My 1 year old NEVER gets our stomach bugs

[Jessie2024]

I’m not exactly looking for advice, I’m just looking for someone to give me some sort of explanation 😂. Since my 15 month old started nursery 6 months ago, myself and my partner have had FOUR stomach bugs. They’ve all been pretty horrid, but our girl hasn’t got any of them! Is this a pretty normal thing for that age group? Everyone else I know seems to think it’s odd, but there must be a reason!

I’m dreading the day they get a sickness bug tbh as they are the biggest drama llama with the lowest pain threshold 😬😆

@Blarn amazing! I hope my daughter’s immunity lasts a while!

@borderlaise I’m not surprised 😂. If it helps I was the same, I never had a stomach bug until I was 17, never broken any bones, was barely ill as a child. Now I’m getting every stomach bug under the sun, suffer with constant anemia, and had a horrific birth with my child. I’m truly humbled 😭

Mine is nearly 4 and has only once had a stomach bug, and recovered pretty quickly. We don’t tend to have them either, though. Otherwise he just doesn’t get ill often, he’s had two coughs and that’s it. I did breastfeed him until he was 2 but I don’t know how much difference that would be making now!

My son is 5 next week and he’s never had a stomach bug either! Been in reception for a year - his class has been absolutely wiped out by chicken pox the last couple of months too and he hasn’t caught that. Never had hand foot and mouth when his nursery was rife with it. He did have COVID when he was a baby though which was awful! I’m sure our time will come but for now I’m definitely enjoying it

My 4 children are the same. Never had one single episode and I find it curious. However, colds are a different matter!

I didn't know you can be a carrier i just thought because I worked with under 4s that i had built up immunity, I might just be a Germ carrier instead 🤢

I never even threw up as a child, still don’t as an adult really
had norovirus once, and campylobacter but I was never sick with that

DD has had 3 stomach bugs in her 6 years. 2 in the last year. She didn't throw up (past baby sick up) until she was 4. Never had diarrhea or antibiotics. We've taken her to the Dr once for an ear infection.

Some kids just don't catch stuff, luck of the draw I guess!

DD was a formula fed, c sectioned, 4 week early prem baby. We did everything wrong in terms of immune support but she does ok!

Never had a stomach bug. I’m a nurse in my 50s.

My son aged 17 has never had a vomiting bug or stomach bug of any kind. No idea why not, just the way he is. I also never really get sick, as it happens. But he's adopted so we don't share genetics. I've put it down to us not being very fussy about hygiene and so building a strong immune system, but in reality I have no idea, just luck I think!

Maybe she's a b blood type, making her resistant to a lot of stains of norovirus?

You’ve just described my DS, he started nursery we were always sick, cold flu, bugs and he was right as rain, I didn’t breastfeed as I couldn’t but we spoke to nursery this is going back 15+ years and they said some kids are carriers.

He’s almost 18 and I think he’s been ill about 3 times.

They’re vaccinated against rotavirus these days so can carry it but less likely to get symotoms (not all at nursery will have been vaccinated against it so she could be carrying it from there)

re: norovirus though, there’s no immunity to that aside from for around 3 months after having your last bout - it changes too quickly, so there is no benefit to the immune system if you catch it, you still keep on catching it. There is one blood type that doesn’t seem to be affected by it though, so she may have that blood type? (Although presumably one of you would have it too so not sure how that works).

It wasn’t something I actually thought about but my daughter is 2 years 9 months and has never had a stomach bug. Despite me and her dad having them. She is breastfed so maybe there is a correlation!

Ssshhhh, you'll jinx it 😂

My OH calls our toddler Typhoid Mary. She will have the mildest runny nose and floor us with flu like symptoms for days. Or one dodgy looking nappy and the rest of the household is throwing up for the week.
But then on the other side of things she gets really badly car sick and also throws up when she gets overtired so she’s fairly used to vomiting (the absolute worst being a combination of overtiredness during a long journey).

I very rarely seem to get norovirus. I’m A- which I don’t think is the resistant type but I can count on one hand the amount of stomach bugs I’ve had in my life (hoping that hasn’t jinxed me).

DD, when she was about 18 months old, threw up once on a Sunday morning, on the sofa. I cleaned it up, and we got on with our morning. By 3pm, I was on the toilet every 20 minutes without fail, feeling the illest I've ever felt. 2 hours later, DP was the same.

We shipped DD off to my mum's, and the next morning, she's come down with it, and shortly after, so does my brother. So off DD goes to DPs parents. DPs mum and sister both get it, DP Dad "had the shits for about 15 mins, dunno what you're all complaining about".

By this point DP and I are starting to feel a bit more human, and a stone lighter, so bring typhoid Mary back home, who's happily oblivious to the carnage she's caused.

I'm the same! I think I must be one of the 10% of the population who is immune to the norovirus. I've lost count of the times I've been exposed to it,cleaning up after my DD and DGD when they have had it. Between them,I think they've had it a dozen times in as many years. After about the sixth time I was in contact with them and still didn't get it,I concluded that I must be immune. I did a bit of research online and apparently a small percentage of the population ARE immune to it. Like you,I feel I'm tempting fate and I'll be struck down with a ghastly stomach bug next week!

Three sons two never had it as children, but now they're married with children catch it from them. Third son had it once aged 14. Then caught hand foot and mouth from grandson. Husband and I have never had it.

The only thing different is that we have always had dogs. Our sons and families don't. I wonder if they offer some immunity.

Blood group can have something to do with it. I’m B so I rarely get noro even when others are dropping like flies.

I'd guess your 15 month old is not eating the same things you do- it may very possibly food poisoning , not stomach bugs.
This happened to me as a child, my mother always blamed us getting sick on a stomach bug, but as soon as I left home it stopped- because she had no idea about the hygienic storage and cooking of food.

@Laurmolonlabe she eats everything we eat, all the same things. Plus we’ve passed the bug onto others around us before, and myself and my partner rarely eat the same food because we work opposite hours, plus I’m vegetarian! So I think it’s definitely not food poisoning. Good theory though, I did consider it, but its highly unlikely xx

My younger child breastfed for years and (touch wood) doesn't get stomach bugs. Ironic considering I found out I was pregnant because of a stomach bug that didn't let up (went straight from that to morning sickness).

I don't know the answer to this but catching four stomach bugs within six months sounds brutal. Aren't you immune to that specific bug for a few months after catching it? So that's four different stomach bugs you've caught. I'd have thought food poisoning or similar was more likely.