Toddler is constantly ill after starting nursery

[K2012]

FTM and I need advice.

My 2.5 year old son started nursery 3 months ago and this is the 4th time he’s ill with a cold. Coughing, runny nose, mild temperature and very clingy.

Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to improve his immune system?

Thank you in advance.

Yes, it's normal. This winter will be awful, next year a little better and the year after that better again. Buckle up, you'll be an empty shell of a person by Easter, sorry.

yeah its normal but after a while they become more robust .Once they have been sick enough times you find they will get sick less often but for first couple months it will be hard.All you can do is make sure they get plenty of vit c and hope they get used to the bugs soon

Absolutely normal. Mine had various levels of cold from September until March/April. It was worst in their first year at nursery, then got better each year. By the time they were 4 it was rarely worse than a runny nose.

Normal but temporary

You are improving his immune system! It won’t be as bad next winter.

Is he potty trained? I found that made a massive difference, and my theory is that it’s because he started washing his hands multiple times a day!

Normal although my child hasn't had any significant illnesses since starting nursery in spring. I have gone in for extended breastfeeding so maybe that's made the difference but how often DC's friends are ill seems to vary a lot. I believe the immune system is strongly linked to gut health so I'd try and give a varied UPF-free diet.

Dd is 22 (years!) and doing teacher training... we're back to having colds all the time again!!

It is normal, gets better over time. (But sometimes will get bad again for a bit...)

Normal. But as someone who has worked with early years children for the last 5 years, this autumn and winter seems worse than ever.

It's normal, it's worse the first time as their immune systems are so immature but it'll happen every time they move to a new mass institution so at the start of Primary, secondary and college and then Freshers Flu at uni. Once they've all mixed and shared germs it gets better.

100% normal.
It's also the fate that awaits anyone who starts work in a childcare setting if they've not got young DC themselves.

It's good for your immune system. It does better if it has something to work on.

Yes normal but very hard to get through! Especially when you are working - I was just going to post, my DS started year 7 in September and he’s been ill twice already- this is a kid who, after a year of constant sickness when he first started nursery, was never off sick!

Thank you everyone for the replies 👍🏻

@BarbaraHoward ridiculous, it may not be like that at all for the OP.

@K2012 , mine was unwell for a couple of weeks but takes the well baby daily vitamins (the syrup mixed with a drink). I can’t say for sure that’s what worked but I use that, with broccoli and carrots almost daily too, and he’s been fine.

Sorry but you just need to push through it as it does improve. My DC was ill every other week for the first 2/3 months which was dire considering we were paying for them to be off half the time not to mention the impact on work. Now it's rare that they're ill.

Normal. Hell for 6 months. Slightly easier if it’s your second child. Still hell but only like 4th level instead of the 10th. Both my kids started nursery in the September when they were 12 months ish. Christmas was a well needed stop gap to give me a breather. DD18m is laying next to me at the moment all full of snot and wheezy. 2 weeks until nursery shuts for 2 weeks. Counting down!

Her big brother was very sick and hospitalised several times with normal bugs. He was a Covid baby so no exposure before nursery. He’s 4 and robust as anything now.

My 5 month old has had about 5 colds since September from the baby groups she goes to. been to the doctors and they said to expect a continuous stream of illnesses from September-April for the foreseeable!