3 Year Old Always Catching Colds

It sounds like her immune system is low and that she has a sensitive system. My concern is that she is not getting the proper nutrients so she can be as healthy as possible. I'm sure you are feeding her well, but is she absorbing them. Good bacteria and enzymes would help her metabolize the nutrients she needs and neutralize any toxic intake.I would suggest giving her as much drinkable yogurt (that has active bacteria) as she wants and raw vegetables which will give her the enzymes. Tylenol is a synthetic drug - a chemical and I would not give this to my kids unless they were running a very high fever (maybe). Other things I would do: make sure she gets very good drinkable water, avoid flouride, no candies with dyes and hold off in immunizing her which will further compromise her system. At least break up the MMR into 3 separate shots with time inbetween, but I would wait until she's healthy for a good stretch.

It is totally normal for you to be concerned about your 3yr old getting sick that frequently. And it is also strange that your daughter gets diarrhea from tylenol. Maybe you should get another opinion from a different doctor. It does sound like she has a low immume system, but you never know. For the time being you should keep her hands and neck and head and ears covered whenever she goes out, and use a humidifier throughout the day, and especially at night. It really helped my boys when their coughs were bad. You doing good with using vicks. I usually rub it on their chests, back and neck, and put just a very little right under their noses. Also, try and put some garlic and/or ginger in her food. And let her drink lots of fluids. Mortrin is also good for fevers. Usually, when their fever doesn't seem to go down, I alternate the tylenol and mortrin. I don't know if they have it at stores in your area, but there are patches that you can buy for fevers and you should be able to find it at a pharmacy. You usually put it in the frigde or freezer and when the kids need it you stick it on their forehead. It is in a retangular shape and it is usually a white patch or a blue gel patch and you dispose it afterwards.

Dear S.,

I am a mother of two children, a girl 9 and a boy 7 and I feel very lucky to be married to a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, because we have always effectively treated our children naturally with herbal medicines, supplements and laser acupuncture. My children have never taken antibiotics. I think it is normal that young children have colds more frequently. With our life styles the exposure of a child is high and a young child's immune system is still developing and not so strong. I disagree that it is normal that colds last a least two weeks. It is common but not normal. It is common because colds don't get treated at all or only when there are serious symptoms. There are some fabulous pediatric Chinese Herbal Formulas as well as homeopathic formulas for cold, coughs flu and fever and much more. The Chinese Herbs are given at the very onset of cold symptoms, such as sneezing or a scratchy throat. The cold is dispelled from the surface of the body before it can go deeper into the body. That's why symptoms don't aggravate but usually disappear within a few days. I have observed over the years that my children recover considerably faster from a cold or flu than their class mates.
If your daughter responds to tylenol with diarrhea, it would be advisable to find another remedy for the fever. Again there are incredibly effective homeopathic remedies for flu and fever and it is very easy to administer and very effective.
It may be helpful for you to find a Pediatrician who offers natural care or find an Acupuncturist/Herbalist or Naturopathic Doctor.
I hope this is helpful. Our Acupuncture & Health Center is located in Oakland. You can call us at ###-###-####. We are happy to help you and answer questions or look for a Natural Health Care Professional near you.

Greetings,

G., PT, CFT

One of the best things you can do is keep your children away from sugar. It really wears down the immune system. She may benefit from a good children's multi (check w/Whole Foods as they are not all the same). Also, be cautious w/your use of Tylenol. If your daughter is running a fever that's not over 102, let it run it's course. It is the body's defense system working to kill off whatever is assualting it. People tend to give meds right away to get rid of the fever but it's the body's defense system working!! Good luck. E.

Try Motrin instead of Tylenol and see how that works. Administer it after a meal.

Wash your hands often, ask your MIL to wash her hands often, get a seat cover for grocery carts if you can.

Probiotics!! They are a wonderful support to the immune system. Jarrow-dophilus is a great brand, and they have a formula especially for kids/babies. It would be in the refrigerated section of a health food store (in SF they can be found at Rainbow Grocery and Scarlet Sage). It's a powder, and you can just put it in their breakfast and/or dinner.

In order to keep her from catching so many colds, you need to limit her exposure to germs. In order to do that, you need to keep her away from sick kids, constantly wash her hands, carry anti-bacterial wipes with you and wipe down every surface she's going to touch (restaurant tables, high chairs, grocery carts, etc).

You can also try some homeopathic remedies from Whole Foods to help boost her immune system.

As far as the fevers go, I wouldn't immediately medicate her just because she has a fever. A fever is intended to do a job (to fight off infection), and when you immediately medicate, her body's natural immune system cannot work properly. Only medicate her (you can try children's ibuprofen) when it's over 102, or if it's disrupting her sleep. Otherwise, let her body do its job.

I disagree with the person who said to let the fever go unless it's over 102. I myself am I highly uncomfortable if I have a temperature over 100, and I am usually ache-y, and feel off in the head. As others said try children's motrin. The fever is the *result* of your body trying to do fix the problem.
With small children it's far too risky to not reduce the fever. It can go bad so fast otherwise. . .

Also, ten colds a year for a child NOT in preschool? That's odd. Is she exposed to children who are in preschool or have some other sort of play group going on?

Hi S.,
Ten colds does sound high, but I would trust your doc if he/she says that it's normal. The number I've heard is six, but some will get more and some will get fewer, so I guess ten is probably in range. One of the easiest places to catch a cold is the grocery store, somewhere people need to go even when sick, sneeze or cough, take something off the shelf, potentially put it back, and hold onto the cart handle. Playgrounds, etc., are also a good place for kids to spread germs, not just preschool. It is probably not informative to compare your daughters' responses to colds or the frequency with which they get them. My younger brother caught everything and got so much sicker than I ever did. He had fevers of 106 several times, and the doc (keep in mind this was the early 70s, before HMOs were the norm, etc.) would have my mom bring my bro into his office for much of the day so that he and the nurses could keep on eye on him. If someone was going to puke it was my brother, etc. I got sick but not as often, not as severely, and not for as long. As adults, my brother is definitely healthier, at least so far. he is 35 and I am 38. I have an autoimmune disease, and he mostly gets typical issues (colds, etc.), though he has worse allergies by far (I have almost none). Now this is not at all to say in the slightest that your older daughter will end up less healthy than your younger one or anyone else, just that what is happening now likely will not predict the future. Neither will comparing the girls. Each of our systems is unique. As for Tylenol, some people are allergic to acetaminophen, the active ingredient. I'm not sure if diarrhea indicates that (definitely let the doc know!), but I have found Children's Motrin to be more effective in suppressing my son's fever than Tylenol. You might want to try that, though you may want to ask the doc. Most recommend Motrin, but I don't want to circumvent his/her ability to advise you on this given that I'm not a medical professional. Also, the poster who mentions Chinese medicine has an interesting idea. Back when I was seeing an acupuncturist (and Dr. of Oriental Medicine -- that's what it's called I guess), he gave me these little pellets to swallow that helped me immensely in getting over a cold. I'm not sure what there is that is appropriate for young children, but it might be worth looking into it. However, be very cautious if you decide to buy Chinese remedies. You need to be sure the dispensary has top notch suppliers (when I got this stuff, I tried to get primarily products produced in the U.S.), because there have been incidents where these products contain things they should not, etc. I'm not sure where you are located, but Chinese Medicine Works in the Noe Valley neighborhood in SF is where I got my stuff. I talked to my acupuncturist/D.O.M. for a long time about my fear of tainted products (this was way before the recent scares, back in the 90s) and ingredients that turned out to be dangerous, such as ephedra. He explained how they sourced their products and managed to win me over. My system is pretty sensitive, but I never had issues with any of the products or tinctures that he gave me. Then again, my experiences are anecdotal and certainly not statistically significant! Chinese remedies are an interesting thought nonetheless. At the very least, acupuncture (which my practitioner used on his kids starting at, I believe, six months) can be helpful in lessening cold symptoms without any meds or other products. Might have to think about this myself for my son's next cold!
K.

S.,

I am a homeopath, and one of the best overall remedies for your child to take is Ferrum Phos 6X. You can find it at most health food stores, or an the internet. It helps raise your daughter's immune system. It usually takes a month or two to help, but the pellets are sweet and the kids usually love to take their remedies.Follow the directions on the bottle for your daughters age.

ibprofin (advil generic brand) can also be given for fever in children. I always alternated between tylenol and advil to see which one worked best an it seemed like advil did for fever.

I have experienced the same concerns over the past 16 years. I have one child who rarely got sick in early childhood and two who caught(catch) most viruses which they come in contact with. It is a vicious cycle, because children can catch one virus on top of the next. Be sure you are seeing atleast a full day or two of all symptoms gone between viruses! You don't want to miss a bacterial infection......Tylenol can upset the tummy and so can children's motrin. With fever many people like to rotate the two...Hang in there because the good news is that their immune systems do get stronger! You may experience the frequent virual infections once your children begin school though. Enjoy your children runny noses and all!

I wonder if she's allergic to anything at your mom's? Maybe an Atmosphere air purification system? My 4 year old still gets colds but less often since we've been supplementing with vitamins. I am happy to suggest the best nutritionals in the world, Nutrilite. I live with a condition that used to wipe me out and since I found Nutrilite and started us and our kids on it, we notice a huge difference in how we all feel and how quickly we heal or avoid colds. Even my man's chronic allergies are better. I cannot take Tylenol myself and use an ibuprofin when absolutely necessary instead. Nutrilite has literally saved me. I'm going on 40 and felt like 60 and now I feel like 26 again! My little girl is in preschool and there are always sick kids, yet she is clearly building up a good immunity too. If you like to research or want to know where to find Nutrilite, we share them with our family and friends at our website www.bbu4u.com. Of course, I really want to suggest you do your own research like we did. I know you'll find something that works for you S.. You're certainly attracting plenty of options.

By the way, the highest fevers I use the suppository that you get from the pharmacist but always check with your doctor first before implementing any dietary change or using over-the-counter drugs (as I know you know). Blessings & health!

Mine is 2 and catches ANYTHING that is going around. I could keep her home for a week and no matter what, she's sick the next week. The doc tells me it's normal too and I'll be happy when she goes to school because she won't get as many colds then. I think some kids are just more succeptable or something. I did start my daughter on some vitamins just to see if it helps. Not sure yet. Good luck. I feel for you!

Hi S.
My daughter is the same way..she's gotten maybe 6 colds since sept. of last year, and the dr. told me the same thing...she even said that it's good for her immune system to get the cold.

You can research how to boost her immune system naturally with vitamins. (Vitamin C comes to mind, but you need to do your homework.) Clearly, she needs extra support compared to her sister.
I agree with your take that her immune system isn't as efficient as her sibling. And I don't agree with the doctor's laissez-faire attitude about it. That's frustrating and I'm sorry that your doctor isn't giving it more attention. I would trust your own instincts on this, S..
The fact that she responds with diarrhea from Tylenol would prompt me, as a mother, to be concerned as well. You could get a test (it's not covered by insurance) that shows how she responds to drugs. I can't recall what it is. It has something to do with "liver conjugation." The liver which has a cleansing function has three phases: 1)Phase One, 2) the phase between Phase One and Two, and 3) Phase Two. Some kids have inefficient Phase Two functioning which is associated with the immune system. If Phase One is sluggish, it impacts the immune system. I don't know what you can do with this information other than to avoid the drugs that don't do well with Phase Two conjugation. If you can't afford the tes, then just try Motrin or some other drug until you find a normal reaction. Diarrhea is not a normal reaction to Tylenol.

Hi S.,

I understand your concerns as I had the same problem with my oldest son. I, too, took him to the doctor who only seemed to treat symptoms. It wasn't until I took him to a holistic doctor that we got things turned around through diet and supplements. The holistic doctor found that he had a sensitivity to milk which weakend his immune system.

Thought I would also comment on fevers. The pediatrician that we see (and also the holistic doctor) says that fevers are serving a purpose in fighting off the cold and that unless the child is very uncomfortable or the fever is too high let it run its course.

Hope this helps!

I had this same problem with my almost 2 year old as well as my older kids. I found this product called MonaVie which is a blend 19 juices with high antioxidants primarily the acai berry (which has the highest antioxidant of any fruit in the world). Anyway it's awesome. My whole family drinks it (2oz a day is all it takes) and we have never felt better. I was so impressed with it I became a distributor for it. If you are interested in it email me and I will send you more info on it. ____@____.com my name is B.:)

Start your daughter on Juice Plus gummies - 17 fruits and veggies in a gummy that she will love! My 3 kids haven't been sick in 3 years and my asthmatic son is off all meds too. Contact me if you wish - ###-###-####. A. Bone

Hi S.,

Being sick now at her young age is a good thing. It will build up her immune system so it will be stronger in the future. However, there is a limit. She should be healthy enough to enjoy her childhood now too. Please check out the video at this website. It could help. www.maxgxl.com/maxmagic

Also, when she is sick, rub Vicks on the bottoms of her feet, put socks on her and put her to bed. Sounds weird, I know, but it does help!

N. :o)

You know, she may or may not have a more challenged system. But ultimately, every time she fends of a virus she builds that system, so she may have a really strong one in the future. Really, its hard to say. But it certainly is not unusual for a child to get sick 6-10 times a year. In fact, its expected from what I understand.

You can use Lemon Balm glycerite for fevers, they will help the fever to stay at a manageable level for her (fevers are a good thing, I'm not one to think its good to get rid of it entirely, it means the body is doing its work). You can find this at health food stores.

Hth!

Please look into alternative solutions rather than over the counter medicine. My kids have been going to a chiropractor their whole life and they are rarely sick. Adjustments help keep the nervous system in line therefore keeping the big stuff away.

Common colds affect everyone differently. If you live in the mountains you'd see most kids hanging on to their colds for months on end. Get her out into fresh air whenever possible and let her body do what is necessary to fight the cold. Honestly, it is good for us to trust our bodies rather than stuff them full of chemicals that do more harm than good!

There are plenty of holistic practitioners out there, please seek the advise of someone your gut trusts. Doctors know a lot, but not everything. As parents, we have to do our own homework and trust our guts more than the word of someone who doesn't spend any time with our children.

A little love and prayer never hurts either! Sometimes we hang on to illness for emotional reasons, although I'm sure the grandparents are excellent caregivers, maybe your daughter misses you when you work and she needs a little more of your attention when you get home? (I know this from personal experience - not from judgment.)

Good luck, your daughter will be fine!

I just have advice on the coughing. Rub vicks on her feet and put socks on. I heard that not long ago and tried it out and it really works.

It seems as though you are getting a great plethora of advice. I agree that you should try some holistic approaches as well. Homeopathy can be good to help boost the immune system, I am a chiropractor myself and I think having her checked by someone in my profession could only benefit her. There are lots of great vitamin blends for children to help boost her immune system. The holistic approach definitely can't harm her. Its worth giving it a shot.
Best of luck!

Hi S.,
Make sure both of your daughters are getting enough quality sleep. If my daughter goes to bed too late and doesn't get good rest, she ALWAYS gets sick. I have been working from home for about 6 months and she hasn't gotten sick once. I believe it is because she is getting better sleep. We still have alot of contact with sick kids but she doesn't get sick. She eats alot of fresh fruit, veggies, and whole grains. We limit refined sugars and all processed foods. She hasn't even eaten fast food once. I figure she will have plenty of time when she is older for those types of foods. I am also a hand washing fanatic! I use a warm mist humidifier in my daughter's room to keep the humidity level up when we use the heater alot. I use Vicks VapoSteam in it when she is sick and it really helps.
Good luck!
L.

Just something to consider...a wheat/gluten, soy or dairy allergy? You might try eliminating wheat and see if that changes anything.

Hi S.,

I have a daughter who is going to turn 3 this June. She also seemed to have less immunity & like you mentioned my daughter catches cold very quickly from outside exposure.

I felt that this is not very normal. She has less immunity that's the reason she is not able to resist.

I tried to give her orange juice or oranges daily. Also whenever she got a cold, instead of giving her tylenol, i gave her chicken soup which worked like miracle. Her cold used to go off within 3 days & wont drag for 2 weeks.

I would advise you to give your daughter chicken soup & fruits or juices which are rich in vitamin C to boost her immunity. Please try all natural products rather than going for some vitamin tablets or medications. I assure this will definitely help.

Regards
Rameeza

Hi S.,

I totally agree with the suggestion to try the Monavie. I got it from my doctor and our whole family takes it including our 11 month old. The other thing you might try is going to a pediatric chiropractor. My friend had a similar problem with her daughters constantly sick and once she started getting them adjusted their "sick time" decreased significantly. Also, in yoga we do inversions to build our immune system. Help your little girl do hand stands on the wall which will not only be fun but will boost her immune system. Hope this helps!

You can use children's Motrin/Advil, same medicine-Ibuprofen, and it stays in there system for 6-8 hour as opposed to the 4-6 with Tylenol. Less times a day to give. My older child is much more prone to illness as well I think it is just that every child is different.

Good luck
S.

Hi S.. The western medicine doctors always seem to tell parents that its normal for kids to get colds this often. And yet there are plenty of kids not getting them as often and seem to come out of them quicker. From an holistic medicine stand point this is not normal and does often indicate lower immune function. Tylenol is also not a safe drug for children, no matter what the allopathic doctors will tell you. There are side effects and it sounds like your daughter's body is giving an indication that it does not suit her well.
There are many natural and very effective treatments to boost immunity as well as treat colds, flus, and fever safely. It is so unfortunate that this information is not readily available to all parents. Western medicine is limited to antibiotics, steroids, pain killers, & cold symptom suppressants when it comes to any kind of treatment. These treatments can actually lead to lower immune function the more they are used, leading to a very detrimental cycle that often includes asthma, allergies, skin problems, etc.

Quite fortunately natural care does have the ability to treat such things without the side effects. Stimulation of acupuncture points (with or without needles), herbal medicine, and homeopathy are all effective & safe, and actually work to help increase your child's ability to fight off future infection.
To learn more about what you can do specifically at home I highly recommend the book CHILD HEALTH GUIDE by RANDALL NEUSTAEDTER. Also finding a holistic practitioner that works with children can be very beneficial.
If you have any questions about anything I have wrote please feel free to call or email anytime ###-###-#### or ____@____.com

J. Stevens, L.Ac.
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com

Try JuicePlus. JuicePlus is a great "vitiman" for kids and adults. You should check out the website, www.juiceplus.com. It's basically all the fruits and veggies we need dehydrated and put into capsuls, or gummies for kids. It's all natural and really boosts the immune system. This is great stuff and I recommend it to all ages, especially kids.

Put the vicks on her feet and put socks on. Have you tried Children's Motrin? Humidifiers help, too. The best way to keep from catching a cold is good and frequent hand-washing. Also, try to discourage her from rubbing her eyes because germs can be passed that way as well.

I hope she feels better soon!

Have you heard of chiropractic upper trunk care? Google it for your daughter and see if it would help. We actually have a chiroprator in the Fresno area who does not charge to check kids until they are 5. He saw my son and he's incredible! We had a very different issue, but found that even a tiny misalignment can cause problems like illness for the rest of one's life! Oh, and adjustments on kids are like a one shot deal and nothing like what an adult would get... Good luck and God bless!

Hi S.!

I am the mother of 5, 4 of which are teenagers. I can tell you from personal experience that catching that many colds is normal. At that age it seems like they are sick ALL the time. As they get older their immune system becomes stronger and they will be sick less. I was worried too about that back then. If the Tylenol is causing problems, I would try Children's motrin. It helps with fever and pain and lasts longer than Tylenol. Two of my daughters are only 15 months apart and one always got sicker than the other, that still holds true. We just went thru it again this last week. You are doing nothing wrong. Things will be fine. Just try to stay well yourself! Just keep up what you're doing!

S. M