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Any recommendations for boosting Toddler's immune system?

DS is 22 months...the poor kid is always sick. Always has a cold accompanied by a nasty cough. He is in daycare 5 days a week. It is so frustrating, I BF'd him for 13 months (he was sick all the time throughout that too) but that apparently did nothing. I know daycare kids get sick, and his Pedi isn't concerned, but it's so frustrating to watch. Just wondering if anyone has had luck with probiotics, supplements etc. We have his two year appt in a month so we'll obviously talk to the Dr, but I'd love to hear your recs too. Thanks!
Lilypie - Personal pictureLilypie First Birthday tickers

Re: Any recommendations for boosting Toddler's immune system?

  • I give my DD probiotics (Udo's Choice Infant) and have been since before she was 2.  She rarely gets sick.  A cold will last 2 days at most and is mild (runny nose, but nothing more).  She has gotten very sick a few times (Hand-Foot-Mouth, stomach bug and a random fever illness), but for the most part has been healthy.  I am still nursing too.  Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not. 

    ETA: When she had hand-foot-mouth is was a mild case.  She was still pretty sick, but not as bad as I've heard other kids get.

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  • Don't use antibacterial anything (hand soap, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc).  Kids need bacteria to help there immune system grow.

    Also my pedi said that daycare kids tend to get sick alot until they are two, and then they are the healthiest kids around.

    Rebecca- mom to 3 kids: DS born 2005, DD born 2007 and DS born 2010.
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  • DH told me about this yesterday:

    https://ca.news.yahoo.com/vaccines-u-children-may-not-properly-stored-study-161851848--sector.html

    My son who is also almost two has been sick for months.  He developed a chronic cough and this mysterious rash that looked like hives that would come and go.  Pedi told us to have him allergy tested by a specialist.  We did, and everything was okay.  We then had his blood checked for proper immunity to certain virusus/bacteria which he had already been vaccinated against.  It turns out for whatever reason, his immune system was showing that he was only vaccinated against 2 out of 23 strains of pneumococcal virus and needed a booster vaccination.  We now have to wait a month to re-test his blood.  He has been rash free for some time now. I will ask pedi at next apt. about how she stores her vaccines, and if this all along was the cause of the problem.  So scary. 

     

  • So, so scary! Thanks so much for sharing...this is definitely something for me to keep in mind.
    Lilypie - Personal pictureLilypie First Birthday tickers
  • Thanks so much for this info- our pedi has recommended probiotics and I'm ashamed to say I haven't been diligent about giving them to DS- I'm going to make a concentrated effort from now on.
    Lilypie - Personal pictureLilypie First Birthday tickers
  • Thanks for this-fingers crossed that it works!
    Lilypie - Personal pictureLilypie First Birthday tickers
  • Kids get sick, it is a fact of life.  On average, a child will have something like 10 colds a year (and colds tend to last 1-2 weeks).  The 1st year that each of my kids were in daycare, they were sick way more than in all the years since.  It is just part of life.  Kids immune system gets stronger as they are exposed to more.  Neither of my kids had more than a few colds this winter.  Eat healthy, get lots of sleep.
    Jenni Mom to DD#1 - 6-16-06 DD#2 - 3-13-08 
  • I'd supplement with probiotics, vitamin D, and omega 3. And I agree with the poster who said to avoid antibacterial stuff- just lots of hand washing with regualr soap & water (though sadly it is getting hard to even buy hand soap without triclosan in it).
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