Frequent Colds in Breastfed Baby

My second son has had more colds and other sicknesses than my first & third sons ever have, and they've never been to daycare, and all have been breastfed. I honestly think it's just how some kids' immune systems are built.
Poor guy - I hope he is on the mend and germ free soon!

Breastfed babies get their increased immunity from Mom - IF MOM gets the cold. In other words, the antibodies from your illness passes to the baby and they usually can escape the cold on a much shorter cycle.

Most likely there is a child in the daycare that is always sick and this kid is passing the boogers to your child.

Both my kids were exclusive breastfed for the first year and in daycare. My first was sick all the time, tubes in ears, etc., but my second not nearly as much (almost rarely). There are so many factors and the exposure at daycare is hard to overcome!

This is obviously tied to day care. Being around sick kids will do that. He'd probably be worse if he wasn't breastfed, but breast feeding alone isn't going to make him resistant to everything out there.

Hi R.---I agree with other posts that talk about how every body is different and that it is difficult to compare how your 2 yr old developed with your 9 month old. His immune system simply is different.

You are right that babies get some of their immunities from breastmilk, but I do believe that that diminishes as time goes on. Being in daycare, he will be exposed to more germs than the stay-at-home baby, but, if there is anything positive to see in this, his own immune system is working on fighting these colds and will have his own immunity to those germs at an earlier age.

Some ideas to help strengthen the immune system. Be sure to eat a diet that consists primarily of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds. Minimize the consumption of animal products (anything that has a face), using it as more of a side-dish or flavoring for soups or stews. This includes diary, as dairy is highly allergenic and can impact how the immune system functions. Too much animal protein leads to disease. We really don't need much, a quantity about the size of a deck of playing cards. Please take time to read The China Study by T Colin Campbell and explore www.pcrm.org and www.strongbones.org.

Because you are breastfeeding right now, it is up to you to get the extra nutrients his body needs to make his immune system more efficient. Please understand I am not implying that your diet is poor, rather, some bodies just need more nutrition in order to experience optimal health. And sometimes, eating well is not enough. We need some extra help because we can't possible eat enough to prevent disease. If you are interested in how my family gets extra nutrients in our bodies every day, let me know.

I am taking series of wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. I have a wealth of information that I can share with you, if you would like. It is my passion to help other moms learn how to optimize their family's health. It is vitally important as kids are getting adult type diseases at younger and younger ages. Let me know how I can help.

Good luck. D.

First I would question the day care center. Make sure they are cleaning the toys and excersaucers every night with a non toxic cleanser. If not, then switch to maybe an in home sitter. Also do some research on anti viral foods. I know that mangoes are antiviral. During the cold and flu season mash them up and give them to him with his cereal or as a snack. They are yummy. I know some other foods that are antiviral are garlic, coconut oil, dandelion leaves, and cranberries. I have tried the coconut oil and it is amazing. Make sure you buy the good stuff, organic unrefined coconut oil. I have given it to my kids spread on toast with some cinnamon. You can mix it in with your sons homemade baby food (like mashed potatoes or another veggie your baby likes). Also, make sure you are eating alot of healthy rainbow colored fruits and veggies. It wouldn't hurt for you to take a probiotic supplement on a daily basis and prebiotics like onions are great for boosting the immune system. Also cook with spices like turmeric and cumin. There are lots of great websites out there you can research. Good luck!

My first thought it: thank God you're breastfeeding! My second thought: this sure sounds like allergies along with the day care situation. He should build up antibodies to the day care germs to some extent. Do you have any other options for his care? I'd look carefully at what you're feeding him in addition to breastmilk and, second, at what you're consuming - daily is a likely culprit and possibly wheat, as well as some other possible things. I'd cut all dairy out of both your diets for a few weeks and see what happens. You can put rice or almond milk on your cereal etc. until you see if this makes any difference. My 4th breastfed baby had a lot of ear infections and I always thought how much worse it would be if she weren't nursing. I'm sure I did the right thing, and you are too! Your baby needs all the immunity you can give! Keep up the good work, R.!
G.

Oh yeah. The all-breastfeeding all the time moms will insist that if you nurse exclusively your child will exude health from every pore their whole life. Well, my daughter, exclusively breastfed for 6 months and heavily breastfed until 8 months had 6 ear infections in 6 months and needed tubes. She was so sick her first year of daycare, I just couldn't believe it. My son, who was breastfed, but only exclusively for 4 months and then weaned shortly thereafter, was just much healthier overall. While on average breastfed kids are healthier, there are plenty of kids who get plenty sick anyway. Sorry that you got one of those. The good news is that my daughter is almost never sick now, as she built up so much immunity early on. Good luck.

Hi R.,

that's so hard to see your baby sick so often! One question I would ask is how is your immune system? have you been finding yourself catching "bugs" more easily? How is your own nutritional intake?

Often Mom's body has enough reserves for first baby but is depleted for subsequent babies. And the immune system is fed last of all our systems. I have some helpful information resources I would be happy to share with you if you'd like.

warmly, M.

My second daughter was that way - I nursed her until she was 13 months old... turns out she had a compromised immune system - official name "Primary Immune Deficiency Disease." We found it hard to believe she had it because she was so tall for her age, despite her constant illnesses and need for prescription antibiotics, tubes in the ears, etc. She wasn't diagnosed properly until she was almost 3 years old, when she began receiving gamma gobulin infusions, which is other people's immune systems via IV every month. She was a lot healthier on it. God healed her completely when she was 5 years old and she no longer needed it, but it was exactly what she needed until then and it was a blessing! You should have your child assessed by a pediatric immunologist who is familiar with the disease and how to properly assess for it. You can contact www.magicfoundation.org and they will direct to someone in your area of the country who specializes in it. They are a wonderful resource for all kinds of children's health issues!

I would check to see if he has chronic ear infections...next time he gets a cold take him to the doctor to make sure its not in his ears.

Updated

I would check to see if he has chronic ear infections...next time he gets a cold take him to the doctor to make sure its not in his ears.

That's a myth. My son was formula fed and had O. cold in the first 2 years of his life.

I've also been breastfeeding my 10 month old, and he's been much more sick then his sister was. He's been exposed to the daycare at the gym I go to, which his sister wasn't at that age. They do get our antibodies. I'm also a firm believer that if we get the cold ourselves they get the antibodies better and show minimim symptoms. Keep breastfeeding, imagine if he wasn't breastfeeding? It may have been even worse.

Since I keep hearing about people saying that breastfeeding doesn't help sick kids with ear infections, I'm going to use this opportunity to state a fact. Most ear infections are caused by small estation tubes (sp?). If the tubes are small, your kids will have more ear infections, period.

It's being at daycare... Both of my kids experienced this for the first winter of their lives (they were both born in July and didn't start getting sick until November/December - about a month or so after they started daycare). Both were breastfed. Breastfed has TONS of great advantages but I don't think it's any match for the germs our kids encounter at daycare. On the plus side, both of my kids rarely get sick now - after that first winter/cold season, both of them have been great! Whereas I see some friends who keep their kids home and then those kids experience a rought cold/flu season the first year they go to school.

Most likely just a different kid with a different immune system, but could it be allergies?

It could be a number of things... The daycare staff may not be sanitizing toys and whatnot as well as when your 1st was there. Your 2nd might have a slight food allergy that interferes with the complete absorption of food and nutrients. Your diet may not be comparable to when you were nursing the first time (my personal opinion is that breast milk is only as good as the mother's own diet.)

Perhaps you could try giving him 1-2 bottles a day of half formula and half breast milk? See if that helps? You yourself can boost the probiotics (yogurt is a good source) in your diet and see if that helps strengthen his immunity?

(My daughter was always sick with reoccuring sinus infections and ear infections until we found she had a food allergy. The first 15 months were tough. It was so frustrating. Hang in there, it will get better!)