September 26, 2006 1:48 PM
Parenting Q & A - Keeping healthy
Hi Barbara- I read " Lord, please meet me in the laundry room" and LOVED it................ Just a quick question: I have 3 boys, ages 5 and under.Last week my baby came down with a cold the same night my oldest got the
stomach flu. Needless to say, it's been a rough week. Have you found
anything that keeps the kids' viruses from spreading like wildfire
through the family?Thanks a bunch!
Lisa
Lisa -
Let's hope these two illnesses don't collide!
My best advice is that the healthier your kids are, the stronger their immune system and the less likely they are to be vulnerable in the first place. So anything you can do to strengthen their immune systems is good - well-balanced diet, exercise, fresh air, plenty of water (I have a hard time getting my kids to drink enough).
Washing hands is important. And we’ve added drinking the juice of ½ a lemon mixed with warm water first thing in the morning. It’s a great tonic for the system.
Sometimes it seems like once something has started it takes on a life of its own. We’ve all been there and know what you’re going through. I just keep in mind “It came to pass….” Nowhere have I ever heard “It came to stay…….”
Any more ideas out there?
Posted in Big families, Health, Mothering | Permalink
Comments
A multivitamin, and maybe an extra vitamin C, helps. We get sick less often when we take our vitamins.
Posted by: Jennie C. | September 26, 2006 2:56 PM
I love your ideas Barbara! I don't know if I could get my kids to drink the lemon and water mixture though. It's worth a try, isn't it?
Posted by: Stacey | September 26, 2006 4:06 PM
We started using Airborne last winter (over the counter vitamin tablet you dissolve in water). During cold season, I give it to the boys before we go places like the mall or when they play with friends who are often sick without warning. Also, at the first sign of a cold, it can help. Sometime it works perfectly, and other times they've gotten sick anyway, but it seems to go faster and I find it to be worth it!
Posted by: Honey | September 26, 2006 9:02 PM
I have a small family (one child so far) but several weekly playdates with a dozen other kids, so we've had plenty of experience with germs spreading like wildfire. What has helped the most has been a regular acidolphilus aka probiotic supplement. We even found one that doesn't require refrigeration (Kids Kyo-dolphilus in a very easily dissolving tablet, nice for the littlest people). The person who recommended it to me said it works because much of our immune response is in the digestive tract so keeping it stocked with friendly bacteria helps. I don't know if this is scientifically accurate but it seems to have helped my son not get every cold and stomach virus that comes down the pike anymore. And unlike echincea for which there are warnings to avoid taking too much/taking too long it is nearly impossible to overdose on acidolphilus.
P.S. Though acidolphilus cows milk is one way to take it, there are other forms that are dairy-free, soy-free etc. for those who have allergies.
Posted by: Alison | September 27, 2006 12:08 PM
Thank you, Barbara for posting this, and thank you to all who replied! I just wanted to make a quick comment on the acidophilus. A lady at the healthfood store reccommended that I take acidphilus and elderberry to avoid get the stomach flu. I took acidophilus ( mainly) and a little bit of elderberry. My middle son took it for a few days and ended up getting the stomach flu anyway, but maybe I stopped giving it too soon? Anyway- I never got the stomach flu, and neither did my baby, although I did feel pretty run down for several days.........So- praise God,maybe there IS something to the acidophilus..?
One other thing I wanted to add: I just started testing out ZICAM on my 2 older sons, who are 5 and 3. My oldest son never got the cold that was going through our house...
Posted by: Lisa | September 27, 2006 12:47 PM
When I first saw this post, I thought I shouldn't comment about why I have a very healthy family because it is also my home business. Anyway, I suppose as an author who sells books, you understand that I just want to help people, even though I do get helped in return.
I really do believe that our health supplements (been taking them for about seven years) are truly an answer to prayer. For me, my home business is also a ministry. I have been blessed with many, many emails and phone calls from people who are finally "healthy".
Here is an educational link. http://www.glyco.com/ourgift If anyone is interested in the product link, feel free to email me. Carol@parentingdecisions.com We give away as much product as we can afford, so Barbara, I hope you know I am not trying to advertise. It's just that we have been blessed with such great health because of these products, and I feel like I shouldn't keep it to myself. I have personally seen some amazing recoveries from all sorts of conditions.
Posted by: Carol | September 28, 2006 10:32 AM
