To wonder how parents stay healthy?

[Constantcolds]

Is this just me? I have a nursery aged child and so far this year I've had 4 bad colds - all of which I've caught from her. And I don't mean sniffles, I mean I'm getting flawed by them - like I'm getting fevers, body aches, lingering coughs after a cold that keep me up at night for a couple of weeks at a time etc

Prior to having my child I had 2 bad colds in 10yrs - now I feel like I'm constantly ill. I'm currently in bed with a fever over 38.5degrees for the fourth time in 6 months with what I suspect is tonsillitis.

It's always the same pattern, she gets sick. I spend 4 or 5 nights getting constantly disrupted sleep taking care of her. I get run down and then I get ill.

Is this normal? I wash my hands alot, but it would feel unnatural to me, not to hold her when she's poorly. But given how frequently I'm getting catching all her viruses I don't know whether I should be wearing a hazmat suit instead! Haha (joking). But in all seriousness I can't keep taking so much time off work, this level of sickness is unsustainable!

I know kids get poorly and theres nothing that can be done, they have to build an immune system but I'm just wondering if there is anything I can be doing to prevent myself catching everything she brings home from nursery, what do you all do to stop yourself getting viruses that come through the door from your children?

Or aibu and this is what everyone goes through and I'm just being a big baby about it and I've got to suck it up for the next few years.

If so, any magic medication you take to help you power through with working, looking after other kids and getting on with life?

I think it's normal in that many people live this way. I don't think it's normal as in natural. My child is 6, went to nursery, and has not once been properly sick. But we don't constantly wash our hands or worry about hygiene, we nurture our microbiome, eat a healthful diet, avoid pharmaceuticals as far as possible, she plays in lots of dirt.

her immune system is maturing nicely, she is extremely resilient and doesn't show symptoms for the most part when her peers are unwell.

I think our society has been led to a state of perpetual ill health and constant medication and cleansing, neither of which helps our immune system.

Especially over the last couple of years we've lived differently to the scrub in for dinner, mask up, be afraid to see anyone.

And whether it's pure dumb luck or we were right; the outcome is we are all well as our our friends who lived similarly.

I'd look into natural health now and change your habits so you can change your situation.

It sounds like you're very run down. What I found helped me was:

• take good quality vitamins religiously

• focus on getting as much sleep as poss (not easy in your situation I know)

• reduce sugar & junk food

• no alcohol during the week

• gentle exercise a couple of times a week

I know all this is really tricky with little ones so just pick the bits you can do. It really does make a massive difference though.

I had 2 under 2, I totally feel your pain. It does get better as they get older and I have really noticed the difference that the above actions made. Positive upside is that you said you'd got a bit of weight you'd like to lose and it helps with that too!

I remember it well (although not in detail, as I'm of a certain age and therefore appear to have lost any memory that I once had!) It definitely drops off as they get older and I didn't pick up all of the bugs with each DC. D&V bucked the trend though and could still hit all of the family pretty effectively with little notice. I don't remember having any of it once the youngest went to school and suspect my immune system had had a good workout by then.

Thanks everyone. When I get over this cold will try and do a more healthier way of living.

Plus a friend said I could try some of that first defence next time she's unwell. Might give it a shot!

You will eventually build up your immune system. In the short term take the pp advice in terms of taking vits and not being so clean.

My dh gets all our dc illnesses but I am hardly ever ill and I don't catch them.I put this down to the fact I have worked with children for 15 years.

Snap, I too have suspected tonsillitis at the moment. Run down and cranky with my 4 ear old at home as he's been sent home from nursery again with a slight temperature. I've had numerous colds and flu like things and COVID.

I spent my childhood licking anything, rolling on the floor with dogs, cleaning out animal cages, tucking cats under my covers for the night, I never washed my hands even before eating or after using the toilet (only started doing that as a teenager). And I got a bath once a week, maybe, sometimes pushing it to ten days/two weeks especially if we’d been swimming (in the canal lock) because canal water is obviously clean. I can remember having bedbugs, fleas, worms and nits on multiple occasions.

As an adult though, I can’t remember the last time I had a general cold or bug, covid did get me once but was mild and I carried on working. I’d say I get a cold maybe once a decade? I got flu once in my twenties which was memorable. But I do think I got an iron clad immune system from all the literal crap as a child.

(PS I do now wash and bathe, I no longer have bedbugs, worms, nits or fleas and nor do my children)

If you’re getting recurrent tonsillitis you may need them removed. It’s very common in adults with small children, even if the kids aren’t ill themselves they pass the bugs over.

I dont pick up everything the kids catch. Like a pp my house is clean but I don't subscribe to the obsession with sterility/excessive hand washing etc.

My "magic formula" :

♡ Eat plenty of fresh / frozen fruit & vegetables - whole & raw is best!
♡ always have the above with something containing fat: eg make a smoothy with plain yoghurt, to help absorbe all vitamins & minerals
♡ avoid highly processed foods where possible
♡ have regular visits to sauna/ steam room if at all available to you!

Having said that, I think all the lockdown and mask wearing has left a lot of people with a weakened immune system.

I think a lot depends on your own immune system. DS is 3.5 and has been in nursery since he was 8 months old. It’s only in the last few months that it’s started levelling off a bit but until then he was constantly poorly with one thing or another. I can honestly say in over 2 years I might have caught one of his colds, but I also try to look after myself by taking a multivitamin, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and eating lots of vitamin C rich foods. Seems to have done the trick so far.

My tips for whenever there is a sniff of illness in the house are:
-Gargle with warm salt water morning and evening
-Saline nasal spray morning and evening
-High strength vitamin d3, c, zinc
-Separate hand towels as well as bath towels (I put my "secret" towel on a high hook on the back of the bathroom door where the kids can't reach it, and never touch theirs!)
-Ventilate the house as much as possible
-Never touch your face unless you have just washed your hands
-Early nights if at all possible
-I also take oregano oil daily for about a week when I get the first niggle of a cold and it seems to get rid of it

I appreciate this may sound like a paranoid list but I have damaged lungs and am high risk for chest infections, the last of which landed me on IV antibiotics for a fortnight followed by 3 months nebulised antibiotics so I do everything in my power to avoid catching things from my kids, and in fairness it generally works. We've had 3 rounds of Covid in the house this year and I didn't catch it.

Oh and of course, eat loads of fruits and veggies, esp berries and leafy greens.
And I tend to make us a few spicy dinners with LOADS of garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric etc
Also a daily blast of a cold shower and some exercise (brisk walk) is supposed to really help your immune system do it's thing

All good advice!

When I said I wash my hands alot, I only meant it in terms of when my daughter is sick and I've been handling her, wiping away her snotty nose etc.

I had a normal 80/90s upbringing. Grew up in the time before everything had to be sterilised or antibac't, had pets (cats, dogs), rode horses, played in dirt, rarely washed my hands (until I was older) and prior to my daughter was rarely sick, despite spending 10yrs getting the tube everyday. But prior to my daughter I never had someone coughing viral particles directly into my nose, mouth and eyeballs for 4 days straight.....haha. This level of sickness is new to me.

It could just be I'm more run down generally from working/motherhood etc but I'm also wondering whether the way I hamdl

Posted too soon!

Whether the way I handle my daughter when she's unwell is 'asking to get sick', but maybe that simply can't be avoided because I feel so bad for her when she's poorly all I want to do is cuddle her.