Do any of you have children that rarely get sick?

[Lady Florida.]

All of us hardly ever get sick. Ds got colds more often when he was younger, but still not as often as his peers. We never have done anything special. We're not obsessively clean, and I rarely use antibacterial products. We practice basic hand washing, especially during flu season. We vaccinate for everything, including the flu.

 

I wish I could give advice based on what we do, but nothing really stands out.

[KrissiK]

My kids are never sick. Sniffles sometimes, but generally nothing. They eat a pretty healthy diet, fast food maybe only once a month. I'm not a clean freak. They go barefoot year round and eat food from off the floor. I have no idea why they are so healthy, although I suspect it's homeschooling. They are not around so many kids who pass around all those germs to each other!

[kwickimom]

Mine hardly ever get sick. My DD8 gets the stomach flu every year and thats about it. When she gets it, its nasty though (5+days and she gets dehydrated) She has had 1 fever that I can remember and I cant even remember her having a cold.

 

My DS4 has had a few sinus infections and 2 rounds of stomach flu and foot and nouth disease. Maybe one fever. DS2 has had 2 rounds of stomach flu and foot and mouth disease.

 

My kids have never had ear infections or colds.

 

I always give them a multi vitamin, immune booster vitamin, and probiotics. In the winter we all take liquid D3. We wash hands but not excessively.

[meena]

We are a pretty healthy bunch. My DD had a strep infection last year, other than that we haven't had to go to the doctor due to sickness in years. It was the second time in her life she'd had to take antibiotics (and she's 8yo). Occasionally one of us will start to have cold symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, coughing). I treat the children with homemade chicken soup with lots of garlic and with orange juice and fruits. DH and I have the same, plus Emergen-C.

 

We aren't dirty, but we certainly aren't obsessively clean. I'm determined that we will not be afraid of germs. Our children play outside regularly. We try to eat 'clean', but we eat at least one fast food or restaurant meal a week. We don't eat a lot of meat. We don't do certain vaccinations, including flu. The kids take vitamins and Omega supplements, but we aren't always regular with that. We try to get most of our nutrients from our diet. We homeschool, but we're still exposed to other families at church (1-2 days a week), community classes (1 day a week), sports (1-2 days a week), and the Y (1-3 times a week). We try to get plenty of rest and allow ourselves to sleep late when necessary.

 

I don't think there is any one secret to staying healthy. I think it is such a complex combination of genes, environment, diet, exposure, etc., that what works well for my family may not help or impact a different family.

[texasmama]

I give my kids chewable Vitamin D and C year round. They are pretty well kids overall.

[bella_gitana]

My oldest got sick quite often. She was also in daycare from 3yo and public school K to 12.

My younger two, both homeschooled, rarely get sick. Mostly allergies depending on what part of the country we live, but hubby is one of those people who has to walk around with Allegra, Benadryl or an Epipen in his pocket. So I blame him :D

I breastfed all three, but my youngest until he was 3.5 years old....he's now 10 and has never had an ear infection.

My house is far from spotless, we don't eat as healthy as I would like, we don't do vitamins, they get quite dirty playing outside. <<knocking on wood>> lol

[nd293]

My kids do get sick but less often than my friends' kids seem to, and we are out and about all over the place.

 

 

Same here. Honestly, I think it's just genetic, although my Inner Mom says that the fact that we have never been concerned about germs or dirt has built strong immune systems from a very early age, and that conversely (and paradoxically) not overloading their systems with playschool germs in the first 2 years also helped. They were breasfed for 2.5 and 4yrs respectively - that's a big one, I think, especially in the first two years. Also no anti-bacterial soaps, wipes etc. We also avoid doctors and antibiotics where-ever possible.

 

Mine are super picky eaters, at least in the first few years - fruit and veggies were garnish more than nutrients. Vitamins only happen when I remember to buy them.

 

Nikki

[Laura Corin]

Maybe I should layoff on keeping an extra clean house. I just get so nervous about people coming over and seeing all the dust bunnies, crumb, and fingerprints. Plus I HAVE to wipe the bathrooms down about 5 times a day since my boys are not quite sure shots for the toilet:glare:.

 

I'd wipe up pee because it's unsightly. Same with crumbs on a table. But that doesn't mean a major clean, and certainly not with bleach/antibacterials.

 

Laura

[Ravin]

My DD seldom gets sick. I think she's had one cold in the last six months, and that didn't last long.

 

As for what we do...well, she nursed until she was 5. I think that's a big factor, given that she had chronic fluid in her middle ears (enough to impact her hearing and cause a speech delay), but only ever got 3 ear infections from it (which compared to other family members with that problem as small children is NOTHING).

 

We were veg until she was about 3 1/2, but I can't say the house is always particularly clean, and she goes to a weekly enrichment program and has since K, and was in daycare (in home from 10 mo to 2 1/2, then a semester in a center). We've selectively delayed some vaccinations...at this point though she's had all the ones for her age except varicella, I think.

[Nakia]

My girls rarely get sick, praise the Lord. I think extended breastfeeding, eating healthy, plenty of sunshine and fresh air, living with animals, a neat but not "extra clean" house, and natural cleaning products are the main reasons. Pretty much what everyone else has said.

[Karenciavo]

My kids hardly ever get sick, we don't do anything special. We shoot for eating healthy and make it there 3/4 of the time. We're around other people pretty often too so I don't know, strong constitution? My youngest threw up for the first time last year and thought he was dying :lol:

[Donna]

I have two who rarely get sick now and my oldest gets everything anyone near him even thinks of getting even though he's the most physically fit of the bunch and eats the best. We don't do anything special around here except keep the others from snuggling with him when he's sick. All three are around a lot of other people. They all take a regular old multivitamin almost daily unless they forget. I can probably count on one hand the number of times my middle ds has been sick in his 12 years.

 

I often wonder if the oldest gets sick because he was born premature. He got pneumonia after birth but then wasn't sick again for years because I mostly kept him and his brother home until he was about 5yo except for playdates (no large groups of kids). When he started doing extracurricular classes I expected him to pick up things but he's 15yo and still catches everything.

 

My youngest was the sickest as a baby...RSV twice, rotovirus twice with hospitalizations for both. She needed nebulizer treatments through every winter until she turned 4yo. Her only two ear infections ended up with ruptured ear drums while she was on antibiotics for the other ear being infected (doctor just wouldn't listen to me when I told him amoxicillin doesn't work for her even on a double dose). She has only been sick twice (knock wood) since she was 4yo except for headaches and sniffles now and then.

[happypamama]

Our kids don't get sick very often, and I don't know why. We eat well, but far from perfectly; we sometimes do cod liver oil and vitamin D, but not regularly enough; we play outside a lot but not so much in the winter, etc. I also am super cautious about treating things when they are sick -- I let fevers do their job (though I'd treat if they were dangerously high), I let a cough run its course (unless it means someone can't sleep), etc.

 

Some possibilities:

-Very limited exposure to chemicals -- I'm cautious about personal care products, plain soap and water (nothing anti-bacterial), no chemical cleaners, nobody around us uses chemical lawn products, we have well water, and I'm thinking our air quality is probably pretty good too.

-Exposure to things like playing in the dirt and with animals regularly.

-We drink raw milk and eat some yogurt/kefir/cheese/fermented foods, and we try to eat pastured meat products and bone broth. The kids do like a variety of foods, including vegetables.

-I did/do breastfeed for a long time, I don't start solids early at all, and I hold off on commonly allergenic foods until at least 12 months, 18 or more for some things. Maybe that all lets the gut immunity build -- I don't know.

-I tend to wear my babies/young toddlers when we're out, which cuts down on how much extraneous touching they do (toddler can't chew on the cart buckle if he's on my back), as well as how much other people can touch them.

 

I think the biggest one, though, is that our opportunity for exposure to germs is probably fairly small. We do occasional playdates, co-op activities a few times a month, and DD has dance class once a week, plus the usual errands, library, etc. but I think that's fairly limited. Not a lot of very close contact with other children, sharing toys, that sort of thing. And DH works in a very small office, so he doesn't bring much home.

[2squared]

Breastfeeding for a year and a half. A chance to play in the dirt.

NO antibacterial wipes,cleaners, soaps in our house (that stuff is rather harmful: it prevents them from building immunity, and it fosters the development of bacteria strains that are resistant to antibiotics.)

My kids spent a lot of time outdoors in all weather when they were little.

They were allowed to get dirty.

 

We don't do vitamins or any artificial stuff.

 

:iagree: This is us. I was just telling the kids that germs and dirt are good for their bodies.

[mom2att]

Well, based on the fact that we eat a lot of processed foods, don't take vitamins, live in a tidy but not always clean house, get plenty of sleep but not plenty of exercise, and have a fair exposure to germs through co-op, sports teams, and church, yet my kids rarely get sick . . . .

 

I'm going to have to go with genetics.

[TN Mama]

Breastfeeding for a year and a half. A chance to play in the dirt.

NO antibacterial wipes,cleaners, soaps in our house (that stuff is rather harmful: it prevents them from building immunity, and it fosters the development of bacteria strains that are resistant to antibiotics.)

My kids spent a lot of time outdoors in all weather when they were little.

They were allowed to get dirty.

 

We don't do vitamins or any artificial stuff.

 

:iagree: This is us, mostly. Bf for a year each, no antibacterials, healthy eating, outside play, and they touch gross things. :D I confessed this in another thread, but we don't wipe off grocery carts with wipes and they love to push carts. I don't want them to be scared of germs, but I do teach them about proper handwashing - with soap.

 

They do take vitamins on occasion. Because they like them. I absolutely would not attribute their good health to their Flinstones and more to eating a healthy diet, good genetics and the above.

[MaMa2005]

DS doesn't get sick. Even our pediatrician has made the comment that he only sees us once a year - at the well-visit check up. DS is out and about a lot so he is exposed to lots of other children and germs. I often wonder why he doesn't get all the crud that goes around.

 

I will say our house is entirely ceramic tile so we have no allergens/dust in our flooring which I do think helps matters. We also do a sinus rinse EVERY morning and evening. It is amazing how much gunk comes out! Aside from those two things, nothing special with diet, etc.

 

Edit: I am a tyrant when it comes to enough sleep. DS sleeps most nights from 7PM to 7AM. He goes all out during the day, but I am pretty strict when it comes to bedtime. Enough sleeps gives the body time to heal from everything that has gone on during the day. Most of DS's friends are only getting about 8 hours of sleep and are sick quite often.

Edited January 22, 2011 by MaMa2005
sleep

[femke]

My children are never ill. Really. I can't remember the last time they were.

 

- No Vaccines

- Only Organic Food

- Veggie Juice Everyday

- No Tap Water

- Lots of Sleep

- Lots of Natural Exercise (walking, chores ;) )

- No Fizzy Drinks, No Sugar

- Breastfeeding for 3 Years

- Never Wash Hands Before Dinner

 

I don't believe in supplements. Unless as a medication. Good food is enough.

[Gratia271]

My children basically don't get sick. As some others have stated, I am adamant about adequate sleep. They have a healthy diet, take a multivitamin and fish oil, and exercise regularly.. out of doors as much as possible.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Breastfeeding for a year and a half. A chance to play in the dirt.

NO antibacterial wipes,cleaners, soaps in our house (that stuff is rather harmful: it prevents them from building immunity, and it fosters the development of bacteria strains that are resistant to antibiotics.)

My kids spent a lot of time outdoors in all weather when they were little.

They were allowed to get dirty.

 

We don't do vitamins or any artificial stuff.

 

:iagree:

[Hikin' Mama]

and I couldn't really tell you why. When they tell me they have a sore throat, they get dosed up with oregano oil capsules and vitamin c. When I start to get a sore throat or sore neck (which means I'm going to either get a respiratory thing or muscle aches and fever), I eat two cloves of raw garlic. My family loves that :D(not!). I haven't had anything for two years now. And when the kids get something it lasts 24 hours. We don't do flu shots of any kind. We also don't wash our hands excessively, and we never use hand sanitizer. We also don't stay away from the public during flu season. I think we just have good immune systems through no virtue of our own.

[SailorMom]

Both of mine. They had colds and ear infections as toddlers and pre-schoolers, but neither have had anything for well over a year now.

I'm jealous!!!!

[delaney]

Mine are rarely sick after the age of like 2. We have issues with ears in our house. Strep? rarely. My motto-eat boogers daily. I swear to you it is what keeps little kids healthy!:D

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Hi to All!

Does anyone here have chidren that rarely get sick?

 

Yes, my kids rarely get sick. A cold or two a year.

 

I think it is because I'm *not* germaphobic. Their bodies have built up their own immunities to the stuff that is around us. This is not to say they don't wash their hands, etc. They do. But, I'm not obsessive about it. My mother, OTOH, *is* obsessive (ie: uses hand sanitizer all. the. time., washes her hands for the requisite two verses of the ABC song, etc) and she is sick all the time.

 

Last year, all the kids got the flu shot -- this year just the youngest two. So, we'll see how that pans out. DH *might* get it (he works in healthcare management and does have some patient contact), but I have never gotten it.

[rwilliams]

I would recommend feeding your kids the "super" foods like sweet potatoes, blueberries, bananas, yogurt etc....Try to buy organic and rinse with white vinegar if not organic to remove pesticide residue. Also, is an underlying allergy causing the problems. After my healty son starting getting sick all the time for about 5 months we went to the allergist. After starting on his preventative program or zyrtec and nasonex we were back to being well all the time.

[Lolly]

I have two who very, very rarely get sick. One who has intestinal problems, but doesn't actually catch virus types of illness. And, one who has severe allergies and asthma who doesn't catch viruses too often, but when she does is down forever. The first two get extreme amounts of exercise. We don't do anything special. We eat foods that would make most on this forum turn their noses up. We are not anywhere near fanatical about hand washing (almost the opposite). We don't generally use soap. No antibacterial hand stuff. The house is clean, but far from spotless. We have pets. We tend to get dirty a lot (except for the allergy girl/she doesn't leave the indoors very often). We in no way go out of our way to avoid germs. We do not vaccinate (due to extreme past reactions).

[muffinmom]

My kids rarely get sick and when they do, it's usually not bad. My dog has thrown up more in the one year we've had her than both my kids (8yo and 5yo) put together in their whole lives!

 

Don't know if we're just made that way or if what we do makes a difference. I'm a stickler about hand-washing (though not OCD about it). I always make them wash hands after coming in from an outing after we've been around a lot of people or kids. We don't use antibacterial soaps though.

 

We seemed to really slow down with sick episodes after we started taking Juice Plus (my kids do the gummies). I also have them take a D3/Calcium and Omega 3 (Nature's Sunshine products). And some Vitamin C.

 

We keep a reasonably clean house and follow basic food safety guidelines in the kitchen. That may seem like a no-brainer, but I've been amazed at how some otherwise-educated people run their kitchens.

[muffinmom]

I also don't let my kids have a ton of sugar. Their whole lives they only drank water or milk, rarely juice (and by rarely I mean a few times a year). Now that they are older I will occasionally let them have lemonade or sweet tea. But they don't drink soft drinks.

 

I have read that consuming sugar lowers your immune system right away. But that's not why I limited sugar...I just wanted them to get used to healthier choices.

[BlsdMama]

Hi to All!

Does anyone here have chidren that rarely get sick? If so, what are you doing to keep it that way. Special vitamins, home remedies, germ free full body suits :D??? I am tired of all my children getting sick and passing it around in circles. They eat well, get enough sleep, wash hands, live in a clean house... you know the standard stuff to stay healthy, but I need something that really works. I need something to boost their immunity? Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Candace

 

They get sick, but rarely, and the bounce back REALLY fast. We try to avoid (though of COURSE not completely) sugar. Even sugar in the form of 100% fruit juice. Sugar lowers the immune system.

 

We eat a TON of garlic, onion, and red peppers. They eat more vegetables than meat or fruit. We eat very little dairy with the exception of yogurt. We try to eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables. We try not to eat large quantities of things that turn to simple carbohydrates in the body - take in fruit, but don't eat a ton, we don't eat much bread at all, limit things like pastas, cereals, etc.

 

As far as supplementation it is being proven over and over your body just simply doesn't know what to do with synthetic vitamins. :( Better to eat real foods. It knows just what to do with that! We try to eat fish twice a week. We drink herbal blends and mix them based on which vitamin/mineral each component is high in. So you'll find me drinking something with nettles :glare: for the iron and the little kids taking in something with rosehips for the Vitamin C. :) Again, real food, your body can synthesize that.

 

And while whole food vitamins MAY be better than synthetic, those pulverized little things might be only slightly better than worthless and they cost a fortune. As soon as food is broken, smashed, etc., the vitamin and mineral content begins to oxidize. The whole food vitamins advertise "contains as many as SIX blueberries, etc." I can't help but think... Why not eat six blueberries every day?

 

 

ETA: We also do NOT use any of the anti-bacterial hand wash, soap, etc. We go out in public and we do NOT get the flu vax... Or a few others.

[simka2]

Mine are rarely sick after the age of like 2. We have issues with ears in our house. Strep? rarely. My motto-eat boogers daily. I swear to you it is what keeps little kids healthy!:D

 

 

:iagree:I had one sick last month for the first time in 5 yrs!!!

 

Get dirty, don't wipe down carts, I also DO NOT have them wash their hands in public restrooms!!!!

 

You actually pick up more bacteria and viruses with "moist" hands than with dry (something I learned in micro). If it's really nasty I might use antibacterial solution after they exit the restroom.

 

Ummmmm....and I make my kids clean up their own pee. Have since they potty trained, it was part of the proccess.

[UmmiSays]

Thank you all for sharing. I am going to implement some of things suggested. We will see what happens. Thanks again!

[Brenda in FL]

Hi to All!

Does anyone here have chidren that rarely get sick? If so, what are you doing to keep it that way. Special vitamins, home remedies, germ free full body suits :D??? I am tired of all my children getting sick and passing it around in circles. They eat well, get enough sleep, wash hands, live in a clean house... you know the standard stuff to stay healthy, but I need something that really works. I need something to boost their immunity? Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Candace

 

I was looking at the ages of your kids and if you have them in a group setting once a week, you may have to wait until they get a little older!! Once mine were out of a "nursery/preschool" setting at church - they hardly ever got sick! - We don't do anything special - so maybe its genetic - I wasn't sick much as a child either. I don't disinfect stuff at home - I never remember to tell the kids to wash their hands - I hardly ever use hand sanitizer and won't use anything with anti-bacterial triclosan in it. I chalk it up to a build up of natural immunity from being exposed to germs and dirt!!

 

My kids get the sniffles a few times a year, but that's it. But when they were about 4 and younger - we did have our fair share of colds, ear infections, and strep throat. But even then they were never seriously ill.

[toawh]

A good hour or two of fresh air and outside play or vigourous exercise, depending on the age of the kid, seems to keep away most stuff.

[romeacademy]

Mine don't get sick all that often, but I sure wouldn't say never. This year seems to have been a little worse. I'm not sure what to attribute it to, but I think it's partly being homeschooled. When they're sick they stay HOME. I remember when the oldest 2 were little and I was still working, the pressure to just send the kids to day-care or school if it was "just a cold". And yes, I am not proud of that now. My house is not overly clean, except when we're expecting company. :) I do avoid anti-bacterial soaps, but that's the only thing I'm really picky about.

 

Anyway, my mom (a nurse) swears by plain saline nasal spray. She says when the nasal membranes get dry and cracked it gives viruses and bacteria more places to enter. This winter she has been spraying twice a day and has been much healthier than last winter. And she's working part-time in a local clinic where she gets exposed to a lot of stuff. So I'm heading out to buy bottles for the entire family.

 

FWIW, my brother and one of my good friends love their Neti (sp?) pots. I can't go there myself, but they wouldn't give them up for anything.

[happypamama]

- Never Wash Hands Before Dinner

 

Same here, unless they're very grubby from being outside, or have been to the toilet. But run-of-the-mill germs from around the house, or just from being outside -- eh, no big deal. (My ILs, otoh, are crazy about this. They wash before every meal, have a super-super-super clean house, use antibacterial everything, etc. My FIL is very frequently ill. I know some of it is from defective sinus structure, but I'm never sure which came first -- no exposure to everyday germs so he didn't build immunity, or he's prone to illness, so MIL keeps everything really clean so he doesn't get even sicker.)

 

I don't believe in supplements. Unless as a medication. Good food is enough.

 

I agree with you, except where I think our diets are indeed deficient. I know many people don't get enough vitamin D through sunlight, even if they eat well, because most foods are poor sources of vitamin D (and I'm not a fan of fortified foods). And at least for us, quality fish is not something we're able to eat frequently -- it's expensive and not really that all available, given the limited fish that is safe for pregnant/nursing women and small children. So I feel comfortable with cod liver oil and vitamin D3 supplements. (And iron for myself during later pregnancy, because I have trouble getting enough iron-rich foods in to keep up with the extra demands.) But general vitamins -- I tend to listen more to our bodies and see what foods we're craving, figuring we need whatever nutrients are in those, and that a variety of foods will get us a good variety of vitamins. :)

[cin]

adopt them when they are 12 mos old, and have spent their first year in a foreign orphanage crawling around with a bunch of other babies. DH is a germophobe and has the girls scrub before meals, etc. I'm not quite that attentive. I figure they got a good immune system built up that first year, I don't want to screw it up. We do take echinacea during the winter. But they really don't get sick very often.

 

In fact, I was just laid out flat on my back for almost a week with some bug. The girls never got it. Well, DD9 had a fever yesterday and a sore throat. Today, she's fever free. I have under the weather, so to speak for 2 freakin' weeks! dd6 has yet to show any symptoms. :glare:

[MariannNOVA]

Knock on wood, our three rarely catch what is going around. They take pro-biotics every day, Vit C in addition to the regular supplements, they do not get flu vaccine, and from September through May, they take colostrum. HTH

[angela in ohio]

My dc are almost never sick. I manage to come down with all sorts of things, from strep throat to influenze, but they get by with maybe one sniffle a year or less.

 

We do the things you mentioned: they eat well, they sleep well.

 

Like pp have said, I also credit NOT being a germophobe about the kiddos. We don't wash hands constantly, we don't use sanitizer, and I let them share food and drink among themselves. I do keep surfaces/handles in our home germ free, though, and I think this helps to keep from passing anything around.

 

I think the big thing that keeps them healthy is that when we go into a group situation (church, mall, classes, etc.,) I have them wash their hands/face and change clothes when we get home. We used to routinely get sick after church, because we would interact with many families who came with sick kids every week.

 

They used to get sick everytime we saw my in-laws. They have kids in daycare and school, they eat and sleep poorly, and they are germ fests. Now we take immunity gummy bears for a few days before each holiday interaction and a few days after. :001_smile:

[zimom]

my two daughters are rarely rarely sick and when they are it is next nothing, their body fights it off. I have seen two others post the same 'solution' we have but it won't work for your kids now...

 

My first daughter lived in an overcrowded orphanage with a thousand other kids for the first ten months of her life. She came home underweight, sick, draining ears, etc etc etc. Amazing what just good food can do. This kid is the picture of health now.

 

Second daughter, eightteen months in an orphanage, not quite as crowded but all the kids shared the same bottles, spoons, etc.

 

My house is clean and neat but I'm not a clean freak, the kids can pick stuff up off the floor and eat it and the world will still go around. I think they have both been on antibiotics maybe once since they have come home 5 and 12 years ago. they need to be exposed to stuff. They need to get dirty. Let them build up an immunity to germs, they don't need an antibiotic for every sniffle, for every ear infection, but yes I vaccinate.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Except for this past November when my dd14 had her food tampered with in a Mayan village she was at and almost died (don't get me started), I don't remember the last time my dc were sick.

 

Or any of us for that matter.

 

We do eat healthy foods, organic, natural, fresh--that's one big advantage to where we live. I also cook with LOTS of garlic which I hear is great for killing things in our system (mostly I do it for the parasites and amoebas we are exposed to on a daily basis). We also drink lots of water and get plenty of rest.

 

I think that's the key. Lots of water and not letting ourselves get run down.

 

We are around people on a daily basis who are sick with MANY things and we don't catch any of it.

 

I'm a big believer in natural medicine and try that first (preventative and otherwise) before I try anything else.

[Cindyz]

My guy has never been sick. Not once. His immune system is amazing. I've been down sick for 8 days and yet he's still gong strong. He has had the sniffles a couple of times and one time he had a mild fever of about 101 which I noticed when I went in to pull up his covers before I went to sleep but he was just fine the next day. When I tell people that he's never had an ear infection, been on an antibiotic, and never thrown up, it's almost as if they don't believe me!

 

We breastfed until 3 years 8 months and have had no vaccines. Our rules on hand washing are: always wash hands when you come home (take off shoes, hang up coat, wash hands), and always wash hands after going to the bathroom. That's it. The only time we wash our hands before eating is if we have been out shopping or at the library and are out to eat. Otherwise if we are at home, we don't worry about hand washing before eating. We do not use anti bacterial cleaners as we are on septic system. We don't eat the best foods, but not the worst either. He is always in bed by 8.

 

He started preschool at 3 and attended 4 mornings per week, at 5 he started attending a public school program for home schoolers two mornings a week and twice a week he attends social group classes at the local public school...so he is not lacking for germ sources. He just doesn't get sick!! I wish I had his immune system.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Cindyz

[Hedgehog]

My dc rarely get sick. The only time it really catches us is when we move house and then we get whatever is going around, and then we're fine.

 

So here's what we've done:

 

Our house is not, and never has been, super-clean. The floors get vacuumed regularly and mopped once a week, and the bathrooms get cleaned once a week. We try to keep up with the dishes but don't always manage it. This is an 800sq.ft house, and we have a rough coat GSD who loves all things wet and muddy.

I breastfed all my dc to 2yrs.

Organic food from weaning to 2yrs, then a mix of organic/non-organic with plenty of fresh and home-cooked meals.

All of them were dairy-free until they were 3yo, and DD11 and DS5 were dairy-free until 5yo.

All of them drink plenty of water.

We insist on what we consider to be sensible bedtimes: DD3 7:30pm, DS5 and DD9 8pm, DD11 8:30pm.

They've had the same immunisations that I had as a kid, at the same times I did (which caused a bit of a ruckus at the time :tongue_smilie: )

They play outside every day regardless of the weather - wrapped up well in the winter of course!!

The older three take Junior Echinacea through the winter, and they all take a multivitamin and Omega-3 daily.

[Sahamamama]

Our three daughters (4, 4, and 6) are almost NEVER sick. They are well-fed, well-rested, and very happy, healthy children.

 

I think the key is good rest. So many children are tired these days. We don't drag our kids around from pillar to post, we don't run them to any activities in the evenings, and they are always in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 pm, with few exceptions. They also take a nap nearly every day, usually from 3:30--5:30 pm. And, yes, they get up, change into pajamas, eat supper, snuggle with us, say prayers, and go right back to bed. They are happy to sleep!

 

We also give them plenty of water (not so much juice), never any soda or candy, and milk a few times a day. They eat well, usually healthy foods. They are allowed to decide when they feel full, and are well-proportioned.

 

We run a humidifier in the winter months, this seems to help with avoiding the respiratory stuff, because it prevents us from drying out. :tongue_smilie:We also run a HEPA filter at night in the girls' room. No allergies here, so far, so good.

 

I try to get the girls outside for exercise, sunshine, and what passes in New Jersey for "fresh air." ;) They love to run around outside, when the weather cooperates with us.

 

Probably the main reason they don't get sick is because they aren't around many other children. They do go to church once per week, and they do visit grandparents each week. Other than that, they don't go to day care, preschool, or another classroom setting -- so they avoid lots of germs that way, IMO.

 

Also, when we come home from "the marketplace," we always remove our shoes (put them away), sit on the toilet, then wash our hands! We always have them wash hands before eating, no matter what they've been doing. We always have them wash hands after playing outside. That might be part of it, I don't really know.

 

Water in the morning seems to clear up any minor stuffiness. We put lotion on them at night before bed, in the winter months, it keeps them from getting chappy. HTH.

[The Girls' Mom]

Mine don't get sick very often, and oddly enough the one with the most health problems is the one that never catches anything. I think it's because of her over-active immune system that attacks everything and gives her all her allergies. She has TONS of allergies, but she never catches stuff. She even seems immune to strep (she carries it and gives it to the rest of us though!)

 

I don't do anything special. BUT I have also never been one to overly disinfect everything. I keep things wiped down, but rarely use disinfectant on stuff. We use regular old soap and water, and hardly ever use hand sanitizer. My kids got dirty and played with animals when they were little :)

[UmmiSays]

Thank you all for sharing. This is most responses I have ever had! I have a lot of reading do do. Thanks again!

[creekland]

I haven't read the majority of the replies due to lack of time, but our whole family very rarely gets sick.

 

We live on a farm, and I believe animals help (animals both in and out of the house - pets inside - farm animals out). I also think being around less car pollutants (via city streets) helps too. Our snow is white and stays white. Snow in the city turns dingy VERY quickly.

 

I don't keep things clean which I think helps (dishes and most clothes are clean, but we don't "clean house" very often and rarely use chemicals when we do.

 

We're active, but active with real things going on - real hikes, real chores, etc, not a gym.

 

We eat a variety of foods. Some are considered healthy, some are not. I tend to think moderation is the key to many things.

 

I don't know if it helps, but we don't do coffee or other major caffeine items. We do drink green and white tea.

 

We don't smoke.

 

We keep our house cold in the winter ( less than 60 to turn on heat, then maintaining 60) and warm in the summer (greater than 80 to turn on air, then maintaining 80). I'm not fond of artificial cooling or heating, so we do as little as we can stand.

 

The few times we feel a cold coming on we take a Cold Eeze right before bed. It seems to help.

 

I sub in our local public high school and still rarely get sick myself even subbing for teachers who ARE sick.

 

My youngest returned to 9th grade there this year and hasn't gotten sick even though the majority of kids at school have been sick with colds, etc.

 

My oldest went off to GA to college and missed ALL the sicknesses going around there too - even when his roommate had a stomach virus.

 

I'm satisfied with our life and lifestyle and do not plan to change a thing - but I don't know which, if any, of the details are the "important" ones. It's not genetics. My mom always caught anything and everything. She still does.

[LibraryLover]

My 11 yr old is a night owl and can party hard, and I have to beg her to stay home. SHe was the DJ at a New Year's Eve party in 2000. :) (Not quite, but she was dancing when the hour struck.) She has never been on an antibiotic. Her teens sibs are very active in the communtiny, and they were each sick about 13 years ago. So, yk, I think our being so active keeps us healthy. :)

 

I don't think there is one golden ticket, as nice as it would be to write a universal script.

 

PS Move along, Fates. There is nothing to see here.

 

Our three daughters (4, 4, and 6) are almost NEVER sick. They are well-fed, well-rested, and very happy, healthy children.

 

I think the key is good rest. So many children are tired these days. We don't drag our kids around from pillar to post, we don't run them to any activities in the evenings, and they are always in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 pm, with few exceptions. They also take a nap nearly every day, usually from 3:30--5:30 pm. And, yes, they get up, change into pajamas, eat supper, snuggle with us, say prayers, and go right back to bed. They are happy to sleep!

 

 

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Edited January 24, 2011 by LibraryLover

[JessReplanted]

We were at the Dr.'s office every other week from August through November. I was so sick of them being sick. Someone told me to up the vitamin C, and it has been helping. My son (8) who can swallow pills takes 2-3,000 mg of Vitamin C per day. My girls (3 & 4) take 1000mg of the gummy vitamin C.

We haven't been to the Dr. since I started force-feeding the Vitamin C. :lol:

[JenniferB]

4 kids - rarely sick - not a clue as to why...

 

Some things we did/did not do:

 

We vaccinated late (like starting at ages 3-6+)

They drink TONS of milk (regular Costco brand)

They eat lots of carbs/grains

They also eat salmon, beef, chicken

Some fruits & veggies, but not much

They don't get out much, or do lots of exercise, but they are healthy weight

????

[Lady Florida.]

I don't think there is one golden ticket, as nice as it would be to write a universal script.

 

From the variety of responses I have to agree with you. Some vaccinate, some don't. Some eat only organic, some don't. Most of us don't use, or use very little, antibacterial stuff. Some eat healthy, some allow junk food.

 

I don't think it's homeschooling (i.e. lack of contact with a ton of sick kids) because many or our homeschool friends get sick often. It really seems to be the luck of the draw.