How often does your children get sick in Childcare?
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Assuming that sending your child to CC is mandatory, the best thing to do is to bear with it and over time strengthen your child’s immunity.
My personal recommendation is a regular dose of honey and cod liver oil, plus lots of water. Vitamin C has proven to be vastly over-rated, it has never done a thing for my family (sorry Ivan).
However I also believe that no two persons, including kids, are alike, so different people will respond to different formulae. It’s necessary to experiment and monitor.
The other two factors are environment(al pollution) and diet. Eg. no amount of supplements is going to help if the child is allowed to consume unhealthy/unhelpful things regularly, which can range from cold drinks to candy. Sleep and rest are also absolutely vital.
When your child falls sick, you have to try hard to control her so she can recover quickly, as prolonged sickness will weaken the body more and more.
Eg. no cold drinks, no ice cream, no dairy products, no chocolate, heaty foods, get lots of sleep, drink lots of water, etc.
It’s not easy, I fail at it sometimes too, but got to try.
Very young kids by nature have limited immunity, it will take a few years, I suppose, to strengthen it. But we must do our utmost to nurture that growth. -
sashimi:
I'm not sure the cause of her frequent falling sick is due to the food or childcare centre. But for sure, we will feed her with cod liver oil once she recovers. But no ice cream and candy is tough.Assuming that sending your child to CC is mandatory, the best thing to do is to bear with it and over time strengthen your child's immunity.
My personal recommendation is a regular dose of honey and cod liver oil, plus lots of water. Vitamin C has proven to be vastly over-rated, it has never done a thing for my family (sorry Ivan).
However I also believe that no two persons, including kids, are alike, so different people will respond to different formulae. It's necessary to experiment and monitor.
The other two factors are environment(al pollution) and diet. Eg. no amount of supplements is going to help if the child is allowed to consume unhealthy/unhelpful things regularly, which can range from cold drinks to candy. Sleep and rest are also absolutely vital.
When your child falls sick, you have to try hard to control her so she can recover quickly, as prolonged sickness will weaken the body more and more.
Eg. no cold drinks, no ice cream, no dairy products, no chocolate, heaty foods, get lots of sleep, drink lots of water, etc.
It's not easy, I fail at it sometimes too, but got to try.
Very young kids by nature have limited immunity, it will take a few years, I suppose, to strengthen it. But we must do our utmost to nurture that growth.
Can kids take pure fruit juice? -
vfong1:
No ice cream and candy is tough...but only for a while. Imagine always being sick. Now, that's tough. And now, imagine, always not being able to have ice cream and candy because you're sick. That's even tougher.I'm not sure the cause of her frequent falling sick is due to the food or childcare centre. But for sure, we will feed her with cod liver oil once she recovers. But no ice cream and candy is tough.
Can kids take pure fruit juice?
DD has learned that listening to parents and following a strict diet of only healthy stuff (and even no milk though she loves it) allows her to recover quickly and when she does, she gets rewarded with ice cream and milk. Now that she's older, she can also discipline herself when we aren't there to see what she eats, most of the time.
Pure fruit juice may still be very sweet so just dilute with water. When DD was a toddler, I think we gave her 50:50, then when she got older, we increased it to 70:30 (70 = juice), and so on.
VVVIP: If your child (or you) is suffering from phlegm or if you have asthma, do not take citrus fruits or drink their juices. In fact, you should avoid juices altogether since they have to be taken chilled. Citrus fruits include oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines/kumquats and one doctor even told me to avoid grapes. -
schellen:
Pure fruit juice may still be very sweet so just dilute with water. When DD was a toddler, I think we gave her 50:50, then when she got older, we increased it to 70:30 (70 = juice), and so on.
No leh, I still give her 50:50.
vfong - it'll be good if you can establish what is your DD's weakness. It could very well simply be too much ice cream and candy. Moderation is the key, not total elimination. I guess depending on how the child is brought up, it may or may not be difficult. My DD loves ice cream like mad, but so far, somehow we've managed to discipline her to only once a fortnight. To be frank it's almost too good to be true, I often wonder if someone else cheats with her..... like her grannies....
Anyway, I suggest you give cod liver oil regularly, in health and in sickness. The thing about cod liver oil is the omega-3 fatty acids, which promotes immunity.
See if it makes a difference. If not, try something else. (eg. the honey i suggested. Honey is a natural antiseptic with anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Best part, totally natural and it's sweet so kids usually love it. Better than candies).
As for fruits, as my wife says above. The thing about some juices is that it's too sweet, so will feed bacteria as well. For citrous juices, my understanding is that the strong citric acid aggravates inflamed throat surfaces, which worsens sore throats and coughs. So, no juice is best during flus, coughs. -
Sharing my experience…
DD1 (in K1 now) started in childcare at 18months… in the 1st few months, she went down a lot in terms of weight… and could not sleep well… keep waking up in middle of the nite n cry… so end up not enough sleep n was sick every month for the 1st 6 months… either cough, running nose , fever, etc… but it got better as she got used to the place n resistance improved… now she is still in childcare and well most of the time ( Thank God).
DD2 ( in N2 now) started at 20months… but since the DD1 went childcare and came back sick for first few month, DD2 also got infected so end up was started falling sick from abt 8months old… that was the negative part… but DD2 didnt really fall sick after she started childcare…seem like DD1’s bouts of illness helped built up her resistance… DD2 was down initially once every 2 months… now is less … but still more often than DD1.
I also try to brew liang cha every weekend… like barley, chrysanthemum, etc. Also, i give Delrosa rose syrup daily to supplement Vit C. Other than tat, try to give more veg n fruit… usually 1 fruit per kid after dinner, eg 1 pear or 1 apple. Oh yes… cod liver oil too, i always forget to give… but i know its very good for them…
As for sweets and ice-cream, i don really control. They ask , i usually will give. They dont ask very often… sweets… mayb once or at most twice a week… ice-cream… abt once a month… -
Poohbear:
I heard from my hubby that drink too much barley will promote phelgm, is that true?Sharing my experience...
DD1 (in K1 now) started in childcare at 18months... in the 1st few months, she went down a lot in terms of weight.. and could not sleep well.. keep waking up in middle of the nite n cry... so end up not enough sleep n was sick every month for the 1st 6 months.. either cough, running nose , fever, etc... but it got better as she got used to the place n resistance improved... now she is still in childcare and well most of the time ( Thank God).
DD2 ( in N2 now) started at 20months.. but since the DD1 went childcare and came back sick for first few month, DD2 also got infected so end up was started falling sick from abt 8months old... that was the negative part.. but DD2 didnt really fall sick after she started childcare..seem like DD1's bouts of illness helped built up her resistance... DD2 was down initially once every 2 months... now is less ... but still more often than DD1.
I also try to brew liang cha every weekend... like barley, chrysanthemum, etc. Also, i give Delrosa rose syrup daily to supplement Vit C. Other than tat, try to give more veg n fruit.. usually 1 fruit per kid after dinner, eg 1 pear or 1 apple. Oh yes... cod liver oil too, i always forget to give.. but i know its very good for them...
As for sweets and ice-cream, i don really control. They ask , i usually will give. They dont ask very often.. sweets.. mayb once or at most twice a week.. ice-cream.. abt once a month... -
sashimi:
Thanks very much for your imformative reply. I really have lots to learn as my kids are quite young.schellen:
Pure fruit juice may still be very sweet so just dilute with water. When DD was a toddler, I think we gave her 50:50, then when she got older, we increased it to 70:30 (70 = juice), and so on. No leh, I still give her 50:50.
vfong - it'll be good if you can establish what is your DD's weakness. It could very well simply be too much ice cream and candy. Moderation is the key, not total elimination. I guess depending on how the child is brought up, it may or may not be difficult. My DD loves ice cream like mad, but so far, somehow we've managed to discipline her to only once a fortnight. To be frank it's almost too good to be true, I often wonder if someone else cheats with her..... like her grannies....
Anyway, I suggest you give cod liver oil regularly, in health and in sickness. The thing about cod liver oil is the omega-3 fatty acids, which promotes immunity.
See if it makes a difference. If not, try something else. (eg. the honey i suggested. Honey is a natural antiseptic with anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Best part, totally natural and it's sweet so kids usually love it. Better than candies).
As for fruits, as my wife says above. The thing about some juices is that it's too sweet, so will feed bacteria as well. For citrous juices, my understanding is that the strong citric acid aggravates inflamed throat surfaces, which worsens sore throats and coughs. So, no juice is best during flus, coughs. -
2.5yo DS was in infant care since 4mo, now in full day childcare.
His history of illness is more related to his allergic rhinitis condition than the common colds and flu.
He had 5 bouts of ear infections from 5mo till 2yo. The infections are mainly caused by his allergic rhinitis condition (no thanks to DH, who has the same condition). Whenever the weather changes, it will trigger his condition>blocked nose with mucus that doesn’t flows out, leading to nasal back drip and then follow by cough. If the nasal block doesn’t clear quickly, it leads to ear infections = very high fevers=vomits= tons of extra laundry/lots of cleanups/sleep deprivation…
He has been on zyrtec and nasonex since he turned 2 and till date it has controlled the condition very well and has no infection (TOUCHWOOD).
Due to his condtion, well ventilated environments and strong immunity is always on our minds. So we don’t on a/cs (installed but hardly ever on) except for very hot afternoons, he attends non-a/c centres, lots of outdoor activities whenever possible, we don’t go shopping centres except whenever necessary (also i m not the shopping type, me go in buy whatever, then leave). DS also don’t like sweet (i mean taste and candies), cold (anything except herbal teas), so i don’t hv problem with ice-cream/candies/chocolates. Its not that i don’t give them, he himself doesn’t like them. He prefers savoury stuff like cheese crackers, potato chips, keropoks. He also doesn’t like chicken, prefers pork, loves fish/ green veg and for fruits only papaya and watermelon. He eats brown rice cereal everyday (as snack or as one main meal), this was recommended b’cos of his condition. He doesn’t take any supplements. Other than water and formula, he will only drink herbal tea, and also his own dislike for sweet and cold stuff do help in reducing his intake of sugar.
IMHO, child’s state of health play a major role rather than the environment contributes to how prone he/she to illness/ailments. After talking to friends and also thru reading posts here, come to conclusion that due to the more stressful environment that our children are growing up in, their immunity are affected, contributing to frequent bouts of illness. Just my 2 cents… -
[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]
My toddler is sick (again).
My toddler of 2.5 years old kept on falling sick after entering childcare. For the last 4 months, he fell sick at least every fornightly. Everytime he fell sick, besides taking leave to take care of him at home, we not only felt heart-pained over his health, but also the amount of money that went to waste. For example, the additional enrichment classes we enroled him for in his childcare, enrichment classes in the weekend, his school bus, and medical bills ...
I know the usual thing that toddlers will fall sick often when they entered childcare, and the exposure actually make their immunity system stronger, and blah blah blah ... But, I'm no rich parent, so the missed enrichment classes actually makes my wallet's hurts! Aarrgh ... -
Hi - I understand and sympathize, including the monetary opportunity costs. IMHO it can't be helped, as you probably realized. If you don't give him the exposure now, it will be just as bad come kindergarten, or primary school - in fact all through adulthood.
The only thing you have to bear in mind is that you thus have to consciously try to improve your son's immune system. Besides the painful \"exposure\", another key element is getting enough rest. Children who do not get enough rest (eg. sleep) are prone to get sick more often. AFAIK many parents still neglect sleep.
Another consideration will be diet. Plus, when your son is old enough, ensure he gets good, natural, supplementation. And live a generally balanced life; drink lots of water; don't always sleep in air-con, etc.
The above combination helped my daughter a lot. With conscious effort, by age 5 or 6, your son should be strong enough, and you can finally stop making doctors smile so much whenever you visit them.
This is especially important now that we live in a paranoid world where a little flu bug is treated like the plague.
And hey, don't worry about enrichment classes at age 2.5; play at home and childcare is enough - save your money for when they're older, eg. music, art at 4+.
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