How do you keep yourself healthy when your toddler is always catching a cold?

[Dazedstella]

Ugh, I am sick, again, and I need some tricks for keeping healthy with a young one. Last year I worked in a school and I hardly got sick but then again I wasn't sharing spoons, kisses and sleeping spaces with anyone in the building but this year G has gotten some form of a cold/other every few weeks and I seem to get them right with her. I can't take it, I don't remember the last time I was sick this frequently. She is almost 19 mos so I am expecting it for her- pretty par for the course at this age and good for her little immune system but I am having trouble keeping up with being a mom and working and taking care of myself when I keep getting sick. The spoons/food I can stop sharing (although that is tantrum producing right now because apparently we MUST share everything lol) but I am not going to refuse her sweet kisses for the next 6 mos or kick her out of our bed. Help me stay healthy!

[just_lily]

I wish I could figure this out.  It isn't my DD that gets me sick, but one of my daycare kids.  He has given me four different colds, Hand Foot and Mouth disease and a bout of stomach flu, all just since August!  He has also had three ear infections during this time but fortunately (for me) those aren't catchy.  The little guy is just always sick. 

It is so bad that I have started responding to social requests with "Yes, we are planning on being there.... as long as I manage to remain healthy for the next 48 hours."  Our group of friends has a lot of young kids, a couple of pregnant ladies and a some newborns so I am careful to stay home if I think I am contagious. 

I am really not sure what you can do about germ sharing though.  Since this is a daycare kid it isn't like we are cosleeping, and I don't share utensils with him.  But if he isn't feeling well he wants me to hold him, and is always wiping his nose on my shirt, and sneezing and coughing in my face. 

I am trying to keep up with my supplements - vitamins C, D and echineccea (sp?) mainly.  I would also give some to your DD in hopes of preventing her from getting sick in the first place.  I give my DD an A-C-D supplement and she hasn't gotten half of the bugs I have.  But really, when a sick kid coughs right into your face I don't think there is much hope.

[zoe77]

Vitamin D, and lots of it!!  My son was recently sick and as soon as I started to feel the cold coming on I supplemented with high doses (100,000 IU) of vit D.  I felt kinda iffy for about 4 days but it never progressed to a full blown cold.

I also gave my son 10,000 IUs a day while he was sick.  But the trick is to catch it as soon as you feel it coming on, and that's hard to do with a 2 year old.

[sleepingbeauty]

Every time the girls get a cold I start chugging orange juice.  The vitamin C helps keep sore throats away. (My weakness since I was a little kid!)

[handsandfeet]

Emergen-C (or other vitamin C supplement), fish oil, Vitamin D, zinc, and Sambucol are all immune-boosters. The vitamins and fish oil should be taken on a daily basis, and then add zinc, sambucol, and higher doses of C and D when you start to get symptoms. It works for me when I'm diligent about it, though when I get lazy and forget I get sick.