Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Can I get some perspective on endless chesty colds in a toddler?

11 replies

DougalTheCheshireCat · 04/03/2015 13:27

Last winter DD was 6-11 months (dec- April) and had what felt like a non stop stream of colds with teething the rest of the time. Along came spring and it all cleared up no bother.

Then since last October shes has a nasty cold (16 months) bronchiolitis (in November, 17 months), colds before Christmas and after new year (around 18 months) then at end of January another cold that didn't seem to bad but with a nasty cough that still has not completely gone 6 weeks later (her nose runs constantly too, sometimes clear, sometimes green / yellow, sometimes more sometimes less).

And now she has another one, with a bit of a temperature, cough ramping up again, unhappy, won't eat, out of sorts.

She's basically had some sort of cough/ cold/ runny nose almost all the time since the start of this year, an with only a few short breaks since October.

Is this normal? Is it ok?

I do take her to the Drs if she seems particularly bad but I am wary of antibiotics. She's only ever had one course, as a baby last winter and they really upset her digestive system - she didn't poo for over a week and had constipation intermittently for months after. I had loads of antibiotics as a child and really suffered the effects as an adult so I try to keep them to a minimum. So the Drs offered us some for the cold 6 weeks ago but she didn't have them as it didn't seem too serious (temp never went over 39, stayed engaged and wanting to play.)

So please tell me about your experience of endless colds in young children. Will it get better on its own as spring comes? Or has she got some underlying chest infection which won't clear up without treatment?

All advice gratefully received!

OP posts:
kokomaloko · 04/03/2015 13:56

No advice but my 2yo has been exactly the same this winter. She's had a constant cough/cold & the longest she's been without one is a week. My dr said they can catch 10 colds a year at this age and most will be winter. Sucks but i think it's normal.

DougalTheCheshireCat · 04/03/2015 16:06

Ok thanks that's helpful. I have been wondering if she should have antibiotics, say for the last one, might have got rid of that cough sooner maybe. Though I am well aware it might not have, and she could still have caught another cold now.

I guess if I tot up this is no 6 so by your Drs reckoning we're well within the normal ballpark.

sigh roll on spring

OP posts:
CobbOnn · 19/03/2015 17:26

My DS started nursery in Sept, age 10 months. He's had almost constant runny nose, several nasty coughs. Numerous sickness and diarrhoea (he's been off all week with vomiting). Conjunctivitis. We are lucky if we get a healthy week. DH and I are having to take so much time off work. Desperate for when things start to improve. This month has been the worst yet.

CobbOnn · 19/03/2015 17:27

(I have lost count of the number of colds. It seems more like 1 never ending cold)

Sunflower1985 · 24/03/2015 20:59

Same boat here with 19mo ds, also in nursery. It was every three weeks, now it's gone down to every two. Cough, cold, fever, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, d&v. One stay in hospital when he got them all at once and became dehydrated. He's currently 39 degrees but we can't afford to take more time off work. I've used 13 days so far this year, my DH the same. It's intolerable and I hate that my ds is suffering so. Sympathies to all the other sufferers.

RoseOolong · 27/03/2015 07:54

My dd (3) gets another of colds and they often turn into a persistent cough - the cough has been since we moved to London with her a year ago. Since starting nursery in Jan she has the constant nose stream too. Things I find help are: taking her off milk when she is bad, to give mucus a chance to clear, giving her kids chewable vit c, and giving her elderberry syrup, mixed with a bit of warm water. It is really tasty, and a great immune boost. Can be used daily through winter, no side effects. Putting a drop of neat lavender essential oil on the neckline of their clothes at nursery can help protect against bugs too. X

BlinkAndMiss · 27/03/2015 22:49

No advice but my 2yo is the same. He's had a fever, sore throat and cold on and off for about 6 months and before that he had tonsillitis every few weeks. When I expressed concern to the dr a few weeks ago he assured me this was normal and that 10 colds a year was to be expected when he's mixing with other children.

It's just so draining, we're up again tonight dealing with a fever which is around 38/39 with Calpol. We've been to the dr earlier and, like you, are a bit wary of antibiotics but he wasn't offered any this time. It really is just a waiting game until one illness passes and a other begins.

I've upped the vitamins we give him, ensured he's having plenty of fresh fruit and veg, dressing appropriately for the weather - all the usual things. But them he goes to nursery for one day and comes back with every bug under the sun. I've taken loads of time off this year and so has DH (work are now losing sympathy). I'll be going on maternity leave in a few weeks which will solve one problem (of sorts) but brings about a whole set of new ones!

As worrying as it is, it's all completely normal. As for the antibiotic, there's nothing to suggest that the antibiotic wouldn't have got rid of the cough that time around but she could have still come up with another one straight afterwards. Not much help I know, but you're not alone in this.

CanIKondo · 27/03/2015 23:20

I feel your pain OP. I think my toddler has had 10 snot free days since October. Sometimes it's runny nose plus fever, sometimes runny nose plus chesty cough, currently runny nose plus a sore throat and very hoarse voice, oh and teething. I read somewhere that schoolchildren have 7-8 colds a year on average, so nursery school kids have to have more, right? Though the same thing said adults have 1-2, so I've definitely had more than my fair share...
I'm just hoping as the weather gets better, the bugs will die, and next winter their little immune systems will be stronger.

ThisIsNotWhatIWasAfter · 27/03/2015 23:25

Yep, another victim of small person snot over here. DS2 is 3 and he has a cough just now, it feels like 2 days since his last cold and I swear I have spent the last six months smeared in bogies Envy Hmm

ladydepp · 27/03/2015 23:35

My ds was like this when he was 4, so bad he had blood tests to check for anything serious. Luckily it was just a series of viruses, but it was exhausting!

He is very healthy now, doesn't get much more than a sniffle once or twice a year. He's now 12.

A humidifier is very helpful for coughs and chesty colds...

agoodbook · 28/03/2015 21:02

My DGS was like this last year- week in/week out tonsillitis/cough/cold really high temperatures.
Eventually even the nursery were he goes were worried and suggested DD asked to try a preventative inhaler . Totally changed his life :) - Dr thought the first really bad virus/cold meant his chest never properly recovered in time before another bug was caught. He still gets coughs and colds, but no where near as bad.
(In fact, due to all the infections, his tonsils are so bad , he is having them out in 2 weeks time - he's only 29 months old )

New posts on this thread. Refresh page