrtec every night, and it definitely helped.

Hi D.,

My Naturopath told me that people get sick because their immune system is low. Something that brings immunity down is foods that they shouldn't be eating - hence, they have food sensitivities. Example: your 11 month old has a sensitivity to dairy. He drinks milk-based formula daily. His body is literally going through "trauma" because of the intolerance it has of dairy. Because of this "trauma" the body is weaker -thus, cannot fight off germs that come in it's way.

You might want to go to a Naturopath to see if there are foods they are intolerant of. You will notice a difference for sure if you eliminate those foods.

My 4 year old son is on a liquid vitamin, calcium/magnesium, fish oil and a probiotic daily. In the Fall/Winter, I give him an immune support I got from the Naturopath.

My 10 month old daugther is on fish oil and a probiotic 2x/week.

They've both been tested for intolerances. In fact, my 10 month old had this chronic cough since I fully weaned off the breastmilk. I gave her Alimentum. Because of the cough, I asked the Naturo to do a food intolerance. She has an intolerance to Casein (protein in milk), which is the 3rd ingredient in Alimentum. So, I'm transitioning to Soy-based, organic formula and the cough is gone! (I had the same issue with my son - he had eczema. Found intolerance to palm oil which was in formula - switched formula and eczema went away!)

Good Luck!
J.

If your kids attend a daycare center, there are tons of germs there no matter how clean the center is and how strict they are about sanitary policy. People send their kids to daycare and school sick all the time. And many illnesses are contagious before symptoms appear. While you can't eliminate every illness, lots and lots and lots of handwashing helps, talk to the daycare providers/teachers about keeping the boys' hands very clean ... or look into the option of an at-home sitter, for what you'd pay for two in a daycare center you might be able to get someone - a retired neighbor or someone with older kids who doesn't go to work but would like to make a little money on the side - to watch your kids at your house those two days.
Good luck

Hi D.,

That's going to happen until their immune systems are built up and than they will never get sick again - promise.

My daughter didn't go to day care or pre school, so when she went to kindergarten my healty child became sick with everything once- never twice.

She is now eleven and in the seventh grade and she had not been sick since kindergarten.

Whatever illness you child get you can check off your list of them getting it twice. It should always be something new and the running noses and fevers are their immune systems fighting back, so HOLD OFF with the medicine or you will be intrupting the process unless their fever goes beyond the recommended number. Just running a regular fever is no big deal. The fevers that rise are the ones you have to check for and go to a doctor immediately for.

If they are getting reinfected with the same illensses then there are some hygiene issues that you may need to adhere to.
1. Take off your schools when you enter your house.
2. Wash your hands before you pick up your kids and when you get home give them a bath immediately.
3. The cloths they are wearing (as well as yourself) put them in the dirty clothes right away, don't let them walk around or hang around in the clothes.

My Gosh! Find a different day care. Some sickness is fine but that's seems like way to many times.

Hi D., Hopefully your children will build a stronger immunity. Parents who must work (most of us) send their children to daycare even if they are sick. Lots of germs there. Hang in there, hope it gets better. Grandma Mary

I had a very close friend who went through the same thing. She would always say, "At least I know they'll have strong immune systems." So to encourage you, they are two very healthy kids (5 and 6 now). I've also heard of a very good vitamin from a company called Mannatech. Maybe you could look online. Another friend who is a doctor gives it to her twin boys and 5 year old. Finally, if you pray, pray about it. When I send my kids off to school I pray for them especially because my oldest had heart surgery when he was born and it's what got him through and it's what sustains him.

Hope it helps,
M.

in day care, in nursery school, it doesn't seem to matter. it's a germ fest and it's not unusual until your child/children have been exposed to many germs, this unfortunately will probably continue.
mom of 2 girls, 9 and 14.

If they were my children I would be giving them Natural Cellular Defense daily (www.detoxqueen.com) and making fresh pressed juice for breakfast especially before and after daycare but daily would be best. Keep them off sugar which interferes with the immune system. The one year old should be fine with carrot/apple juice. The older one could take more variety. Feed them as much raw and organic food as you can. Cooked food stresses the immune system. Since they are young and won't chew as well as is really needed the juices are great for being absorbed.

If you'd like a free nutritional consult just watch the short video on my website and fill out the form at the end and I'll give you a call. The video is quite informative as well as to why people are so sick these days.

If they had pneumonia, they've gotten antibiotics which will destroy good bacteria and contribute to future immune system problems. Not all probiotics are equal which I can explain to you personally or via email.

S. Hoehner
www.sharethecause.com/detoxqueen

Try airbournne. 1/2 tablet the first sign of a cold. try antioxidant juices and veggies instead or with a vitamin.

Dear D.,

I remember those days! Even though my three are in college or working these days, I never stop worrying about them! I HIGHLY recommend a nutritional product that I take myself and have my kids taking. It is a WHOLE FOOD, LIVING, MINERAL RICH FRUIT PUREE/JUICE THAT TASTES LIKE GRAPE JUICE. Those words are capped because they are important. There is nothing else in the world like it. I am a researcher and someone with MS who has been helped tremendously with this. I have spoken with many many moms who took it when they were pregnant, put in baby bottles, and give it to their children from toddlers on up. They report no, or less, sickness with their children.

A quick word about vitamins: if not a whole food, our bodies only absorb 5% - 10%!

If you can find some time this weekend (lol!), you can find more info at gotvia.com/fptoz. It is only sold by word-of-mouth - or moms helping moms for healthy kids.

I wish you all the best! C.

I'm sorry to say that is daycare. Once they start "schooling" it's one thing after another. My daughter was in daycare for about 6 months and she jumped from one illness to the next non stop. We were always picking her up and going to the doctor. Prior to that and after that we've had her in in-home daycare. So, basically a woman runs a daycare out of her home. I think the germs are more controlled because it's only 6 kids, her, her husband... so, after the initial catching of the new germs, that's it. The same will happen at daycare too. After they've been going for a bit it subsides because their immunity builds up. You can try to help build up their immune system through diet. You can talk to the daycare about how often they wipe your children's hands and the toys/facilities, etc. But, I think other than that it's just grin and bear it.