Immunity issues

[metafisica]

Hi all:)

I have an adorable 2 year old guy who has virtually never been sick, he weighs around 16 kg and still breastfeeds. We have started daycare in September and since then he keeps getting sick and spends more time at home then at daycare coughing, runny noses, viruses, you name it).....Today is his 5th day with really high fever and I don't know what to do anymore...doctors say to go on with paracetamol...but here's the question...is there something else I can do? In terms of supplements? He doesn't take any and never did. What helps boost the immune system? fish oil or cold liver? Shark oil? Omega 3? Just plain multi vitamin? what do you give your kids?

Thank you all for reading.

Cheers,
Ivana

[Momo123]

Hi. My DS has had the same issue about getting sick all the time since he started daycare (though he started when he was about 4 months old). He was constantly sick all last winter with viruses, colds, pink eye, fever etc. and missed a lot of daycare. I started working with a naturopath and we do a regular regimen for prevention plus more when he actually gets sick. We do daily vitamin D (D3), which come in drops you can give to him directly or you can also take since you're breastfeeding, and cod liver oil. We also add in immune boosters like echinacea/goldenroot, vitamin C, homeopathic remedies and cell salts when he starts to get sick.

You can also find a lot of info by searching the Health and Healing section. My DS is doing a lot better so far this fall, and people say that the first winter in daycare is the hardest because their body is not used to dealing with all the germs that they come in contact with. Good luck!

[lyra2007]

He is going to be sick quite a bit at first.  But it's really now or later (when he starts pre-school or kindergarten).  I was so sad that my baby was sick all the time (and I got sick with her quite a bit), but I now think it was easier to get it over with when she was so small.  She is 32 months now and hasn't been sick (except for a 24-hour stomach bug) in almost a year.  At our daycare, they can go with colds and runny noses, but not if they're vomited, had a fever or had diarrhea in the past 24 hours.  So since she mostly got colds, I didn't end up missing too much work.  Though I would sometimes take a sick day just to snuggle when she was sick.

And always remember this--he's 16 months old. He won't remember any of this.

Hope that helps.

[mamabeca]

#1 thing to do is to speak w/your daycare provider and have EVERY child have their hands washed when the enter the room.  Seriously.  It is the number one way to remove germs from home and keep the room fairly health-friendly. 

#2 thing to do is to nurse as often as you can.  Keep yourself healthy, nurse at night, and give him lots of healthy foods.  Cut out the extra treats whenever possible (even raw sugar, syrup, and agave are harder to process than, say, lactose of fructose).  Use fresh fruit to make foods he likes - fruit leathers can be made by pureeing fresh or boiled fruit, laying it out on parchment paper on a cookie tray, and very low heat, let it dry overnight.  Apple carrot sauce - no sugar needed!  Pear sauce is delish!  This really helps keep the little ones healthy.

#3  Use a humidifier at night.  Also, first sign of a cold, use something like sudafed PE, which is a pediatric version of nasal decongestant.  It dries up the sinuses at night so that they don't get post nasal drip all night long and end up w/a cough.  It really helps!

It is true that there is a period of adjustment, and he'll be sicker in the first few months of daycare than he EVER was before, but you can minimize.

My kids, even though we eat really healthy, still get a multivit.  I use http://www.vitacost.com/Hero-Nutritionals-Yummi-Bears-Multi-Vitamin-and-Minerals which have sugar/sweetner in them (bleh) but it is a nice treat for them, and gets them a bit of extra nutrients, because I'm not convinced they eat everything I give them at lunch (trades, garbage can, etc.).  :D

[always hope]

I have just been through this in the last 6 months and to be honest I think you just have to wait it out. I would make sure you are at your healthiest so see a naturopath yourself. I got a variety of supplements and an immune boosting tonic. I also take Vit D and it would be worth investigating giving it to you LO. Also try to breastfeed at the daycare when you drop off and pick up so you expose yourself to the germs and then you will produce antibodies in your milk. If you child has had a temp for 5 days I would head to the doctor for a check up. My daughter had lots of ear infections from the colds she had which blocked the tubes in her ears. Thankfully we only needed antibiotics once but you don't want to risk a perferated ear drum. Hang in there. Soon you will be over the worst.