Boosting Immune System

Hi, B., you should try this liquid vitamin/mineral supplement called Vemma...go to website www.myvemma.com/mtuttle You will be pleased.
M. T

Two weeks straight, yikes! Are they all the same basic symptoms? If it's nose & throat, and/or any kind of skin issue, it could be the chemical cleaners they use at that daycare. Does it smell strongly of harsh chemicals? Is it an old building? (Might be mold or mildew) Is it a very new or newly remodeled building? Construction and remodeling introduce a lot of toxic chemicals into an area.

Good luck!
L.

The "safe" immune system is already in place. She is building her own antibodies every time she gets ill. I'd say "hang in" and treat each cold (viral), symptoms appropriately. The horrible thing is there will be lots of colds, etc and it's a bear! The nice thing about day care is that by the time she's ready to go to school, she's been exposed to so much, she won't be sick as often as children who stayed at home.

Please, though, don't ignore strep throat, impetigo -- the bacterial infections. They will need to be treated appropriately with antibiotics.

Hang in .... she'll outgrow this too as she "grows" her antibodies against viruses!

B. a little about Vemma and how it could help with boosting your daughters immune system.

Vemma® Is for Kids Too!

Everyone knows the importance of helping children develop healthy eating habits. Good nutrition is a key factor in every child's physical and mental growth. For parents and caregivers interested in strengthening their child's nutritional arsenal on a daily basis, there's nothing better than Vemma!
Mangosteen Plus™ is jam-packed with nutrients that youngsters need for overall wellness and development. It contains 12 full-spectrum vitamins in a base of antioxidant-rich whole fruit mangosteen and the xanthone-rich pericarp, organic glyconutrient-rich aloe vera and decaffeinated organic green tea — another potent antioxidant. These nutrients have numerous beneficial effects on the body. Best of all, when mixed with Essential Minerals®, Mangosteen Plus is high on the flavor scale — a feature that is of utmost importance to kids.
Essential Minerals, containing minerals from Mother Nature herself, is an absolute must. Balanced and 100% ionic, this all-natural mineral formula includes 65 major, trace and ultra-trace minerals. Every cell in the body contains minerals and almost every body function requires these life sustaining elements. Minerals help support the health of organs, bones, and tissue.
Overall, Vemma contributes significantly to almost every body function. It can help support your child's vitality, sense of well-being and mental performance.

If you went to my website www.myvemma.com/karenivene to answer many questions that you may have and my phone number is on there too. Best wishes to you and your family.

i bought my daughter some gummy vitamuns she gets one a day when she is 2 she'll get the 2 aday i think they help and i chnaged daycares and she hasnt been sick only once in the last 3 months. goood luck

Your looking at the right approach. Boosting the immune system is the way to go! It's not the germs that we should fear, but the body's inability to keep them out. The immune system is run by the nervous system. Your daughter's nervous system should be checked to insure that there is no interference. This will insure her immune system is at it's strongest. The place to do this is, of course, the office that I work at. We are a specialty chiropractic clinic. We work specifically with the central nervous system. We are one of 2 offices in the state of oklahoma that are trained in this way & we trained the other. I came make arrangements for you to have your daughter's nervous system checked at no charge. Call the office @ ###-###-####

Hi,
I use Shaklee ALL NATURAL vitamins. They differ from store bought vitamins because most store bought vitamins are synthetic. These are 100% natural. We use them on my son who is now 2. We started using them about a year ago, and I have been very satisfied. My husband and I both take the adult multi-viatmins as well, and even with us both working in a hospital, we have not been sick since.
If you are intrested, I can help you get some. The lady I buy them from has only used antibiotics twice during the 20 years of raising her 11 kids.

You are doing it - she is going to get sick in daycare and honestly that is helping strengthen her immune system for later in life. It sucks going through it though. I have had my son on a liquid children's vitamin called Junior Max that helps a lot. I used a smaller amount than 20ml because of his age. He had problems with ear infections all the time but hasn't had one since using this. I started him on it at two. He gets it in his first juice of the day so he has no idea he is even getting any kind of supplement since there is so little mixed in with his juice - he can't taste it.

Here is the info on it:

Junior Max 500ml

Formulated in a tasty citrus-berry drink, Junior Max enriches your child's diet with a daily burst of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants - and 10mg of essential fatty acids. A blast of healthy nutrition and delicious flavor, Junior Max features 10 mg per serving of essential fatty acids from fish oil. Containing no added sugar, Junior Max supports the health of children's bodies during cognitive and motor development.*

Junior Max™ is a concentrated liquid supplement for children ages 4-12. Mix 20 ml with an equal amount of water, juice or milk. Take one or two servings per day with food. Can be taken undiluted. Shake well before using. Refrigerate after opening.

KEY INGREDIENTS
• Essential macrominerals and
microminerals—calcium, chromium,
cobalt, copper, iodine, manganese,
molybdenum, potassium, selenium,
and zinc
• Vitamins—Beta carotene, niacin
(vitamin B3), pyridoxine (vitamin
B6), ribofl avin (vitamin B2),
thiamin (vitamin B1), vitamin A,
vitamin B12, vitamin C (ascorbic
acid), and vitamin E
• Biotin
• Folic acid
• Pantothenic acid

we use the products from juice plus. there are fruit and vege gummies that my kids actually sneak. there are also shakes and such that give our kids extra sources of fruits and veges and it seems to help with that and with getting these nutrients in our picky eaters

Elderberry (brand name Sambucol - we prefer the sugar free version) is very good. Also, cook with plenty of fresh garlic.

The best plan, in my opinion, is to keep her home :) I found that when my husband and I were both working, most of my check was going to childcare, gas, and lunches... It was actually like I was *paying* to go to work. Needless to say, I quit and stayed home with my children :) I hope it comes to a point where you are able to do that, also!

Hi B., I was recently doing some reading on the topic of childhood illnesses/diseases and found a couple of articles I thought had interesting information. Basically all the information I came across said the same thing, kids need to go through all these illnesses to strengthen their immune systems and if they don't they won't have the ability to fight illness as well when they are an adult.

I have over 11 years in Child Care so I understand how you feel. It is a natural thing for kids to get these illnesses and it really does make them healthier when they get older. When she starts school, goes to play dates, goes to Child Care, Church, plays on the playground aquipment, anywhere there are other people she will be exposed to germs and she needs to develop these antibodies.

This article requires an email address to read it so I used my junk email address and I have never received anything from them. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/1...

This is the yahoo search page that I used to look up some articles too.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=do+childhood+illnesses+h...

I hope this information helps you.

Gina

When kids start daycare or school they come in contact with everything imaginable! Check at your health food store for a "natural" vitamin. I've found most of the over the counter ones are loaded with sugar!! Nothing can take the place of a good healthy diet but sometimes we need a little help! Check with your doctor for suggestions or a nutritionist...they usually can give you better information on going "natural". Good luck....my youngest is in first grade & seems like that's the only "stuff" they share...colds, coughs,strep throat, etc..!

B.,

I don't know of anything you can do since most mom's take their kids to daycare, sick or not, because they have to work.

When my daughter was 1 year old, I was working full-time and I hated leaving her with someone else to raiser her, but we needed the money. Have you thought about looking into a home based business so you can make the money your family needs without having to leave them with someone else every day?

Feel free to check out my website www.BarrowTeam.com if you would like information on a home-based business that has worked for me for over 10 years. I make a 6-figure income and I raise my kids too. I've helped hundreds of other women do the same :-)

I hope this helps,
K.

You can get her multivitamins. Infamil has one that worked great for my son when he was that age. They are drops & you can add them to her milk. I got them at Target. When she gets older, she can get chewable multi-vitamins & immune support vitamins. We get ours at Akin's Natural Food Store in OKC.
One more tip, if she's having problems with mucus, cut back on the milk. It thickens the mucus and can cause her to choke on it. To help thin the mucus, you can get Little Noses Saline drops. Put a drop in each nostrile, wait a few minutes for it to thin the muscus & then use the bulb sryinge to suck it out. My son is 2 & now asks for his drops & nose sucker when he gets stuffy.
Take care!

I once worked for a daycare. A good one, and a clean one. We did our best to keep things germ free. I take lots of vitamins. I had more colds during that time than I have had during my whole life, before and since. Maybe she would be better in a private home daycare. More kids = more sickness.

Make sure she's getting enough sleep. Many kids get too little sleep, which affects their ability to resist infection as well as their ability to learn and their moods. Also, a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables and not a lot of added sugars is a good idea. But getting sick is also a way to improve the immune system, believe it or not. It's how the body builds up its ability to fight off later infections - it's the principle behind vaccination. Kids in daycare are more likely to get sick than those who stay at home, but then those kids get exposed when they go to school or have siblings in school. Good luck!

There are several great ways to boost her immune system. I have a 3 year old and a 6 month old who are never sick! The first thing is to watch what you feed her. Of course limit fast foods and sugary snacks and sugary juices. In fact, I make sure I NEVER buy any juice with added sugar in it.
The most effective thing besides nutrition is a probiotic. You can feed your child yogurt, but a lot of the time the yogurts have a lot of sugar and artificial colors, which are things that can damage the immune system. I actually buy probitioc capsules from the local health food store and break it open in my 3 yr old's morning cup of milk. it is tasteless and works great! A plus is that it helps promote regularity too! I researched this to make sure it would not be harmful to him in any way.. you can check with your pediatrician too, but probiotics are great for people of ALL ages!
The last thing I will reccommend is just a good ol' multi-vitamin. My son thinks his vitamins are candy and loves to take them every day!
Hope these suggestions help!

Diet is the main thing to look at. Too much sugar and dairy weaken little immune systems leaving them suseptable to what is out there. Are they feeding her at daycare? Massage her belly before bed and rub her spine from the base of the back up to the neck. These are simple measures to strengthen her.

I'm sorry she's sick - it's no fun for either of you. Just a thought on the up-side: She is building up her immune system with each cold and sniffle! Try to give her a very balanced diet so she's getting lots of vitamins in her food, of course wash hands often, and make sure those sippy cups get soaked in warm soapy water for at least 30 seconds. If you can get through the sick time, she will most likely benefit from improved immune system in the long run. First year teachers also go through this sick-time.

No matter how hard you try, babies will get sick when they meet other people. Try your best to maximize their comfort during illness, but don’t panic because you cannot fix their health with a magic wand. Learn to enjoy your unwell baby, because at this age they are going to spend a significant number of days being sick.

Looking at your other posts, you have done an excellent job of boosting her immunity for life, by breastfeeding her. Generally, a 2 yr old's body systems are ready to face the germs of the world. In fact, it boosts their immunity in the long run. Since your daughter is less than 2 years, make sure she is on schedule with all her vaccinations. Keep giving her infant daily vitamin supplement drops.

Normally when a baby her age is sick, keep her home for at least 3 days, while her little body recovers from the illness. As her body is spending all its energy in fighting the infection inside, avoid physical exhaustion … wipe her body clean (instead of a bath), no running or climbing, don’t expose her to cold, etc.

A daily balanced diet loaded with veggies & fruits is important in boosting her long-term immunity. Try adding some of these ingredients in her meals:
-broccoli, apple, orange, strawberry
-ginger & garlic
-turmeric (1/2 spoonful dried powder)
-local honey (a few drops)

Also, the much underrated free medicine for boosting immunity:
-lots of hugs & cuddles & body massages (loving physical touch boosts immunity)
-lots of laughter & happiness & music!
-lots of fresh air & sunlight (vitamin D)
-wash hands often

Check out Shaklee products, a wonderful company that's been in business for over 50 years. Go to http://www.wellnessiseasy.com and type in Ocean Wonders in the search box. (that's our kid's line)

Feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you have more questions.

T. :)

I wish there was an easier way for all of us on this issue. I have a son that is 12 and a daughter that is 20 months. I had the same problem with both of my children. With my son, after he was sick for 3 weeks, I quit work and stayed home with him until he went to school. My daughter started a mothers day out program at 14 months and she and I stayed sick for 7 months. My son and husband got it twice during that time. I took her out of that program 10 weeks ago and we haven't even had a cough since then. I understand what the other moms were saying about it building her immune system but sometimes it's just not worth it. Have you checked on an individual to watch her or someone from church?

Hi B.,

From my experience most day cares don't have a very high focus on nutrition and the children wind up being fed a lot of foods that are refined or high in sugar. These foods, especially sugar, will lower the immune system considerably. Even juice effects the body in the same way that refined sugar does. Maybe you could look into that aspect further? Perhaps there is another day care in your area that would be more into what the children eat? (Although I realize that finding or switching day cares is rough on the mothers and their children).

I have a 13 month old boy and he has rarely ever been sick. I don't give him sugar though and I am careful to make sure what he is fed is highly nutritious. He gets a lot of yogurt (I buy Fage yogurt from a health food store in Fayetteville and it doesn't have any sugar in it - I sweeten it with stevia and fruit), and I think that has really helped to boost his immune system. Sometimes I give him children's sweet echinacea (Herbs for Kids brand that I get at the health food store as well) and that really seems to help boost his immune system especially when he's been around new kids or germs he hasn't built an immunity to yet.

I'm sorry you're going through a rough time. You can email me if you want... ____@____.com

Take care,
T.

My little girl was 11 months the first time she went to daycare and the 2nd day there they called me because she was sick. We were going to the dr every 10 days (literally) with ear infections and sinus infections. He said their is nothing to give them for it because she had never been around all the germs. Their immune system is not very strong and it has to build up. She is now 22 months and she is now hardly ever sick since she got her tubes last October. The only thing the dr said is to make sure they eat healthy and drink lots of fluids (Milk, Orange juice, Etc.). Her Dr. also said to expect the first 6 months to be the worst and he wasn't lying. Good luck and I H. she feels better.

Give her a love for oranges. She will need to be strong when those kids start messing with her. I tried that road. Please find a stay at home mom or family friend to watch your gift from God. Those day care kids make your child hard hearted and wise in the game of getting their way. Kindness is not the key in those places.
If you and your hubby can get different shifts to limit daycare. I'd do it. Get a girl friend to watch her soaps at your house a few hours a day. While your child gets to paint her own picture. eat her own food.
Her life is what you make it. Look for a person at church that has a love for kids. Anything but day care.
I'm a Stay at home mom of six kids. The first 3 kids had home babysitters and then I could not get paid enough to pay for all my 6 kids. Now my kids stand out. Mothers tell me all the time.. Your kids are so good. I say they don't learn to be bad at daycare. I teach them my way not the kid that screams the loudest way. Kids will try to bite. I just bite back. They don't bite anymore. It starts and ends with them. One time. It's a jungle out their.
Later T.

So sorry to hear about how sick your little one has been.
Young Living sells an essential oil called Thieves. It is the best immune booster our family has ever used. I have a 2 month old and during my pregnancy with him, if I started to feel like I was catching a cold or whatever may be going around, I would put the oil on the bottom of my feet before bed. I did not get sick. I use it on my kids and they hardly ever get sick now. And if they do, the Thieves cuts the sick time in half.
Also, ginger and honey are two natural immune boosters. Ginger root is best, not the powder.
Raw garlic is a natural antibiotic as well. When my daughter was a baby, I would chop it up as small as I could and put it in her food. It will open up nasal passages and clear the lungs as well as being an antibiotic. For her, I would give her 2 cloves a day for as long as she seemed to need it.
Hope this helps!!!!

I would not recommend any supplement for a child (i am not a dietician). Unfortunately this is pretty normal, the good news is that this won't last forever and she won't miss school for illness later. My kids both started at this age, it was a struggle initially and it seemed like they were sick a lot for the first 6 months, then it was pretty normal. My children are now 11 and 7, neither one has missed a day of school for illness in years!
I would make sure that she is eating well and getting enought sleep. Of course if anything seems to become chronic (ear infections ets) that might lead you down a different path. The other idea would be to get a sitter in the home, consider paying a family member. I agree it is difficult with a little one in daycare because of a number of reasons...but as I said, it does build their immune system and your school age daughter when she gets there, won't get sick.

I think we have all more than likely gone through this with our kids having to attend daycare but the truth is I think there is nothing that can be given to your child. They really just have to grow out of it. Just by your child staying in daycare their system will build up on its own. If you take her out and place her somewhere else you will still go through the same thing when your child starts school even if that might be 4 years from now. All I can recommend is maybe a multi vitamin daily that will prevent her from catching so many colds but anywhere there are children no matter how clean it is there are germs.

If you are still breastfeeding, continue to do so. Any breastmilk at all will continue to boost her immune system and help her fight off the specific germs she comes in contact with. Both the World Health Organization and The American Academy of Family Physicians recommend against complete weaning before age 2 for just this reason. If you've recently weaned, you can still resume and have your daughter benefit. Our local LLL leader that runs the Slidell and Mandeville meetings is great at helping moms relactate. Her contact info is available through the LLL website. If you never breastfed or weaned many months ago, try yogurt with active cultures or a probiotic with a multivitamin recommended by your doctor. There are infant drops available both by prescription and over the counter. You can try Ruby's in Slidell or Whole Foods in Meterie for the probiotics and vitamins without all the additives and junk. I think there may be a health food store in Mandeville or Covington, but I have no clue what the name is. As to the rest of her diet, get rid of the white foods; sugar, white rice, white flour, white bread, etc. Emphasize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and foods close to their natural state. Limit full strength juices as they are full of sugar and will fill her up without giving her the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals from other foods. Doing this will also help her build healthy eating habits that will carry her her whole life. Kids do get sick, more so when in daycare or who aren't breastfed. A good diet will help her body be able to fight off the bugs she is exposed to.

My son goes to daycare and he was sick every other week when we first started (we started him at 13 months). I fed him very nutritious meals and gave him daily vitamins. Someone told me that it would take about 5 or so months for his immune system to be able to properly fight off the normal day-to-day germs at any day care facility. Sure enough 5-6 months later he only gets the occasional cold. So, do what you can do with nutrition, but it might just take some time for her immune system to build. Good luck!

Daycare is suppossedly suppossed to be good for kids immune systems(the theory being if they are exposed to stuff early they build up immunity to the worse strains)but I was constantly sick as a child that grew up in day care;however my brother who grew up in daycare never got sick so it depends on the child.Try to send baby wipes,antibacterial soap with your child for the workers to use with her and always makes sure you wash her hands and face as soon as you pick her up from there.You might ask the director what their policy is regarding the workers washing their hands and somehow randomly check up on that.Also ask the director when the toys and center is cleaned(how often)like the carpets vacummed and toys sanitized.I got scabies at a daycare from dirty carpet and I got strep,bronchitis and ear infections alot- also pink eye is prevelant at daycare settings.GOOD LUCK!!!