runny noses, coughs and sneezes

You do develop immunity. After 30+ years in teaching I hardly ever got a cold. Although the first couple of years I picked up everything-sore throats, colds the lot. 10 years after retirement I have 2 lovely GCs and have minded both 1 day a week and they have kindly introduced me to a whole new range of bugs. But I am just. about developing new immunity haven't had the last couple they had., so fingers crossed I'm over it now.

Lots of walking in all weathers keeps many colds at bay! Too much cleanliness is making everyone more prone to all these bugs!

Make sure you take a good multi vitamin every day and teach the children to cover their noses/mouths when they sneeze or cough.

I've found that taking 1000mg of vitamin C Every day wards off colds. Even when DH has one, I usually don't catch it. It also protects me when I travel by air, which used to be a sure way for me catch a cold. Oh, and it's best to take an easily absorbed type of pill which your pharmacist or GP can recommend.

Someone mentioned hand washing, absolutely imperative. I also wipe taps, doorknobs etc. Anything the little darlings touch. Not foolproof by any manner or means but it helps. Always wash hands after doing shopping. Hands are the biggest transmitters of infection, and the little people never wash their hands properly do they?

Yes we had the same problem. Then we found a great change a good quality multi vitamin. And touch wood no more problems last winter we escaped the whole lot all the coughs and colds that begin as soon as our three gc, go back to school one or the other seem to have something at least monthly until Easter.

Yes, I have always had a lot to do with my grandchildren and since my daughter became a single parent two years ago I have looked after the three DGC so she can continue to work full time. I get almost every cold/cough they do and yes, even the dreaded nits! I thought that reaching my sixties I would be pretty well immune to most bugs that cause colds and coughs but it doesn't seem to work for me!

I'm still waiting for that "immunity" I Seem to have cold after cold picked up from the GC's . Trouble is I end up with a cough that seems to last until I get the next cold !
Constant hand washing and vitamins don't help either . I have booked my flu jab already and hope this winter maybe better .

Yes we do. It seems our DGCs have snotty noses every other week and just recently have had two bouts of sickness in three weeks. At the first signs of cold we start taking echinacea which wards off the worst, and with tummy bugs constantly use hand gel. DS and DD both had whooping cough and chicken pox, DS had mumps and glandular fever, but they didn't often get colds and even more rarely tummy bugs. I wonder if our environment is now so clean and with all the vaccines, children's immune systems are compromised because they are not allowed to develop naturally

I remember it all so well, the joy of being sneezed at in the face and just knowing what to look forward to. I also scrubbed up to the elbows after a nice bout of sickness, o'h dear do miss it in a strange way. I always paid for a flu jab in the years before I was entitled to a free one not much help with measles!

Ah the joys of small people ? thankfully we've not had stomach bugs but coughs, colds and the endless rounds of nits! I found a preventative spray for the little blighters that works really well.
My poor little dgd got pneumonia from somewhere two years ago. She had two different strains. She was very very ill. 3 appointments with 2 different GP's missed it! She was only sent to the hospital because she complained of stomach pains & the gp thought there was a slight chance she had appendicitis!
Definitely have your flu and pneumonia jabs and increase your vitamin intake ?

Both DH and I worked in schools all our working life and built up really good immunity but have been quite ill after picking up tummy bugs from the GC. I think it must be close proximity that spreads the germs.

The worst thing is the tummy bugs my GC seem to get them at least once a year and then sometimes the adults too. I'm sure they're worse than when mine were little?

many thanks for your excellent tips ladies. i shall implement them all-just as soon as i shake off this wretched cold.

First Defence spray and hand rub whenever they are sniffly, (for you, not them!) wash hands when you come in, try not to touch your nose or mouth until you have washed. Keeps most of the bugs away, plus flu jab of course.

Colds invariably lead to 3 weeks sinusitis, and sometimes bronchitis too, so fairly desperate to cut down on the number of them!

Her doctor warned my daughter about this when my grandson started nursery. It has happened with all 3 grandchildren but they have better immunity now. However - I don't live near either of my daughters and it's a family joke now that when I travel to one of them via London I have always, but always, got a cold 3 days after I arrive or 3 days after I got home. I blame those escalator hand rails! I'm using anti bacterial hand wipe now. Been back 3 days and not a sniffle. Hooray.

Washing hands as soon as you come into the house is helpful I think, all those hand rails and door knobs out there with heaven only knows what on.

Try taking Echinacea to ward off colds and coughs.
We caught everything going when our grandson first started nursery and school. Now his immune system is better he no longer catches everything going so neither do we.

Yes I agree by DGs was little he was always giving us life threatening tummy bugs (literally DH collapsed on a plane to Kenya after a visit) but he's older now so not such a problem. Anyway its flu vac time so I would recommend that and a daily high dose of Vit C- lots of handwashing too (the children I mean).

P.S. - maybe vitamin supplements are the way forward. My MIL swears by them and got us taking a vit C. boost from late summer every year. We have comparatively few coughs and cold ourselves. We also eat a shed load of onions and garlic though ... I am sure this helps, but perhaps not always sociable!!!

Oh dear - all those lovely snuggily kisses we share with our DGCs I guess. I have caught a tummy bug and a cold to date. He goes to nursery full-time and always seems to have a croopy cough / runny nose!

Ahhhh - all those grandparenting things to look forward to that the books never tell you!

Yes we do. Like you, we're thankful nits haven't yet visited but runny noses, eyes, coughs, colds and temperatures, seem to visit as frequently as the children do.