PS builds your immunity?

[Joker]

I have heard so many times that school helps build immunity. Some have even went so far as to say my kids get so sick because ps has been missing from their lives. Our ENT has said due to our dds airway issues that they are more likely to get whatever's in the air and it takes them longer to get over it. We recently put our older dd back in ps and she's already been ill. It seems most of my family believes its because she hasn't been in school to build up immunity.

 

I just don't buy it. She's getting sick because other kids at school are sick. If it were true you would think adults who have been through ps for their entire schooling would be super healthy, but we're not. Are there any science / statistics out there regarding this? Have you also been told that going to school helps build immunity?

[Cortana]

I can tell you for a fact that attending ps made our oldest ds sick. He picked up every bug there was and missed nearly half of every month due to being sick. It even got to the point that the one wonderful teacher he had would call us and warn us if any of the other kids were super sick with something major and advise us to keep him home until everyone else was better.

 

We withdrew ds from school November 2009, he hasn't had a single major illness since!!! All he's had to deal with this year is seasonal allergies. :)

 

ETA: our pediatrician agreed that homeschooling is better for him due to him not being exposed to so much.

[ChemMommy]

Our 3rd dd was born without the ability to make antibodies. She was one really sick kid for a lot of years. One "lovely" person told us that the reason she was sick was that she hadn't been exposed to all of the germs in a ps.

 

I bit my tongue as I walked away. She was still alive because she had NOT been exposed to all of those germs! LOL

 

Our ped told us to keep hsing. Love that man!! He's one supportive, pro-hsing pediatrician!!

 

Yes, your child would be exposed to more germs at school. However, it wouldn't make her healthier! Especially if there is an underlying health problem, exposing him/her to more germs would be counter productive.:grouphug:

[Denisemomof4]

when I put my kids in school they got VERY sick the first year. They didn't get sick much at home, but they were VERY sick in school at first. They rarely get sick now. So did it build up their immunity? I think so. They certainly were exposed to so much more.

[Jean in Newcastle]

It is true that new teachers get sick a lot their first year. But that's due to being in close proximity to kids with (often) poor hygiene. You would think an adult would have a fairly developed immune system.

[regentrude]

Yes, ir is true that kids who attended preschool are less likely to get sick when entering kindergarten than children who have been home. It is also well know that kids get sick a lot during the first winter they start daycare, and then less so. The reason is that the immune system gets to work on all those germs they are exposed to in this environment.

Now with a child with an immunodeficiency, of course that would be too risky. but for healthy kids, the effect is there.

Of course this is a stupid reason to send kids to school :-)

[unsinkable]

I have heard so many times that school helps build immunity. Some have even went so far as to say my kids get so sick because ps has been missing from their lives. Our ENT has said due to our dds airway issues that they are more likely to get whatever's in the air and it takes them longer to get over it. We recently put our older dd back in ps and she's already been ill. It seems most of my family believes its because she hasn't been in school to build up immunity.

 

I just don't buy it. She's getting sick because other kids at school are sick. If it were true you would think adults who have been through ps for their entire schooling would be super healthy, but we're not. Are there any science / statistics out there regarding this? Have you also been told that going to school helps build immunity?

 

When my son started gr. 9 after being homeschooled, he missed over 20 days of school his first year. The week that school ended, he spent vomitting so if school had gone one more week, he would have missed 5 more days.

 

He was one sick kid. Everytime he missed was a minimum of 2 days...it wasn't just a day here or there. He is not a malingerer...everything he got was bad.

 

He was sick more this one year than he had been the 8 years previous. Was it school? It'd been easy to say yes b/c that was what changed. But I think it was stress and lack of the appropriate amount of sleep, not just school.

 

PS: Disclaimer -- I am still homeschooling 2 other kiddos full-time. Things are gettin' a bit testy on this board. I feel I have to defend my homeschooling cred!

Edited September 1, 2010 by unsinkable

[romeacademy]

I don't know about statistics, but I saw an article in the local paper about this in the last few days. If I remember correctly, it said that during the first 2 years kids in daycare are sicker, but after that they start building more immunity. The article was related to kids (especially kindergarteners) getting sick more often because school is starting. It said the kids who had been in daycare/preschool would likely not be as sick as those who had not been in those situations.

 

I guess it kind of makes sense that kids who are exposed to a lot of stuff eventually build more immunity, so it's possible that if your dd had been in school she might be more resistant to the junk that's out there. But it's also certainly true that she's picking up the germs from somewhere (sick kids at school). I know that since I've had my kids home they haven't been sick nearly as often as when they were in school. And the year my oldest was in K, I was never sick so often from the stuff she drug home.

[Mom2J112903]

My son was sick A LOT thru his two years at Catholic school. K being worse than K4 but this past summer has been even worse.

 

Our allergist was also THRILLED to hear that J is homeschooled-he can not be in a classroom enviroment. J would be lucky to have 5 days in at his old school thanks to what we have been thru recently. There has already been two sickies running around the 1st Grade class, so who knows if J would have even had 1 day there.

 

Contained room + kiddos = lots of germs.

[tofuscramble]

 

Contained room + kiddos = lots of germs.

+no AC a lot of the time. Yukky.

[Mom2J112903]

+no AC a lot of the time. Yukky.

 

Almost everyone has AC here and definatly all the schools, but it is HUMID, so yeah, things grow-eeeewwwww.

[Pretty in Pink]

Does going to school/daycare build immunity in the long run? I think it probably does.

[Mama Geek]

I was in public schools from K-12 and always ended up having to get Dr's excuses because I would miss more than the alloted 10 sick days.

 

Once I started working, I would usually get sick because parents with kids in school would bring it into the work place and share it.:glare:

[Dmmetler]

I can attest that after a decade of TEACHING in public schools, it takes a LOT to make me sick. But those first couple of years, I used each and every one of my 10 sick days, was sick over most holidays, and was borderline sick pretty much constantly.

 

So yes, I think my immune system is stronger because of that experience. And my daughter's pediatrician commented that my DD was sick much less than you'd expect from a preemie in her first 2 years-and attributed it to the passive immunity DD was getting from my breast milk and that, as a teacher of young children for so many years, I had strong antibodies to pass on.

 

Having said that, this seems like a very, very dumb reason to put kids in ps. I suspect over the course of a child's school career the number of bugs probably evens out, barring immune deficency. It's just that if you're in school, or daycare, you're going to get more of them on the front end.

[nmoira]

 

Contained room + kiddos = lots of germs.

Door knobs, handrails, drinking fountain handles, bathroom sink handles, push plates on bathroom doors...

[lionfamily1999]

If that's the case and you wish to shut them up, tell them you have the kids lick the floors in all the public restrooms you use.

 

Lots of immunity there ;)

[Joker]

If that's the case and you wish to shut them up, tell them you have the kids lick the floors in all the public restrooms you use.

 

Lots of immunity there ;)

 

 

:D:lol::lol::lol:

I read this to my dh and he laughed almost as much as I did.

[lionfamily1999]

:seeya: Always happy to help :D

[AprilTN]

When I taught school I was sick very often. But I was public schooled all the way, and I was sick alot while growing up. So apparently I didn't build up all that great of an immunity if I got sick while teaching as an adult.

 

We attend church every Sunday. Talk about a germ pit! My dh and I help out in the children's church, and so many of those kids are just GROSS! There are plenty of germs for my kids to pick up at church every week. ((shudder!))

Edited September 1, 2010 by AprilTN
one more thought

[KidsHappen]

My 8th grader had rarely been sick before she started school in the 6th grade. She did have measles and CP but that is because we don't immunize and all her sisters and I had it. I don't think she has ever had an ear infection or the flu. She has had strep because when one person in this house gets it we all get it. She has had a couple mild stomach bugs before but that is about it. I would say that not including the two childhood diseases she probably had less than five sick days in the first 12 years of life. She missed the maximum number of days in 6th grade and one more than that in the 7th grade.

 

The 6th grader has a similar story. She is prone to ear infections and strep throat but has never had an childhood diseases or the flu. Last year was her first year and she missed 8 days I think. They have both definitely been sicker since they started going to school.

[Hannah C.]

I was homeschooled until age 15. I was pretty healthy, but I did get sick occasionally. Went to public school age 15-18, and I never missed because of sickness. I've also never been vaccinated. My younger siblings went to public elementary school for a semester and caught all sorts of minor things. I'm not sure why they would be so sick, when those of us in high school were rarely ill...

[Guest]

Reading the responses, it seems as though like just about everything else, this issue too depends on the kid. Some people go to public school the whole K-12 span and are sick a lot, while some begin sicker and gradually don't get sick as often, and some lucky devils don't seem to be much bothered either way. So one person's experience does not equal a blanket statement on how immunity works.

[Ellie]

Oh please. :glare: Can't they come up with something better than that?

[LaissezFaire]

It's a bunch of bologna. My MIL has been a teacher for years and she gets sick constantly. A lot of my friends who have kids in school have sick kids all the time. I don't buy that immunity from school thing one bit.

[CLHCO]

It's a bunch of bologna. My MIL has been a teacher for years and she gets sick constantly. A lot of my friends who have kids in school have sick kids all the time. I don't buy that immunity from school thing one bit.

 

I have to admit, I agree. Though there is some science there, I think the person above hit the nail on the head that there is, from statistics, immunity slightly built for that environment, though they still get sick a lot. There are only a handful of jobs in the real world that have that many people in such close quarters, (teachers in public school come to mind), along with the poor hygiene and habits present, so I figure the exposure my kids get in homeschool (we are very busy and active - just not in such an environment), probably more closely mimics real life exposure than a public school does.

[kpnick in nc]

Reading the responses, it seems as though like just about everything else, this issue too depends on the kid. Some people go to public school the whole K-12 span and are sick a lot, while some begin sicker and gradually don't get sick as often, and some lucky devils don't seem to be much bothered either way. So one person's experience does not equal a blanket statement on how immunity works.

:iagree:

 

I know people across the spectrum in both ps and hs environments.

 

Our own reactions to germs also seem to shape our behavior in public environments. The people I know who would call themselves germophobes do seem to be the ones who catch bugs easily and fall hard when they do.

[Porch Swinger]

I don't think it is far-fetched to believe school helps build immunity. Being exposed to germs/getting sick builds immunity to germs, so it makes sense if you live in a bowl of germs (school) you'd be more immune to them.

 

But, I'm a firm believer in not being too nit-picky clean with kids/babies, and don't use so much germ-x.

[Catherine]

Try researching "hygiene theory" or "hygiene hypothesis". It is partly based on observations that in Westernized populations, asthma and environmental allergies are more common in people who've presumably had less exposure to a wider range of infectious agents. Eldest children, children who've not been in daycare before school age, children with less exposure to animals, all are at a somewhat higher risk of asthma and allergies. By the same token, children who live on farms, have older sibs or have attended daycare when very young, are at somewhat lower risk of asthma and allergies.

 

The hygiene theory is one possible explanation for these observations.

[RegGuheert]

I agree that going to a public school should help boost your immune system. However, I also agree with PPs that this is not one of our goals for school.

 

That said, I will share that DS20 has gotten sick during each of his first four semesters at college. He works hard but doesn't take great care of himself. As a result, he has trouble getting better, sometimes staying sick for a couple of months. While he has managed to maintain a very high GPA through all of this, I'm pretty sure it has hurt his studies some. We'll see how he fares in his fifth semester...

[MBM]

For decades I got multiple colds, bronchitis, pneumonia every year. Nothing helped, and believe me, I tried everything. If you're *smoking* a salt pipe, you've reached the point of trying everything. LOL.

The only thing that helped was to get my low vitamin D levels up to the upper levels. I took large doses of vitamin D3 for a few months and now maintain it with 5,000 IUs daily.

 

The good news is that I haven't been sick in two years even when my husband and children were. I don't even wash my hands all that much. Travel doesn't make me sick, either. Some might disagree, but the vitamin D has been a miracle for me.

[Teachin'Mine]

Yes I do think that it builds up their immunity to some viruses. Then again, working in a hospital environment does the same thing. The first year you're generally sick a lot, and less often after that. But not everyone wants to work in a hospital. ;)

[elegantlion]

Ds was in school for preK and K. He did get sick more, but not sure if it was building his immunity. He's rarely sick now. Now children's church was another matter, we missed a lot of church when he was younger.

 

The other issue for me is that I have a permanently compromised immune system. I catch most everything and it takes me longer to get over it. So even if ds was able to fight something off, I'd end up sick. :glare:

[TXMomof4]

If that's the case and you wish to shut them up, tell them you have the kids lick the floors in all the public restrooms you use.

 

Lots of immunity there ;)

 

At one well visit with one of the girls the dr. noticed her picking her nose and eating what she dug out. I'm horrified and trying to discreetly stop her. He laughed and said "That's a great way to build immunity."

 

*GAG*

 

But, my ds walked around his first few years with his hand down his pants - when we'd tell him to get his hand out it would go straight up his nose. Tell him to stop that and it'd go straight in his mouth. That child hasn't been sick in the last 2 years at all.

[VBoulden]

I have heard this one, too. There might be something to it, it makes sense that kids would need to be "tougher," so to speak, to deal with a school environment verses a home environment. But, I've also heard from other parents that "It's good that I send my kids to PS..." so they can "learn to defend themselves, take heckling from bullies, learn to stand up to sexual harassment and violence and peer pressure, etc." :confused: Seriously?! Concerned friends have actually told me this in order to motivate me to consider sending my daughter to school. It makes me want to do just the opposite, right?:001_huh: I wouldn't worry about it. Do what is right for your kids... and remember to wash hands!!! Come to think of it, I've actually read somewhere that formally schooled kids can virtually eliminate the risk of getting younger siblings sick if they will come in and directly wash hands... I can't remember where I heard that, but this post made me remember it. Good luck! :D

Edited September 2, 2010 by VBoulden

[VBoulden]

And, I come to think of it... my friend who sends her kids to school (will remain nameless out of respect) always has one or more child with a cough and runny nose... the kind of cough that makes me cringe and the kind of runny nose that looks like two green "waterfalls" that lead to the mouth. Yuck! :tongue_smilie: That may just be her luck or their diets or something... and not necessarily their "schools fault." But, my kids only get coughs and runny noses to that degree when we visit them. ;) And, we haven't been in a long while, either... sadly, but we just don't want to get sick!

[Spy Car]

Childrens' immune responses build when exposed to some challenges, whether that be other children or animals or other source.

 

Naturally, when the challenge is "overwhelming" or life threatening the risk out weights the benefits. But low-level exposure proves to be far more beneficial to children than an artificially aseptic environment.

 

What is scary is that children may be exposed to very serious diseases that most people are vaccinated against--but that some (for whatever reason) decide that they will opt-out and not vaccinate.

 

This is especially worrisome in the "homeschool" community, where lack of exposure (generally) collides with exposure to children who may be wide-open to very serious childhood illnesses because their parents have taken an ideological stand against vaccinations.

 

Put those two things together and you potentially have trouble.

 

Bill

[JWSJ]

This is especially worrisome in the "homeschool" community, where lack of exposure (generally) collides with exposure to children who may be wide-open to very serious childhood illnesses because their parents have taken an ideological stand against vaccinations.

 

Put those two things together and you potentially have trouble.

 

How is this more worrisome than the non-homeschooled community doing the same?

 

I hear of lots of children dying of childhood illnesses and most are not homeschooled or lack vaccination.

[duckens]

there is, from statistics, immunity slightly built for that environment

:iagree:

 

If your child goes off to college...the immunity/illness issue starts all over again. Anybody here hoping their kid will go off to college?

 

In the meantime, are you being a "stereotypical":rolleyes: homeschooler and keeping your kids locked up in the house, away from other kids 24/7?

 

Or do they go to Sunday School (or other religious training), music lessons, the science center, library activities, nature center activities, sports teams, 4H/Scouts/Campfire?

 

Is it time for a "spin-off" topic about how may activities our children participate in each week?

[Jean in Newcastle]

:iagree:

 

If your child goes off to college...the immunity/illness issue starts all over again. Anybody here hoping their kid will go off to college?

 

In the meantime, are you being a "stereotypical":rolleyes: homeschooler and keeping your kids locked up in the house, away from other kids 24/7?

 

Or do they go to Sunday School (or other religious training), music lessons, the science center, library activities, nature center activities, sports teams, 4H/Scouts/Campfire?

 

Is it time for a "spin-off" topic about how may activities our children participate in each week?

 

This reminded me of a friend who was so shocked that my kids got sick - after all, they aren't around other kids, right?:glare: I told her that I had them go to the grocery store and lick the carts. .. :tongue_smilie::D (I think she believed it - for a minute.)

[Spy Car]

How is this more worrisome than the non-homeschooled community doing the same?

 

I hear of lots of children dying of childhood illnesses and most are not homeschooled or lack vaccination.

 

Were parents of schoolchildren refusing to vaccinate in great numbers it would be worrisome. But (here at least) schools require a proof of immunization as a condition of enrollment barring a valid medical need.

 

The situation with large numbers of homeschoolers evading vaccinations for serious and even deadly illnesses and then gathering unvaccinated children together for events creates a time-bomb situation that is quite troubling from a public Heath standpoint.

 

Bill

[nmoira]

 

How is this more worrisome than the non-homeschooled community doing the same?

I'm not sure that it is. But we're all (except for my 6yo) getting pertussis boosters this year. I've seen too many vids over the last week or so on Skepchick of babies fighting for breath to not do it. I hadn't realized there's a booster available for adults now.

[Carrie12345]

If I had to choose between my "child" suffering from general exposures as a college student and suffering as a newborn-3yo in daycare, I think I'd choose college.

 

It isn't as though most hs'ed kids' exposure is zero, it just isn't as much. My kids have picked up a few bugs from other kids in the past few years. Probably not as many as they would in ps, but they sure aren't in a sterile bubble!

[lionfamily1999]

At one well visit with one of the girls the dr. noticed her picking her nose and eating what she dug out. I'm horrified and trying to discreetly stop her. He laughed and said "That's a great way to build immunity."

 

*GAG*

 

But, my ds walked around his first few years with his hand down his pants - when we'd tell him to get his hand out it would go straight up his nose. Tell him to stop that and it'd go straight in his mouth. That child hasn't been sick in the last 2 years at all.

We had an incident with sidewalk gum once. It made me look at the guck that came out of their own bodies in a kinder light :lol:

 

I think there's more danger in living in overly sterilized surroundings, regardless of how or where the children are schooled, than in not being exposed to everything going around... iykwIm, but that statement is a little garbled, lol.

This reminded me of a friend who was so shocked that my kids got sick - after all, they aren't around other kids, right?:glare: I told her that I had them go to the grocery store and lick the carts. .. :tongue_smilie::D (I think she believed it - for a minute.)

:lol: