We have a house guest with a streaming cold. Anything I can do to stop the children and I getting it?

[BroccoliSpears]

Or at least stack the odds in our favour?

She's staying for a week. There are snotty tissues everywhere. She can't stop sneezing and coughing.

Contact is unavoidable, so are there any suppliments we can take to boost our immune systems?

Dd is 2.
Ds is 6 months, but breastfed so would maybe benefit from something I could take?

We've only just got over our last cold. Ds projectile vomits after feeds when he has a cold. I was taking duvets to the launderette on a twice weekly basis. I just can't face it again on top of everything else.

Snotty tissues straight in the bin. Hand washing for all. Get some of that for neurotics dettol spray. Spray handles of doors, taps etc.

Vit C obv chicken soup, you can get echinacea especially for kids, tincture. go to a good health food shop and tell them your tale of woe.

I have my fingers crossed for you. Mine are both vomitters when have colds/coughs. It is awful

Echinacea - I've heard good things about that. Will try and get some tomorrow.

Have rooted out a pile of paper bags for her to put tissues in, then the bags can go into the bin.

yes, in the bin asap! no lolling around like a victorian lady waving a hanky.

you really do have my utmost sympathy.

the months of vomming. the endless washing.

Sympathy much appreciated.

I am generally very gung ho about illness. I am fortunate enough to have healthy children, and I never hide out for fear of lurgy. Coughs, colds, sniffles - fact of life. But right now I really really really don't want us all to be stricken.

Aparently that First Response is meant to be quite good, but you may be too late already for it to be effective and I'm not sure if the kids can use it (and it's a bit expensive).

Garlic tablets are very good for colds.

I think I need to get to a health shop.

Wait - health shop or chemist?

Is she embracing this lurgy, or is she very aware she is polluting your house and family ??

Erm... she is elderly. She is trying to be considerate I think, but she doesn't see well. She's not big on hand washing, and she doesn't notice the strewn tissues.

(And anyway, I can't stop her from cuddling the children while she's here, so am looking at suppliments rather than zero-contact)

Kiwis are good for vit C I think.

I have to go to bed now. If anyone adds anything I will pounce on it gratefully in the morning.

My osteopath swears by a double dose of soluble Vit C tablets every day to boost the immune system.