Do you have kids who are almost never ill? What do you put that down to?

[EssentialFattyAcid]

I am interested in why some kids hardly ever get ill. If this is your child, what do you put it down to?

[Organa]

Luck!

(I'd like to say its a healthy diet, lots of exercise and good genes, but its none of the above.)

[OneHandFlapping]

Mine hardly ever get ill. I put it down to having got older and having had almost everything under the sun at junior school. Also they don't suck their fingers so much.

It really does get better once they go to senior school - of course if yours are eg 5 and 3, that's a long way away. But hang on in there.

[ZombiesAteYourCervix]

my 2 DDs are never ill. DD1 (15) had tonsilitis when she was 3. DD2 had her first antibiotics for an infected ear piercing last month (age 13). Between them they maybe had a couple of tummy bugs over the years but really only about twice each.

I put it down to living in relative squallor, the carpet we had when they were both at the rolling around and sucking stage and good genes.

[fivegomadindorset]

Also lucky, but not obaessively clean, they get dirty, Dh very rarely ill, outside alot.

[NickNacks]

Well apart from DD who has recurrent ear infections (due to a problem with her ear drum so not a immune system issue) my children are rarely ill.

They have lots of fruit and vegetables, a daily vitamin, lots to drink, we walk to school wrapped up warm (as opposed to talking the car which is much easier!). Good genes? DH and I aren't ill very often but could be down to the same things, diet, exercise etc.

However, they were all big babies born and I just think they got off to a good start. I didn't breastfeed any of them aside from DS1 for about 2 weeks so can't put it down to that.

[benandhollyandgaston]

Mine are only 3.2 and 16mo but are rarely ill and if they do catch anything it results in a sniffle for a day whereas DH and I will get it and be laid low for a week or more.

Mine were mixed fed breast and bottle for 6 months and 4 months respectively when they went on to formula - in fact DD2 had far less breast milk than DD1 and seems healthier by far.

We have a dog, heard that can help their immunity.

Um....not in childcare, although DD1 started pre school in September and hasn't caught anything yet.

[TheOriginalFAB]

My children are 6, 8 and 10 and rarely get ill. I put it down to breast feeding, excellent diets and good genes.

[NickNacks]

Oh thats another one. I'm not obsessively clean either. In fact we are quite grubby!

[MamaChocoholic]

luck and genes. our dts have been much less sicky than ds1, and when they did get their first tummy bug, dt2 was over it in 24 hours vs 7 days for dt1. they have the same environment, different genes, dt1 just got lucky with his immune response ones. although he has spent a good deal of this summer eating soil, so perhaps that contributed?

[benandhollyandgaston]

Oh yes, diet, mine eat a lot of fruit.

[scarevola]

Luck, filth and parents who refuse to take any ailment seriously.

[SazZaVoom]

Not obsessively cleaning, eating loads of garlic/spices etc, being outside & lots of exercise.

[OddBoots]

Mostly luck, some hand washing and balanced diet and possibly inheriting my ?non-secretor" variant of the FUT2 gene meaning resistance to norovirus.

[mrsravelstein]

i've got ds1 who is 10 and is never ill - i think he's had a mild cold maybe twice in his life. he was premature, 2 weeks in nicu, pumped full of antivirals and antibiotics, only breastfed for 3 months or so, weaned at 12 weeks (bad advice from HV). Has had almost no vaccinations, which i suspect helps.

but then again i've got ds2 and dd who were both born very healthy at the right time, exclusively breastfed for 14 months each, blw'd at 6 months.... and they are those kids you see with a CONSTANT runny nose and you wonder why the parents let them walk around with a face full of snot all the time (judge away, i just cannot keep up) as they both have a cold pretty much 49 weeks of the year. go figure!

[defineme]

Ds1 is 9 and rarely ill-usually has 100% attendance at school.
He is autistic and I put it down to several things. He has always been fascinated with toilets and must have exposed himself to unspeakable germs countless times over before I've dragged him out of public loos!I think this means he's built up a high tolerance to germs.
He also took years to become interested in his peers so didn't catch close contact stuff because he never went near other kids for a long time.
He is also made of very strong stuff/refuses to complain -so I may not register he has low level stuff. His reaction to a broken foot was one small 'ow'.

My twins are much more normal with regards to picking things up, but ds2 rarely misses school because he loves it whereas dd will agree readily to a day off!

[PrinceRogersNelson]

My children are almost never ill. No idea what it's down to.

They were breastfed, I am not fussy about them coming in to contact with germs, they have a good diet and active lifestyle. I am also hardly ill.

Could be all, some or none if the above. I am just very grateful.

[Tortoise]

Mine rarely get ill. I'm not obsessively clean either.
Also could be genes. I was rarely ill as a child nor were the rest of the family.

[onefatcat]

DD was big baby- over 9lb- never put her good health down to this but there may be a correlation??

She has only had 2 tummy bugs and the odd cold, she doesn't have any allergies or health issues. (she is 6)

[C4ro]

Being a bit grubby is probably a good defence. Lots of gentle all-purpose germs then around rather than only ones that have survived multiple assaults from marigold queens with buckets of bleach and sprayguns. (Makes self feel better for not being arsed with cleaning much).

[Canella]

Another one here with 3 kids who are v rarely ill. They were often full of coughs and colds up to about the age of 3 but it soon stopped. They're now 10, 7 & 5 and havent been ill once this year. (touch wood!!).

They werent breastfed so its not that. I put it down to good fresh country air, healthy parents, lots of fruit & veg & the fact that no-one smokes around them. Every child they know who is ill a lot has a parent who smokes!

[pinkhebe]

I was wondering about this. My ds's are rarely ill, my 11 yr old has never been to the doctor and my 8 yr old hasn't since an ear infection aged 8 months.

We also live in a slightly filthy house and have always had lots of animals ie guinea pigs, degus and hamsters which live inside.

Also it's luck, I can't remember the last time dh or I was ill enough to take time off work (actually I can it was 4 yrs ago when we had a stomach bug and had to cancel our 10 yr anniversary )

[ilovedjasondonovan]

I'd say genes.
My 2 (5 and 3) have never had antibiotics and apart from the odd cold it is only DD1 who has ever had a tummy bug twice in her life. DD2 has never been ill.

I say genes because I never had a single day off for sickness when I was at school. I still rarely get colds. Apparently my mum is the same and her dad was the same.

Oh, and we walk 1 mile to school whatever the weather, and it gets darn cold sometimes. But more genes I'd say.

[mamalovesmojitos]

Luck I think? I did bf dd for over a year. And never over-sterilised things obsessively. So maybe she built up good resistance! She's not the best for vegetables to tell the truth so we really are lucky.

[ZombiesAteYourCervix]

ah yes.

I am a believer in 'carry on unless you are actively puking or bleeding'.

I think that helps too.

paracetamol and plenty of fluids and get on with it.

[defineme]

mrsravelstein my ds2 constant runny nose(probably 2 years with a snotty nose!) turned out to be hayfever/dust allergy type stuff that a nasal spray has sorted out.