My kids also, KNOCK ON WOOD, have had pretty clean bills of health. Besides colds, we've been extremely lucky to not have to deal with some of the other more extreme illnesses. Sophia went through her typical first year of fighting off colds along with two ear infections. She also had a yucky case of bronchiolitis and hand, foot and mouth disease in her first year of life. Saidey has made it through with only one ear infection and your typical colds. But both girls battled colds for their first years of life and Saidey's first half of life was a constant cold- which brings me to the first tip of staying healthy.
1.) Chiropractic Care: Having one of your best friend's as a chiropractor, you would think I would have tried this before my second child came along. Seeing her posts about the benefits of chiropractic care and her urgencies every time I mentioned one of the girls had yet another cold, I still had my doubts. After Saidey's one millionth cold and a sick day for both of us- I threw my hands in the air and thought, "What will I lose?" and scheduled an appointment with Whole Health Chiropractic and started to see the amazing Dr. Whitney. I don't know if it's coincidence or truly magic, but I am kidding you not when I say that we have not had ANY health issues with Saidey since. She has gotten the occasional sniffly nose that will last for 1-2 days tops, and then it's gone. You may call it hokey pokey but now that we've maintained this, I'm not looking back. Sophia has also started going and I have seen improvements in her as she has become more regular at going to the bathroom. (Sorry for too much info.) At the beginning of the week, Saidey developed a little cough and the first day, I became a little concerned especially with all the flu news lately. She had a cough, a little bit of a runny nose and was a little more fussy than usual. I was THIS CLOSE to calling the doctor but yesterday- her symptoms decreased. This morning, barely any coughing. We will see how the weekend goes but I truly believe that with consistent chiropractic care, Saidey's been able to heal and recover much quicker.
2.) Don't Clean: Sure, I deep clean our house about 1-2 times a month- where I scrub the floors on my hands and knees, spot clean all the walls, railings and baseboards. I also wash sheets almost every week and do the daily/weekly cleaning like sweeping, vacuuming and dusting. BUT (and I'm kind of embarrassed to say) that I don't believe I have ever washed the kid's toys. Sure, if a toy is noticeably dirty, it may get tossed with the other dishes. But I don't think I've ever sanitized toys since before the first kid came along. Before the first kid came along, I sanitized and washed everything- right as it came out of the box. Now, it's like, rip it out of the box and throw it to the excited toddler who is hanging at your feet to grab it. We're just building up the immune system, people!
3.) Let your kids eat off the floor- For the people who lived with me as I was growing up will know, I am THAT person who drops food on the floor, picks it up, inspects it quickly, MAYBE will brush it off if I'm able and pop it right in the mouth. I've even GASP picked up gum that I've dropped and resumed chewing as normal- now keeping in mind, that was when I was in middle school so my immune system may have been a little more strong than it is today, with my older and wiser age BUT I will say that I still am pretty loose on the whole 5 second rule. My kids, especially Saidey, will find any old crumb and pop it right in. I used to freak out and try to grab it out of their mouths. Now, when I see Saidey bend down and use her little fingers to pick up a tiny morsel of a crumb, I encourage her to throw it away but when I see her bringing those little fingers to her mouth, it's not a sprint to get there to swipe it away. The other day, we were at gymnastics and you can imagine the floor there isn't exactly the cleanest- Saidey had spilt her snack on the floor unbeknownst to me. I looked down and saw her squatting over her food, just eating off the floor. I startled her by saying "Oh Saidey! Yuck!" But more to other people's benefit so that they wouldn't think I just let my toddler eat off a dirty floor because I really wasn't all that horrified. And THEY don't have to deal with a screaming toddler, who may I might add, has nailed down the "arch my back and scream like I'm being pinched" when my mean mom throws my snack away. Again, building up the immune system!
So, like I said these are semi serious, semi not serious tips on how we stay healthy despite being exposed to all kinds of yucky stuff out there. If you really think about it- I am exposed to hundreds of kids AND all their yuck every week, Sophia and Saidey are exposed to the kids at preschool and daycare and we've stayed mostly healthy. So, just don't clean and let your kids eat off the floor and then you will all be healthy! And on a serious note- chiropractic care has been life changing. Try it. Seriously. That is all.
**DISCLAIMER**
Literally two days after I wrote this, Saidey had a terrible night of no sleep, full of coughing and general fussiness and clinginess. Guess that's what I get for bragging about how my kid's have maintained great health. HA. Took the little lady to the doctor and what do ya know.. A double ear infection. But the above still stands- our first trip to the doctor other than well child checks in over a year?! I'll take it!
And a few random pictures..
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| You know you live in a household full of girls when..... |
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| A morning at the dentist. Our brave girl went in by herself to do x-rays too! And is sugar bug free! |
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| Do-a-Dot Art! |
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| Our Saturday night was spent cheering on the CYLONES!! YEA #9! |