Kids constantly coming down with sick bugs

[Nightsatthelitten]

How often are your children sick? Mine are both primary school age and genuinely barely a month passes where one or both of them haven’t either been sick or got a cold, it is starting to drive me a bit nuts. Is this normal for primary school age children? Thanks x

It's become so much worse since about 2022. Schools seem to have ramped up pressure to send sick children in so infections are spreading more easily. Plus covid infections damage your immune system so kids are more vulnerable to other infections after they have had COVID. My son has had 5 viral infections since September. He's a teenager though. I test for covid and keep him off if it's that. If he has a cold I send him in with a mask because of the attendance pressure.
I was hoping the government would improve ventilation/air filtration in classrooms but nothing has been done.
Unions are still pushing for this though, if you would like to support them there is a webinar you can register for on the 11th March, 4pm
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bcb51bc0-82bd-4cae-84b4-6d2d165fec4c%40d7c21edf-d541-49a4-9f5a-7737832d42c7?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQX_nxjbGNrBBf-dGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHotjFpdQ8YXkOnpY2BxMC34ECPlkzG4n80jZOVwI4Ot9U2DwyM1-5c4ty9NQ_aem_WQ938Q8Dv4V-gnSvagzGwg

My son is 12 now.

First few months at nursery as a baby he got ear infections but never sick bugs.
Since the age of two, I can honestly say he hasn't really been ill. The odd sniffly cold (usually after swimming and exerting himself) but not bad enough to be off school/stop doing anything.

He doesn't take multivitamins or probiotics, just has a normal balanced diet. He is a good eater and eats fruit and veg. Lots of sport/playing out with friends at the weekends.

I guess it's just luck of the draw.

I always make sure my son washes his hands as soon as he steps through the door after school. Including taking his shoes and uniform off and putting it straight in the washing machine. We have a baby so I’ve been stricter on general hygiene. Who knows if it helps but it makes me feel better!

My DD in Y3 hasn’t had a day off since Y1. DD (age 5) in Reception has had 100% attendance this year. They both take a multivitamin with omega 3, and eat a good diet. I am also not hygiene obsessed (eg if a bit of food drops on the floor and they pick it up quickly, they eat it, unless the floor is spectacularly gross!). We also visit softplays regularly, which are germ pits! They also both went to nursery from 10/11 months, so built up a robust immune system from all the bugs there!

I make sure they do hands as soon as they come in the door too (im not ocd about germs but clean and don’t want dirty, germy hands all over my home) 😂 I tell them dont touch anything till hands are done 😂 Hardly ever ill so must be helping!

Yeah pretty normal. No advice other than it will get better! Mine is primary 7 and is rarely ill now. I’d say it got better from p3 onwards. But then my LG was also in nursery from 10 months so probably went the worst of it before she even started school.

Looks like too clean a culture. Immune systems need to be challenged constantly. Get all the bugs as early as possible.

Son is Y4 and at nursery he was permanently unwell with soemthing. Since school he has the immune system of an Ox. He’s been unwell once, to a noticeable amount requiring time off, in the 5 years at school. That was proper flu and he ended up in hospital. A week and a half off but it merged with half term.

Apart from that he hasn’t had any sick days.

He has had sniffles but minor. He was bottle fed as a baby. I think because he was so poorly constantly the first year of nursery he just built up his immune system.

Obviously you'd keep kids off with a sickness bug, but if you kept a child off for every cold they caught they'd never be in.

please could you find out which ones she uses?

Yes all the time to colds etc especially my younger two, but sickness bugs much more infrequently. That said, I have family in other parts of the UK whereby it sounds like they regularly get stomach flu. I have wondered what it is about the schools or local environment that may contribute in circulating those particular viruses more readily but who knows. If it was just one child regularly being sick with other unusual symptoms I would take to GP, but it does sound as though it’s just a byproduct and will pass as they get older.

Get a high dosage vitamin C. I buy ones off Amazon. Mine are never sick apart from rare time someone gets vomiting bug but that’s it, barely get a sniffle. By any chance are you getting them yearly flu jabs? Might sound stupid but I find a lot of ppl getting those for kids they’re always coming down with something. It’s like their immune systems are shattered. I haven’t had any vax for my kids since they were a year old. 5 of the school age kids are preschool to 15. My 21 year old saw the dr for the first time in 15 years few months back, she was shocked when a 6ft man walk in lol Anyway good high dose vitamin C helps fight off illnesses and build up their immune system.

DD6 is rarely ill but she goes to a small school. She gets a vitamin gummy everyday and eats a lot of veggies/fruit. She is lax on her handwashing though despite our efforts so im amazed she isn’t more ill (she has only ever puked twice). We do spend a lot of time outdoors and she is really active, which apparently there is a correlation with immunity. She did get a lot of colds her first yrs of nursery at age 1, but that lessened after a year or so she may have caught them all already. I also work in healthcare and have had no sick days in over a year except for migraine (hormone related), but i do use a lot of hand gel still. I also get the flu shot every year and DD gets the flu sniff thing at school either no side effects. So perhaps it’s part a mix of genetics and situational stuff like class size (and no sibling) but so far we have been fairly lucky 😅

My DNephews are 7 and 2. Maybe they’re lucky but they don’t seem to get viruses or colds much even the younger one. Maybe they’ve both built up their immune systems. Both parents get flu jabs.

I would think it's very variable. My DS only missed two days in his whole time in primary school. I work with colleagues whose children seem to be ill very regularly. Some people just have better immune systems, I don't think anyone really knows why

I should stress we are not at all bothered by hygiene in this house. Wash hands after using the toilet, that's it really.

This year has been quite bad for sickness bugs in my view.

child 1 has had a vomiting bug
child 2 has had two vomiting bugs.

I’ve had other years with no time off for vomiting bugs but these ones have taken out loads of children. Fortunately we don’t see to have cross infection at home but I am fascinated by transmission as there are some kids who just seem to avoid vomiting bugs even when most of the class have it.

I had one year where it was all about bacterial tonsillitis but (touch wood) that hasn’t hit for a while. My youngest hasn’t been to the GP or A&E since 22. Eldest has been every year for wide range of ailments from broken bones to nasty illnesses.

If they are reception age and not previously been able exposed to these things at nursery/pre school then it takes a while to build the immune system. They shouldn't be getting sickness bugs monthly though, the average I read is one a year, and they should be okay for a few months after one from norovirus as they will still have some protection in their system from fighting it previously. Def practice good hand washing. Hopefully next winter will be better. My son went to pre school and had constant colds but now in reception he has only missed two days since September so far due to a sickness bug.

I know with nursery if a kid is sick, no matter what the reason they are strict to keep them off for 2 full days to prevent spread but schools aren't as strict and are pushed for attendances so people go in sick and spread everything, combined with parents having to work to pay the bills it's a vicious circle.

Mine were constantly ill in reception and year 1, started to ease off a bit in year 2 and as they got older it got better.

multivitamins and probiotics help but nothing stopped it in my experience.

Id say normal.in the nursery//reception years but my daughter in y5 has only had 1 day sick in 3 years

I suppose when they are little they are building up immunity. As long as they have a healthy diet with fruit and veg they should recover well.

What about those actimel drinks? Can you give them to children? It's all worth a try, the vitamins etc, if you think they are sick excessively.

It’s hand hygiene

I think one cold a month is pretty normal but my 6yo has only ever had a couple of sick bugs in his life and the older two were similar at that age. So every 2 years maybe.

She uses Optibac - gummies now, the powder sachets when they were smaller.