To lock my kids in a sterile bubble and never let them mix with any other kids ever again?

[TaperJeanGirl]

Ok, I know I am being slightly dramatic, and I am thankful my kids are, for the most part, healthy, I KNOW some kids have far more to deal with than coughs and colds and stomach bugs, but seriously, the amount of times my kids have been ill this year is just beyond ridiculous, 2 bouts of the lovely noro, which put the baby in hospital with dehydration and turned dd1 into a lollipop head, a constant (and I mean constant) stream of really bad chesty coughs, runny noses, stomach bugs, the baby had measles a few weeks ago, dp developed a chest infection from one of the colds the kids gave him which put him in hospital with a an irregular heartrate, I really could go on forever, we are always having to cancel our plans to visit friends or days out, and if they are well enough to go they either make their friends ill, or get ill from them!
So, my plan is to remove them from school, cancel martial arts and music lessons, and ban all visitors, tape up the door and never leave the house ever again.........will this work seriously though, if anyone has any tips to boost immune systems I would love to hear them, kids are 7, 5, 2, and 1....

yANBU I know how you feel, it seems this year to be constant. My grandmother apparently did all of the above except remove from school and her kids never got polio when it was doing the rounds or TB etc. she said no playing with your friends while there's something nasty going round. Also had a bucket of vinegar at the door where on arrival from school, shoe soles mad to be scrubbed and in the kitchen hands washed thoroughly. Seemed to work.......

Aw, it's horrible isn't it - I feel for you. It hasn't been so bad for us this year, although it has been pretty constant sicky and coughy and nose runny, as it was last year, when we had everything from chickenpox to viral arthritis which I had never even heard of - perhaps the DSs have caught everything that it is possible to catch - ha! makes sign to ward off bad luck

I asked the doctor if I was doing something wrong that my children were so constantly ill, and whether I should be giving them vitamins or something, and he said no, just normal. But I have been giving the four year old chewy vitamins and he actually does seem to be a bit more robust now. Could be coincidence/ already had everythign that is going though.

Ah, didn't mean to bold that bit!

I don't know about this but I do think my slovenly ways have contributed to my kids' robust immune systems. Yes, they had the noro a couple of times when they were 6. They've had the odd cold here and there and chicken pox. But other than that, they are as fit as fleas.

Also the time we all had noro was when I was using antibacterial cleaning products. I think they kill everything - including good bacteria.

Whilst you are all locked up inside your house, you should try keeping the heating off as much as possible!

Seriously, my lot are rarely ill... But I rarely have the heating on in even the coldest weather. Guess the 'bugs' die off quicker and don't get a chance to incubate

I completely feel for you, in reception one of my ds's was constantly ill. Scarlet fever, noro, coughs and colds, you name it. I am not one for going to the GP for minor illnesses but finally took him. The young GP took blood samples, checked him all over for anything sinister and said he was fine. A couple of months later I took him back as he was still regularly poorly and saw the old veteran GP who listened to my tale of woe and just said "immune systems aren't fully developed until they're about 8" and sent me on my way.

The veteran GP was right, my dt's are now 9 and virtually never ill and my dd who is 4 is very rarely ill thankfully (touching wood like mad). I am hoping those constant illnesses have give the older ones really strong immune systems, and maybe dd too as she was a baby at the time.

My only advice, wash their hands when they get home from school or friend's house. Don't use antibacterial soap or cleaning products. Give them some vitamins, lots of fruit and veg and nice early bedtimes. Soon you will have the healthiest children on the block.

Oh and not trying to be too judgey about it, I do notice that friends of mine whose kids are "always ill" tend to be the friends who let their kids stay up very late and have really random bedtimes. Just saying.....

Seven o'clock bath and then bed for both mine, every day without fail, so is definitely not a bedtime issue here, although they are both rubbish sleepers generally - is it the snot causing the waking or the waking causing the snot though

Yanbu, my dds are normally hardly ever ill but this year we've had a run of tummy bugs, chickenpox, an ear infection, and more tummy bugs. It's exhausting and horrible seeing them ill when there's nothing much you can do to help them.

Manic, I'm slovenly too and my dds usually are pretty healthy. But because they've been catching so many things I give them anti-bc gel and yet now they seem to catch far more bugs.

I was a child who went to bed quite late and I was pretty healthy. But, yes, I think a lot of it is jus down to their age.

Bugs can quickly become immune to anti-bac stuff and then they are usually worse, iirc.

do they all take vitamin supplements taper?

ANd lots of fresh air

Thanks everyone, not mad on antibac stuff tho do make them use an antibac handwash after using the toilet, interesting what has been said about the late bedtimes though, mine are shocking to get to sleep, 10/11 o clock shocking at times, they are always tired and ratty even when not ill, even if I start bedtime at 7 which is always what I aim for, its sometimes 10/11 before everyone is finally asleep, this isnt nightly but at least twice a week...interesting.....will try and get bedtime more on track and try some mult-vits, and wait it out another 7 years till the baby is 8

They dont currently take any multi-vits, but do get lots and lots of fresh air and are pretty fit when not ill, always on bikes/scooters/ and they train 2/3 times a week in mixed martial arts (the older 2), also hate central heating, so unles its sub zero temps dont switch it on....

Ha ha on fresh air and bedtimes and no heating being the cure to all ills!

My two spent the first year of their lives getting every bug going, they passed them ALL to me, I suffered with them and they were generally fine. They were and are good sleepers, eaters and we have lots of fresh air and I am mean so don't have the heating on a lot.

They never had anything serious though - unless you count mumps - having had the MMR the year before...

i was recently 'diagnosed' vitamin-D defficiency. Apparently ALOT of people in the UK are deficient,because of lack of exposure to UVB. Especiallyif you/they are darked skinned? It can affect immunity.

Then there isthe obvious Vit C blah blah

Ive been dosing mine with haliborange since i corrected my deficiency and feel so much 'less ill'!

dont know why I ut 'diagnosed' in ''?!!

I was diagnosed!

(i think because deficiency is not an illness- can you diagnose a deficiency? Oh whatever-i had a blood test-it showed i had vit d deficiency! )

Fresh air and bedtimes cant hurt though...I have noticed, that out of the 4, dd2 rarely gets what the other 3 get, (apart from the evil noro, nobody escaped that little gem) she generally seems a bit more robust, shes the chunkier of the 4, not fat but sturdy, dd1 is wiped out by everything even a runny nose it seems, and is 7 and 3st 10lb, so quite thin, wondering if that makes a difference or if dd2 was just at the front of the queue when immunity was being dished out

Vitamin supplements might help, even if they are having a good, healthy diet - plus echinacea as soon as they seem to be coming down with anything. Fresh air and exercise, plenty of sleep and a healthy amount of dirt in their lives will help too.

We aim to get my 7yo in bed for 7 - he wakes up between 6 and 6.30am. He does really need his sleep though.

Since we started school - so nearly 4 years inc. nursery, he's had one day off through illness - had a cold - so did I and it was snowing, although it was probably not really bad enough to be kept at home properly. Before that, at nursery, he had one bout of D&S when he was 9 months that nearly hospitalised him but we managed to sort it out with help and advice from the GP, but otherwise no time off in the 3 years he was there.

He gets lots of exercise and fresh air though (dog owner)

They are all white but fairly olive-y skinned little things, I have also been known to be fairly...ahem...laid back in the suncream dept, so their vit d should be ok, god I am painting a picture here arent I..late bedtimes and no total sunblock...its not what it sounds honest!

I never wear sunblock (and never have) and my vitd was 30 (normal range 75-80)

Jesus! Tho I can understand that if you are in the uk given our weather recently ....

I also think it can be a bit of a slippery slope of illness - ie they get ill once, then before they have really recovered they get something else which knocks them more for six than it would have done had they been healthy when they got it (well, you know what I mean!), then before they recover from that they get something else - it seems like their little immune systems never get a chance to get back on an even keel.

Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about medical matters and am probably talking rubbish.