How to boost up toddlers immunity?

[Skylark]

Hi Skylark , is the Acerola Powder & Grapefruit Seed Extract suitable for 2.5yr old kid?

Yes, it is suitable for babies on and up.

[lelask]

Skylark thank you for all your suggestions and links.

Well , at the moment I don't know for sure she has a milk or wheat intolerance. We are on elimination diete because of her excema and after leaving that out her skin condition is much better. I am still breastfeeding her so I don't eat anything she can not. We are going to have her blood tested by the end of june so then I will  hopefully know what she is alergic to.

We don't use soya supplements for now but I am slowly adding different food to her diete and watching out for reactions.

I am so going to try that banana ice cream 

Could you tell me how do you make kefir? I am thinking of getting Tibetan mushroom and try to make some milk and cheese myself. I am note sure if that can be made with other than soya milk 

I have bought coconut oil and started to use it.
With the avocado I am looking for some nice recepices as I am only able to eat it mixed with banana 
I used to liked it a lot but not anymore. 

[JainaRei]

 Mandabplus3  Our family lived in Papua New Guinea for 2 1/2 years when I was a kid and the only food avaliable was freshly grown from a  local's garden or our own. Everything was organic and grown in beautiful volcanic soil. No one in our family was sick when we lived there (a part from baby brothers asthma and dads maleria) and when we returned to Australia no one was sick for the first 12 months. Aferwards it was a totally different story.

Skylark I don't know how similar cough syrup for little ones is from 25 years ago but my mum was giving it to me when I was 2 years old once and every 4 hours I would come up to her and cough like i needed more. She got curious and looked on the label. It said Alcohol 17% and that was enough for her the throw it away. She thought she was turning me into an alcoholic.

lelask  my cousin was tiny for her age and she ate like a horse, she caught up in her teens as well.

I'm curious about Paracetamol (Panadol etc) for myself I try not to take if I have a fever because I recognised that if I let my body sweat out the cold it will only last 24 to 48 hours,  but if I take Paracetamol for any reason it drags out the cold for nearly a week. What I would like to know is what about babies and toddlers. Their temperature regulating system isn't fully developed and it can be dangerous if they overheat. Is it fine to let them heat up a little or should you administer childrens panadol as soon as there is the first sign of a fever.
 

[Skylark]

JainaRei,

Conventional cough syrops are full of the ingredients I would not give to anyone in my family, much less babies or toddlers. There was a CNN article a while ago, that gives a little insight on it: http://articles.cnn.com/2008-01-17/health/fda.syrup_1_otc-cough-consumer-healthcare-products-association-charles-ganley?_s=PM:HEALTH ( But of course this is just a newspaper article) Just check ingredients!

The only cough syrup I used in my family ( and it is extremely rare, my kids usually either don't get a cough or if they do -- hot mist humidifier with some herbal extracts or essential oils relieves it enough and actually heals it) is homeopathic one, the ones I know are: http://www.drugstore.com/boiron-childrens-chestal-honey-homeopathic-cough-syrup/qxp79833 and http://www.drugstore.com/boiron-childrens-chestal-honey-homeopathic-cough-syrup/qxp79833 The ingredients are not harsh, they are honey based with no alcohol and combination of homeopathic remedies

Totally agree with you on eating healthy, makes a world of a difference!

[babymum]

 have been using paracetamol all the while when my kid gets fever >37.5 degC  6hoursly  as advised by the pediatician.  Am i doing wrong? .. oh dear...
What should we give to the kid (2.5yo) in case of  fever for heathier choice?..

Thks   

[lelask]

babymum I don't give paracetamol to my baby if is her fever below 38. The body actually needs to fight the virus and that is a good thing. If she has 37,8 for two days then I would go to see the doctor. I would make sure she drinks warmish tea and rests.
If she gets cold we wouldn't use antibiotics if the mucus is clear. If it changes to green then it needs to be cured. Luckily we have never had green mucus probably becouse we use Echinacea drops after I hear her sneezing more often during a day.

[Frukc]

my child was very healthy until 2 years when she got 5 bronchitis within one winter (our winters are below 0 degC). While she was sick I "studied" medicine, every new bronchitis was easier and finally I stopped them. next 2 winters were healthy. both my kids have  had some "fast febers". my experience:

- avoid too warm clothing. it is ok to have "cold hands" sometimes. for immunity.

- be suspicious when doctors prescribe antibiotics. usually they are useless in case of common cold which typically is caused by viruses. 

- I allowed temperature until 39.0. after that, I decreased temperature just by sprinkle hands, legs and face with cold water. very effective. if your kid does not have cramps at high temperatures (which is rare), you can do it. with temperature, body is fighting against the viruses. it "burns down" them.

- now I fight cold mainly with inhalations of tea tree oil.

- and I do not trust our pediatrician. you as a parent can observe your child and see what works and what do not work. pediatrician can offer only the "one size fits all" solution, and often it is antibiotics.

google hygiene hypothesis

[Mandabplus3]

I don't use anything for fevers either. Let Em get hot. Let Em get cold at times too. Obviously you need to be sensible. I don't own a thermometer. So my theory was if they actually got so hot that I didn't want to touch them then we would go to the hospital. I cooled them usually with iced fruit drinks or cool splash in the bath or pool, if they started to get too hot.
I don't give my kids anything more than chicken soup for a cold. Rest, cuddles, and home made chicken noodle soup are as good as anything the doctor provides. The green snot didn't change my remedy. If I could hear noise in their lungs when they breathed ( put your ear to their back and listen) then I would consider a trip to the doctors. Usually I could tell when they were really going to get worse and when they were on the mend. I can't recall one occasion that they needed antibiotics...
My kids aren't perfectly healthy. One has a lactose intolerance ( and drinks lactose free milk) but due to strong immunity can handle other dairy products with lower lactose ( cheese, cooked dairy, ice-cream) and one of my kids has skin rashes ( which sadly have had to be cleared up using cortisone at times) which we can usually keep at bay by being careful to keep her skin in tip top shape with moisturizer and no soap.
Overall avoiding drug use does seem to work on a long term basis. It's nice to hear other mums agree with me on this. It's hard to find much support on avoiding drug use in little kids.

[Kerileanne99]

YES!
Alex was somewhat premature, considered high-risk due to my Medical conditions, and worried about as we are vegetarian and 'whole foods'.  We consulted several pediatric dietitians ( more for the record then anything, one dietician laughingly told me I was much more informed than her!)
Whilst she does have some food allergies (most likely genetic:() she is one of the healthiest children we know!

Paying attention to what they eat, how much and of what variety of things they eat, is a HUGE determining factor! Alex has had only a couple of vaccinations (we were flying transatlantic!) and one bout of antibiotics (we discontinued as she was allergic!) we NEVER use antibiotic soaps, wipes, etc, instead introducing her to local bacteria and viruses with vigorous hand washing...

I believe her exposure has greatly contributed to her virtual immunity to common illnesses and increased tolerance to allergens!

Plenty or organic,LOCAL produce, avoidance of unnatural chemicals, pesticides, additives, etc., common sense and exposure to a reasonable amount of 'nature'? With more than a anything you can imagine!

Early Learning is easy, fantastic, amazing!!! Why risk all you have worked so hard for with mediocre nutricion?!
Early Learning is a unique, multifaceted coin!

[babymum]

wow I hope i can be as brave as you all to let your kid cure herself whenevever she's got fever...

Mandabplus3 , i'm not sure how to do it. Whenever she has fever, i gave her paracetamol every 6hours till the fever goes down as I'm afraid the fever might go high up passed midnight... Got one time her fever reachese 40degC, and thats where we rush to the hospital... I admit she did drink alot of medicine since infant. I am really guilty    Can you teach me what to do when kid got fever above 37.5degC? Tap body with cool water is one way rigtht ... but I am also not sure how the fever thing actually happens and how it can goes away itself.. I read that the fever is somehow a good thing.. Could you enlighten me ..I am a new mum and i do not know much how to treat a fever or boost her immunity..., most of my friends around me uses paracetamol thus i just follows...
 

I am very thankful that all of you all very helpful and giving alot of sharing in boosting immunity. which i would like to try on some of the suggestions.. roasted garlic, parsley, acerola powder, grapefruit seed extract

[Mandabplus3]

I understand it does take a certain amount of bravery and self confidence to treat a fever naturally.  A fever is the bodies way of making conditions uncomfortable for viruses and bugs to breed. The heat and cold slows their breeding and multiplying giving the body a chance to heal itself. For the record I am not a nurse or doctor.
So what do you do when you are hot? Shed clothes. Take a bath. Swim. Eat ice. Eat jelly. Cool drinks. Keep up the fluids. Step outside into cool air. Cool cloth on the face. Mostly I just let the kids alone. It's OK if they get hot. If they get slow and listless then take one or two of the above actions. If they are still playing leave them be. Just monitor each  hour or when you can feel them getting hotter. if you child appears to be fading from consciousness then call for help immediately. 37% is not hot enough for paracetemal. 40% you get help. But the only time I called for help ( for a friend) the ambulance came and they told us baby was better off with us at home as we were doing a great job and to call them back if she became unconscious or hotter.   
If my kids have a fever at night I sleep with them. Then I will know how hot they are, I find mothers instinct kicks in and those are the nights I sleep lightly. I usually sleep like a log! I am realistic some mums just can't handle this. But there is no reason you can't at least go without the drugs during the day, that at least will drop the dosage they get by 2/3rds and give their natural immunity a fighting chance.

[Frukc]

here are my fever tips.

======

do not touch temperature if it is below 37.5 (this recommendation comes from pediatrician in our local forum).

If it goes higher: slake child. wet cloth on forehead, legs, hands.

but be aware. if legs and hands are cold than it means that temperature continues to rise. than it is not allowed to slake. give socks and blanket to child because cramps often start because of temperature difference between head and extremities. you can start to lover the temperature if legs are not cold anymore.

much drinks.

call first aid if it goes close to 40.

======

some mothers use 50/50 water and alcohol. I used only water and it was very effective (one degree per hour).

when my son had "three days fever", temperature raised until 39.8. I measured temperature after every half hour (I slept with alarm clock which waked me up every 30 minutes, and slept together with child). our cousin used medicine to lower temperature, at the same virus, and they had fever for 5 or 6 days.

probably you can find your local parenting forum with much experience.  and I agree to every sentence of Mandabplus3 .

[babymum]

Thanks Mandabplus3, i hope i can be as confident as you. When my kid got fever more than a day... haha i get panic

[lelask]

A friend of mine was ill very often and then she left out all diary products and she is a new person now  - she said she wasn't healthy for three months in a row before.
So maybe you could try to change some food in your baby diet.
Just a thought.

And I also agree that we always need  to double check peadiatricians advices.

I personally read a lot of books either in my own language or English and chose what ever I feel comfortable with doing as there is no advice which would fit all. Sometimes the advices even change from one year to another!

In our country we wrap babies in wet towels ( no  arms or legs) or give them a bath but not in a cold water but warmish ( to prevent shock).

One mother in our community told me that if her little boy gets high fever she wraps his feet in milk wrap , I haven't tried that but this was the only thing that helped him

[Skylark]

Lelask, sorry for delay with reply 

Here is the link to the most comprehensive (IMO) site about kefir -- http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#what-is-kefir;   http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html, it has lots of information on practical how to's, links, etc -- we mainly followed his practical advice. We purchased a little bit of kefir grains on the ebay ( they did not have them locally), and the person shipped it to us in a little ziplock bag. We put them in fresh milk, and it took them  a few days to get back to normal. We have been using the same kefir grains for the last 3 years, they grew and we shared them with others    We even took them cross-atlantic with us 

Hope this helps.

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