Seems like 5 week long ‘cold’ - normal?

[Carrotstick878]

Hi everyone!

My DS started nursery (where I also went back to work) in mid-June. He’s now 15 months. It was over summer when he started so only a few other children, much quieter overall. He had one cold about the start of July, then nothing for a month, and now since the 1st August he’s had a constant runny nose, and now cough!

The runny nose started gently and clear for about 8 days, he woke up inconsolable one night so we took him to out of hours who confirmed likely viral illness and sent us home with instructions to rest, and the runny nose turned into yellow snot and a day of a high temp. It seemed to ease up after a couple of days and be improving, until a few weeks ago it started again only accompanied with a cough, and around 4 hours of a slight temperature. The yellow snot has returned to clear snot but he’s still phlegm-y and has the cough (around 3.5 weeks now). No temperature

Overall he still seems ok in himself. Nursery did mention that he wasn’t totally himself one day, but he’s still settling really as he’s only there 2.5 days a week. He’s eating, sleeping a normal amount (although quite broken at night), and his molars are coming through which has I think has caused his gums to bleed once or twice when brushing. Only minimally though.

Im prone to health anxiety and thought I’d be ok with this as I’m surrounded by childhood illness but it’s so different when it’s your own!. This this seems to be lingering for longer than I’d thought. We’ve just switched GP’s as my old one refused to see him (terrible one man who should have retired 10 years ago practice - I’m deliberately strict with myself because I do have Health Anxiety so I know it wasn’t a ‘been too often’ issue), so we have an appointment for Tuesday just to check him over, but I doubt they’ll do much as overall he does seem ok.

So can anyone relate? Is this par for the course of starting nursery/toddlerhood? Or does it sound excessive? I struggle to put things in perspective sometimes and turns out this is one of those things! (I am getting help for this!).

Thank you if you made it this far :)

Its very normal. My son never had a snotty nose or cold till he started nursery at 2.5 years old. After he started, hand on my heart he had a constant cold/bug/rash/temp for literally a year.

Half those kids at nursery are ill and then have siblings at other schools where people are ill, it just goes around and around and its just part of the immune system building process.

I found lining the inside of my sons nose with vaseline a really helpful tip from the doctor, creates a barrier for breathing in germs but if they're at the age where toys and hands are in mouth alot, theres not much you can do. Sambucol vitamins are really helpful and I use them even now every winter for my son. Just part of the nursery process unfortunately.

Thank you so much for your reply! Puts my mind at ease. I always jump to worst case scenario, such as immune issues/scary things. I have to shake myself!!

I used to be the same. Id cry and worry and always feel like it was my fault he was suffering. I really do swear by the Sambucol though. X