First winter

[mlle.coccinelle]

Ok, I always though that it was old wives tales when people say that the year winter in daycare/dayhome kids are VERY sick ( cold, stomach flu and so on...) I've come to a realisation that it is not!

My son is doing great, he had maybe 1 little cold where he was grumpy, runny nose and coughing alot.....
My husband, 2 stomach flu, no cold...
Me........ 3 stomach flu, 4 pretty good cold where I feel like i'm about to DIE! :no:
I'm starting my 5th one right now.....
Any advice? the lady at the pharmacy is about to know my name from all those cough sirop I bought :(

[mimi]

put some drops of oil of oregano in some water and drink. Not the most pleasant but will kill bacteria and soothes your throat. Teaspoon of unpasterized honey with some lemon in hot water, helps break up phlem and the honey kills bacteria as well. Lots of rest (yeah right LOL), vitamin C, vitamin D and do not take cough syrup. Do not supress the cough. You need to loosen the chest congestion. Netti pot with saline warm water to clear sinuses. Fishermans cough drops (regular) to soothe sore throat and quiet coughs. Feel better:)

[kidlove]

not much you can do, just hold out and in a few years (like 5 :)) the sickness will subside! ;) hate to be the bearer of bad news but in order to keep "sickfree" IMO you need to build your immunity and in order to build your immunity?... you need to come in contact with all that crap! It stinks, but good news is, once you have a great immunity you and your family will barely ever get sick. My first few years especially it seemed if I wasn't sick one of my kids were or another day care kiddo would come in with a whole new set of germs to spread. you can do all of the above, lysol, clorox, wash, wipe and steam, but the biggest problem is the lower immunity, little people have low immunities and so do most who haven't been if full contact with all the germs in this nasty world. Good luck, find some good meds, take your vitamins and pray for spring! ;)

[Calgarymom]

Same here, first year, everyone sick all the time. Seems here we have one cold with a cough that is just going round and round. Even after being closed over Christmas and a complete cleaning of all the toys, we still have the same issues. Last week, on here, I received the advice of using wipes to clean noses and to wipe hands at the same time - I can't remember who this was but a big thank you because it seems to be working. I also decided to wipe whatever toy is in there hand at the time as well. The other advice I got was to not be too clean!! As cleaning all the germs away does not allow for exposure to germs. :thumbsup:

[kidlove]

besides keeping the house as germ free as possible, the biggest thing to remember is..stay hydrated, tons of fluids, lots of vitamins (C,D-3) when you feel illness coming, don't just let it come on full force, catch it before it gets bad, take airborne 3 times a day, flood it out with fluids, take tons of c and d-3's, get plenty of rest. It always amazes me at how most people respond to illness by the attitude of "oh well, i'm getting sick, so I better get the cough medicine and prepare" the better response is to start boosting the immune system with things that will attack the virus like vitamins and fluids rather than mask the virus with cough syrup and other meds.

[mlle.coccinelle]

Oh! I didn't know for cough sirop! I will stop taking it right away! I'm learning to be ''less clean'' and letting a little more germs come into my home! :blink: I never though I would say that.
I guess the fact that I am pregnant doesn't help the fact that I am sick ALL the time! And the chinooks are just making my cold worse!

Thx calgary mom for the ''wipe advice'' I'll give it a try! I have nothing to lose at this point :laugh:

[mimi]

I used to live in Calgary as a child. I loved the Chinooks. I could ride my bike in January!:laugh:

[mlle.coccinelle]

yeah, that part is awesome! there is no snow in front of my condo! ( wouhou! i love grass!!!) :laugh:

But parents underdress their children.... :no: it's still winter!

[Momof4]

Handwashing. Lots and lots of handwashing. I use the children's wipes or soapy washcloths on their hands before they eat and after, as soon as we get home from playing outside and the same if we are eating out. I ask the parents to carry wipes in their purses and wash their children's hands after shopping because shopping carts are petrie dishes on wheels but I'm sure they don't.

I also start taking Vit C, D, B in Oct. and all through the winter, drink lemon echinachea tea a couple of times a week and try to keep my immune system boosted. It's all the luck of the draw though. When a child coughs in your face you are pretty much doomed!

[kidlove]

what are chinooks?

[Calgarymom]

A chinook is a warm wind that blows in(from the Rockies I think) and can raise the temperature rapidly (it doesn't feel like a very warm wind when it's -20 though)

[mom-in-alberta]

**born and raised in Calgary** :thumbsup: and now living just outside, in the burbs.
Chinooks are great, but I bloody despise the migraine that they usually bring me!! Blech.

I read one time that the first year a child is in daycare, they will probably contract between 7 and 10 different viruses. Considering that most viruses last about a week or so, it is NO WONDER that we feel like everyone is always sick!! Oh, and if you are a new daycare provider; this likely applies to you, too!! I know it did the first year or so that I was in business. LoL

[mlle.coccinelle]

here some info about chinooks!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind

and mom-in-alberta, it is my first year as a daycare provider..... it explanes ALOT!!! Thankfully, my son has the same immune system as his dad! lucky bums! :laugh: