Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids at 3 and 5 and have surprisingly (knock on wood) never had the flu. They are rarely sick. This is super surprising given the fact they both suck their thumb/fingers. I push hand washing as much as possible but in reality they touch a ton of things and immediately put their fingers in their mouths. It’s gross but they aren’t prone to being sick.

I am 36 and have never in my whole life had the flu.

PP here. Omg same. It’s so gross, but I’m totally sure my kid has been exposed to every germ on the planet with her hands in the mouth habit.

Similar for us. I’m 36 and have never had it. Neither has my DH as long as I’ve known him or our kids (10,8,3). I don’t know that we do anything special. I breastfed ove a yr with all, we get the flu shot, and eat balanced diets. But my kids sucked fingers until 7, and hand washing isn’t perfect. I insist they wash hands before meals at home. But I know their post bathroom hand hygiene is spotty at best.

Some people are made of hardier stock than others. It’s always been that way. It’s why some people survived and others didn’t long before modern medicine. There were no hand washing campaigns in the 1700s. Thankfully now there are so people with weaker immune systems stand a much better chance of survival.

I think the flu shot helps-- but I would say my DS has an extremely healthy immune system. Mild illnesses and recovers quickly. No allergies.

Honestly, I think it's genetic. I've had garden variety illnesses and recover quickly, no allergies. DH is the same way. We don't do anything special.

DS was breastfed and supplemented with formula. He loves snack foods, and it's the same thing-- no cavities just like his dad. He has ADHD and from appearances so do most of the male members of my family. Genetics.

It’s genes. Some people are always sick.

Just wondering-were they IVF?

My kids (6 & 4) have never had the flu but have had lots of other illnesses. In the last 3 weeks alone, they’ve each had a mild stomach bug, 2 colds, and fifth disease. They eat a fairly healthy diet, heavy on the fruits and veggies. Flu shot every year and lots of hand washing through the day. Neither was breast feed beyond 8 weeks.

I don’t know if there’s a single reason why some get the flu and some don’t. Genetics? Constitution? Luck? Probably luck.

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian and lots of fruit.

This

We get the flu shot every year.
I have them wash their hands before eating

Do you think they could have gotten the flu and I didn’t know it? It was so mild since they had the shot?
Sometimes I wonder if I already had coronavirus.

Anonymous wrote:My kids at 3 and 5 and have surprisingly (knock on wood) never had the flu. They are rarely sick. This is super surprising given the fact they both suck their thumb/fingers. I push hand washing as much as possible but in reality they touch a ton of things and immediately put their fingers in their mouths. It’s gross but they aren’t prone to being sick.

I am 36 and have never in my whole life had the flu.

PP here. Omg same. It’s so gross, but I’m totally sure my kid has been exposed to every germ on the planet with her hands in the mouth habit.

Are you sure it’s diet and not other habits like washing hands, touching mouth / eyes / face and so on.

My kids at 3 and 5 and have surprisingly (knock on wood) never had the flu. They are rarely sick. This is super surprising given the fact they both suck their thumb/fingers. I push hand washing as much as possible but in reality they touch a ton of things and immediately put their fingers in their mouths. It’s gross but they aren’t prone to being sick.

I am 36 and have never in my whole life had the flu.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
People, it’s all about hygiene. OP’s kids probably don’t wash their hands enough.

This times a million.

Ha, I’d say the opposite. We have pets, don’t wash our hand enough, and aren’t opposed to the five second rule. DC and I almost never get sick even though I practice zero precautions during cold and flu season. Like maybe one cold a year, even when things are going around work and school and others are dropping like flies. I think it’s our environmental exposure that has built up our immune systems, plus 95% just genetic luck to have strong immune systems. I don’t worry at all, except now I’m a little nervous with corona virus that I may have to totally retrain my child on better habits.

We do eat really well - probably 3-4 times the recommended amount of produce with very little meat and lots of beans and whole grains. I don’t think it hurts, but still think it’s mostly dumb luck.

Anonymous wrote:
People, it’s all about hygiene. OP’s kids probably don’t wash their hands enough.

This times a million.

I think I’ve had the flu once, DH gets it every few years.

DS (age 12) has never had it. He is terrible at hand washing too. It has wrecked havoc at school a few times.

He eats lots of yogurt, meat, and fruit. We don’t do multivitamins because I’m lazy...

I think it is just random.

People, it’s all about hygiene. OP’s kids probably don’t wash their hands enough.

No flu here. DS and I get the flu shot. He's 8. DH doesnt. No one has had the flu. DH got it 10 years ago, I got it 20 years ago.

We certainly don't have a picture perfect diet. DS eats a lot of fruit (strawberries, oranges, melons) and is good about veggies. But he has fast food sometimes and we eat processed foods.

Other than colds, we generally don't get sick. We have avoided stomach bugs that go through school, work, and extra curricular activities. DH and I generally have a strong immune system and always have. So I suspect there is a genetic component to it as DS seems to have a strong one as well. And we are definitely not germaphobes.