Forum Index
»
Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Why is BF baby always catching colds?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I thought he would be immune to catching colds since I BF and we don't get out much. But, he has had an on and off cold for the last 3 months and now the coughing and runny nose are starting again! The ped. checked him out and has verified it is just a cold.
I haven't been sick and neither has my husband AND we wash our hands after touching questionable items. What gives - are some kids more prone than others to colds? |
Anonymous
|
Cold germs are everywhere. You can' t keep away from them. Every public surface has them.
BF offers some protection but people exaggerate the protection. Kind of like how BF reduces the likelihood of pregnancy. |
Anonymous
| just imagine how bad it would be if you were not breastfeeding |
Anonymous
Oh, please. It would almost assuredly be exactly the same. |
Anonymous
How old is your child? Does he/she get ear infections? Our DS was born at the end of winter and had an almost constant thick, yellow, runny nose the next winter (from about 9-15months). At first I put this down to his being in daycare, even though I was still BFing. He had thick discharge almost every day, all day. Pediatrician kept saying it was just a cold, maybe he got them more from daycare, etc. In retrospect, the initial culprit may have been a cold virus, bu the real problem was his adenoids. He began to get such frequent ear infections that he required ear tube surgery. Days after the first surgery one of the tubes plugged up and the ENT had to redo the ear tube and removed his adenoids at the same time. PRESTO! Miraculously, he didn't get a snotty nose/cold again, which was a bonus, because the real concern was his ears & hearing. Even now, years later, I can count on one hand the number of times he has seemed to have a cold. I think that his adenoids were too large for his anatomy and even the littlest cold ended up not draining down the back of his throat but entirely out the front. Probably wasn't sleeping too great either (a big snorer before the surgery), and lack of sleep really increases susceptibility to colds. Gross, and TMI, but that's our reason that our DS got colds constantly his first year. |
Anonymous
| No answer, but I feel your pain, sister. I breastfed for 15 months, and suffered through a half-dozen colds in that period. There is no justice. |
Anonymous
uh - ignorant statement My baby was formula fed and NEVER had a cold that first year. Do us a favor and don't push "breast is best." |
Anonymous
| BF only gives your child your own immunities - it's not a teflon blanket against germs. If neither you nor your husband has been sick, maybe DC is picking up germs elsewhere - ones that you haven't had yet and have no immunity for. |
Anonymous
Don't get your boobies in a bunch. |
Anonymous
|
Some kids are more susceptible to illness than others. Both of my kids were/are breastfed for the first year. The first got two colds during that entire period (exposed to plenty of colds from family and other babies) and then proceeded to get four colds in the two months after I weaned; it certainly could be coincidence, but it seems like bfing made a difference. My second has gotten every single cold my first has caught.
In terms of whether it would have been worse without breastfeeding, it's worth noting that it's digestive illnesses, not colds, where breastfeeding is really supposed to make a difference. So while I think it's debatable whether or not OP's kid would have gotten fewer colds if formula fed, it's pretty well supported by research that "gut" illnesses are much less common in breastfed babies. These are the most virulently contagious illnesses -- and the most dangerous for infants when they do catch them. So, OP, you may have offered protection against something even nastier without even realizing it.... |
Anonymous
| My son and his cousin are three weeks apart. My sister stayed home full time and I went back to work after 4 months. My son was in a nanny share with a child a year older. I was chatting with a surgeon friend one day about the boys and mentioned that we thought it really odd that my nephew was sick a lot but my son hadn't gotten much of anything. He said it made sense in terms of germs because while I was out at work "alone" catching germs and building immunities to them that I then passed on when I got home, my sister and her little boy were exposed at the same time. She didn't have enough time to build up antibodies to the germs before he caught them. Don't have a solution to offer, but thought it might help make sense of things. |
Anonymous
| my kid was breastfed 1.5 years. barely got sick during that time. but afterward, it was snot city almost constantly during the winter. now finally at the age of 4 it has lessened. |
Anonymous
not to worry - They're not in a bunch, nor are they in a baby's mouth. They're free and happy. |