WHY Are My Kids Getting Sick So Much This Summer??

The Hand, Foot and Mouth is very common and very contagious. It can last for weeks-- a month or more even. This can cause the kids to feel sick and tired and may even contribute to a weakened immune system.

The ear infections could be something completely different. Some kids are more prone to ear infections than others, and sometimes swimming will irritate this.

Hope you get some relief soon!

Mine are even older and have been sick like you describe. My middle son has strep throat again this week. He is almost done with antibiotics and had a fever of 103.1 at his sickest last thursday. About 2 months before that he had strep throat and had to have 2 rounds of antibiotics and gave it to at least one of his brothers, but we treated both of them regardless. Then we had poison ivey, and pink eye in the last 2 months. My hubby also has a sinusitis.
Check your air filter in the A/C. Use clorox wipes or spray on all door knobs, faucets, door jambs etc.
Also, If you haven't done it, change all toothbrushes and toothpastes. You may just be reinfecting yourself with the strep from the toothpaste. Clean the toothbrush holder well. You can also rinse all dishes with clorox. 1/4 cup in rinse water or rinse in dishwasher should help. Clean all toys.
You will probably need to give them pro-biotics or yougurt. That should also help. But basically, the flu is still going around also. We also had a stomach bug last week. You can also try the new listerine for kids to help clear the throat of pathogens.
It's summer, so we should all be outside soaking up the vitamin d. Go figure with all the viruses around.
Good luck,
L.

So sorry to hear that...For what it is worth here are some suggestions...my 2 and 4 year old children have not been sick all year(knock on wood)
I am a toxin awareness/children's health educator and from my research...
Children with weak immune systems and chronic ear infections most often are allergic to formaldehyde which is in so many shampoos, soaps, household products etc(common trade names are quaternium 15 etc)
Removing these products can help.. Also childrens immune systems are not as stong as they used to be due our increased chemical use.
My children were both just over 4lbs at birth but have strong immune systems and I totally attribute that to our switching storest to shop for safer alternatives from Melaleuca. Also they both take a small dose of probiotic daily.
Sounds like you are off to a good start with Juice Plus but be sure the multivitamin has a good absoption rate(most over the counter are only around 30% or less. Melaleuca's kids Vita Bears are 90% or higher depending on the child.
To learn more visit www.LiveTotalWellness.com/Texas and www.SaferforYourHome.com along with CHEC.org

Bless your heart! 3 sick babies is not fun I'm sure.

I know that in my small town near Abilene there has been tons of viruses going around for it to be summer. It is kind of odd.

One thing that I would suggest is when ever you take the kids to the store with you (or even if you go by yourself) is to use Clorox wipes on the buggy. I know that makes a huge difference for my family during cold/flu season.

I also try to do this at restaurants.

Also, with you going to the doc so much, be sure and use hand sanitizer on your kids often and try to keep them away from the toys in the waiting room and don't let them play with the other kids. Sometimes taking them into see the doctor means getting sicker than what you went for.

I will say that it seems like a lot of their problems could have been caused by the Strep which is something that lays dormant in the body and flairs up from time to time.

Maybe in a week or so things will settle down. I know what it feels like to want to keep your kids in a bubble. My very healthy 4 year old got a peritonsilar abscess 3/17 and was sick every week to every other week until we had his tonsils and adenoids out 6/6. He's the kind that usually goes to the doc once or twice a year and I can't tell you how many times he was there in that time frame! Uggh!

Just hang in there and know that this two shall pass.

My kiddo who is 18 months and does go to daycare has had all of these within the last two months! This is going to sound wierd, but by any chance did you lug all of the kiddos to the Dr. office during one of the kids' sick visits? I am half convinced that you can catch a lot of stuff while you are there for other things, especially with the toys they keep everywhere. We went in for an eye infection on a Monday and had the coxsackie virus by Friday. We could have gotten it from school, the store, me or her dad since we work with exposure to a lot of people...there's no telling.

Right now my husband and I are on moderately high doses of vitamin C and we have started our daughter on 250 mg per day. She was in the middle of a cold that turned into a sinus infection when we started the vitamin C. So the jury's still out as to how much or little that's gonna help. I have watched my husband go through another round of strep throat within the last week and I am okay so I think there's some value to 2000-3000 mg per day of vitamin C. For grownups. If you will take them regularly (had to put that in there, my husband's been taking them sporadically).

I would go to Sam's and buy a box of toothbrushes and switch them out 48 hours after starting antibiotics. Also spray toys, surfaces, doorknobs and even little hands periodically with 9 parts water to one part hydrogen peroxide in one of those walmart spray bottles to sanitize. Safe and gentle. If there's any way you get get out of the house by yourself for a little while like when dad comes home, do it, it's a sanity saver.

I totally feel for you and I am so sorry!!! I want to tell you this too shall pass, but I am having the same problems with just one kid...maybe the dogs are carrying something?? Good luck and keep your chin up.

Hi,

I'm so sorry it's been such a sick summer for you so far. I know many doctors will disagree with me, but I found that when my daughter was younger she was getting a lot of ear infections.

We did tubes, allergy meds, etc. Some are inexplainable; however, I found that when we had fresh cut flowers in the house, she'd get an infection. I laid off on that for awhile and things are better.

Like I said, I'm sure some docs would poo-poo that correlation, but that's what I found. My advice is to look for a possible trigger.

I hope things get better. Good luck!

my 4 yr old got a lot of throat infections when she took swimming lessons last year. We ended up having to have her tonsils & adenoids out. Ear infections are typically secondary infections from either viruses or bacterial infections from the drainage getting into the ears. The yeast infection probably is from the antibiotics and you can fight that with probiotics and some Lotrimin and/or Monistat (check with your doctor). And yes, when you have 3 kids (i have 4 under the age of 5), they seem to pass things around between them. good luck.

I have 2 kids, plus I babysit 3 kids, and let me tell you, they have been sick ALOT! It seems as soon as one is fever free, someone else gets something, and then it starts all over again. My sister's kids get sick alot this summer too. Just yesterday, her 3 year old had a fever, but no other symptoms. I don't know what it is, but it's going around. Just try to keep things as sanitary as possible. I agree with using clorox or some sort of wipe at the store. We use a cart cover with my baby when we go shopping and she NEVER gets ill. (knock on wood).
Hope things get easier for you and the kids!

Siblings spread germs very easily. (I remember having to play with my brother as a child so that I could get the chickenpox from him and get it over with). It's all about teaching good hand hygiene. They should wash their hands after using the restroom, after playing outside, before & after they eat, before & after they touch their face, sneeze, cough. Disinfect their toys, door knobs, light switches, etc. Don't let them share cups or food where germs can intermingle. They should especially wash their hands before & after touching the baby.

As far as the ear & yeast infections - if their immune system is already compromised from strep or HFM, they are more likely to get other infections. Especially when allergens are circulating, that can encourage congestion in the ears, which leads to infections.