Viruses??

[sharkysmom]

My ds is 8mo and has had a couple of "viruses" in the last few weeks. We live on the east coast so it is cold and the temps have been crazy, warm one day feezing the next. Ds really doesnt go out in groups much, I am a sahm, no daycare, no big groups. He comes to the stores with me and over his cousins house. He had croup that turned into a nasty virus with fever for days, he still seems to have a little congestion, he spiked a fever the other night, dr said probably viral since it responded to Motrin, then he woke up yesterday with a rash all over dr again said probably viral since there were no other symptoms and it didnt seem to bother him. He is also getting his first tooth. He has wanted nothing to do with solids for days and has been super clingy and cranky.
So my quesiton is this...is this normal? Is it the time of year? The weather? The age? A combination of all three? I eat really well and he is ebf unless he feels like eating solids, and when he eats solids all whole organic foods, no junk. He was super healthy with only one or two minor colds up until recently, we have moved into an older house, that is the only thing that really changed. Any experience and/or advice would be appreciated. TIA

[Llyra]

Yeah, it's normal. Unpleasant, but common and normal and okay. Statistics show that kids younger than school age catch around nine colds a year. The number declines as they get older, because they've been exposed to (and thus developed immunity to) more viruses. Think on the positive side-- all this exposure is building a strong immune system.

Even the best cared-for kids catch respiratory viruses. Diet and plenty of sleep and fresh air can help, but won't prevent them entirely. And they can be caught even in casual situations, like in a store, or from you or your partner or other kids or adults. Even if those people aren't showing symptoms-- you can catch a virus and be asymptomatic, and viruses can be passed on even before you or another person is showing signs of illness.

Colds and other respiratory viruses are not caused by the weather. They are caused by microorganisms passed from person to person. They are more prevalent during the winter, because the viruses are more active at that time of year, and because people commonly spend more time indoors in poorly ventilated places or in close contact with each other.

It's very common for babies to start catching more colds, etc., after around six months. That's the age when they start getting around more-- putting things in their mouths, touching more objects, etc. They aren't exposed to as much when they're tiny infants.

But all that exposure is a good thing. It's good for him to catch them and recover from them and build a strong immune system.