Never ending sniffles and cough

[Chrisee]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the site, and looking through I'm sooo glad I stumbled across it. I have an adorable 2 year old son named Michael. He started attending creche 2 days a week about 6 months ago. When he started we were warned that he would be getting sick often but this is just ridiculous! My poor boy pretty much picks up a new virus every week. I don't think he's had a week where his nose isn't stuffed up or runny. What worries me more is the cough that comes with it, which has also been there for about the same amount of time. You'd think he was a middle aged smoker hearing him from another room! I've taken him to the doctor several times, just to be told he has another virus and it will pass.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do about this? Is there something I can give him to at least clear his chest. Every time the doctor listens to his chest I'm told that there is nothing in there, and not to worry about it. Well I am worried as I don't think it's normal for a 2 year old to cough as if he's been smoking for 20 years!! And I also don't think it's normal for him to have had a runny nose for months.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Eleni's Mum]

HIya,

My first suggestion is if you're not happy get a second opinion. Mum's are always the best judge. 2ndly have you looked into possible allergies? It could be something really simple.

[Chrisee]

Hi Eleni's mum,

Thanks for the response. I have already tried different doctors for another opinion only to be told the same thing. I didn't think of allergies though, so I'll bring that up next time and see what they say.

[Sharon]

Hi

My DS is 20 months old and started family day care approx 4 months ago and since then he has had endless colds, ear infections and a never ending cough. I think it also has something to do with the weather change, we only moved from Sydney to dreary Melbourne in February. We had 1 week on the sunny Gold Coast and it disappeared after a couple of days only to resurface. Now he has something else and woke up from his sleep yesterday with a fever, he was red all over (I guess he was literally burning up) and vomitted a couple of times. Did the same again last night, seems better today. But still has that bloody cough! I don't know what croup sounds like but I'm sure it sounds close to Charlie's cough, but the doctors aren't too concerned.

I went to the health food store this week and they suggested some 'Child Echinacea Victamin C and Zinc' on the back of the bottle it says for the relief of symptoms of mild upper resperiatory infections and oclds & flu, temporary relief of cough and sore throat.....' It can't hurt him and I doubt it will make him any worse, I'll give anything ago to shake this cough...

[xkwzit]

Hi Chrisee
My first daughter is in day care 2 days a week and she has also had a long run of colds this winter. If it helps I have been told that on average, young children will get around 10-12 respiratory tract infections each year and they may well take 2-3 weeks to get over them (if you do the math, you'll realise why your kiddie seems sick all the time! :p ). So it is completely normal to have never ending colds and as they get older, it should improve. In regard to coughing specifically, it is the bodies way of dealing with excess mucus so you may be able to minimise it by giving them a decongestant if they have a runny nose too (its often the stuff running down the back of their throat that they cough back up). Best of luck :) ( I hear my treasure coughing in her sleep even now...)

[Lachlan's Mum]

I've been rubbing a bit of "baby balsalm" (baby vicks) into Lachlan's chest at night...smells nice and I'm sure helps a bit with night time sniffles...

[Gemma]

Hi Chrisee,

Grace has been sick with colds, flu, coughs, ear infections, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and gastro (once), for the last 6mths every since she started day-care. Perpetual runny noses, fevers and coughs are a part of my every day routine now.

I get her seen by my GP if there is a high temp >38.0, or temp has gone longer than 48hrs(ie not just viral), or she is listless. I am used to Grace crawling around happy chappy with temps of 39.5!!

My GP assures me her kids were the same when they started day-care. So I don't worry now.

If your not happy seek more advice, but I think most of our bubs (on bub hub) have had colds since they started day-care.

[Angel]

My DD has gone to day care twice per week for over 1.5 yrs now. She isn't plagued by illness but we have had a bad winter this year with all three of us getting sick at some point. She's had a throat infection. I put her good health down to some slightly unconventional approaches of mine but when she does look like she might be coming down with something (and it's important to get it THE SAME DAY) I give her something like Nature's Own chewable garlic and echinacea tablets, or multivitamins and echinacea. Garlic is a natural antiobiotic so it's a great thing to have regularly in your diet anyway. Adults can take half a clove at a time when coming down with illness - not so for children however. Most of these tablets are lime flavoured or something similar so DD actually begs for them !! If you can tackle run-down feelings the day they begin then we find they never materialise into anything else.

We choose not to use antiobiotics unless there is something really stubborn going down (we had two doses of Bullous Impetigo at one point that had to be erradicated in the nostrils with an antiobiotic ointment). I go to a homoeopath instead. DD once had an ear infection that had cleared up by the next day after I saw my homoeopath and was given a remedy called Ear Drain. His approach is so much more natural than the GPs - who gave me penicillin for the throat infection, a prescription that I never got filled! I just don't see the point of bringing their system down even more by killling ALL of the bacteria when a homoeopath can treat the specific problem.

Diet is of course a major factor. But other day to day measures for me would be the supplements.