Ok, I might be on to something - Hopefully I am wrong........

moped wrote: Tell me what you guys think........this summer or the last few months have been terrible for Jack and all of us getting colds and it is brutal, but anyways, I put Jack to bed with his 2 puppies, little stuffed animals, I know he sucks on them so I wash them about once a week - maybe just maybe is he getting bacteria from them and getting all these things???????? I don't know anything about anything but could I be onto something here?

boobies4virtue replied: I'm sure it 's possible. Toss 'em in the wash and see if it gets better. Worse that'll happen is that you'll have clean stuffed animals.

kimberley replied: if he has asthma, he probably has allergies and stuffed animals are HUGE dust collectors. we got rid of all but one for James. we also bought those hypoallergenic mattress covers which helped a lot.

b&bsmom replied: my guys have always had seasonal allergies. I also gave them a angled pillow (pillow wedge from one step ahead catalog) to help them sleep better and it seemed to keep them from getting to stuffed up all the time.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: febreeze also makes an allergin reducer that you spray on just like the regular stuff! I would try to wash them but if they have any plastic on them(wiskers,nose,eyes) be careful about the dryer! I have melted the fur on some of Tay's buddies before! Low heat and checking them often seems to be safe tho

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I was going to suggest febreeze allergen reducer too - that might help on top of the washing you're already doing. I don't know what else you could do. But if it's allergies it might be carpet and furniture and stuff that's causing problems too.

MM'sMama replied: I agree wash them it can't hurt and that could very well be the problem. Sorry I don't know other then that good luck let us know.

gr33n3y3z replied: Wash them in hot water

Its the only thing that will kill dust mites

julesmom replied: I agree. Allergies could be it!

My ds was sick constantly one year. The ped. thought he had a sinus infection and kept giving him antibodics. Turns out all he has is allergies!

ediep replied: wash them often, also wash all of his bedding...sheets, blankets, crib bumper often....wipe the crib rails with antibacterial wipes, I also wipe all the surfaces with antibacterail wipes such as his dressers and everything else

moped replied: Thanks guys I will try all this - he doesn't have asthma, we are just getting way too many colds

coasterqueen replied: Although he doesn't have asthma he may be developing allergies. One thing my allergist said to do is keep NO stuffed animals if it's causing problems. Even washing them might help temporarily but dust mites are dust mites and will keep coming back. IMO I'd take them away for a bit and see how he does for awhile. If he does better than not giving them back might be the ticket .

moped replied:
That would be very hard to take them away - he doesn't have a paci or anything else - ummmmm, must think of something else to give him...

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Okay, my question to all of you that suggested Febreeze...what's in it?? I would be afraid to spray anything on something my child sleeps with or puts in his mouth. Just wondering...

Good question Jen! Hope you figure out what's causing the colds. Maybe he's just touching more now that's he's a toddler??! Don't know....

coasterqueen replied:
I am the same about Febreeze. I won't use it on anything the girls may come in contact with because they both put their fingers in their mouths too much. I've heard that stuff is bad for even pets to inhale.

coasterqueen replied:
I agree it does make it hard when he won't take anything else. BUT if it is allergies and the stuffed animals are causing it, it's inevitable that eventually he'll either have to rid of them when he's a bit older or he'll have to suffer the result of the allergies. BUT that being said the allergist told me the same thing about my cats and I still can't get rid of them. What we did is buy allergen covers for the pillows, beds and put industrial type air cleaners in the rooms to help rid of a lot of the problems. It has helped my allergies but they are still pretty bad.

My allergist said such allergens can lead to things like asthma and such. Not sure if she was just trying to scare me or what.

kimberley replied: they never said that James had asthma either, but it goes hand in hand with severe allergies. he has only ever needed inhalers when he was sick too until he got pneumonia a couple of months ago and the ped suggested i start using them regularly. these "cold" symptoms started presenting just before he turned 1yo. i was like you guys and didn't want to take all the kid's fav toys away and didn't want to get rid of my cat... but if i could turn back time and change things.. i would have dumped it all if i knew what kind of suffering he would go through with eczema and that i could have drastically reduced that pain if i took stronger measures.

i saw a bunch of dermatologists who just gave me one cream or drug after another and said we can't do a thing about it. i was hesitant to do the allergy testing because it is so invasive that young. they put them on their tummy and hold them down to do the scratch test down his spine but we finally did it 2 yrs ago and cats and pork were his biggest problems. i felt bad for not doing it sooner i pray no one else ever goes thru this with their little one. that poor child suffered for years.. never sleeping thru the night, going mad with itchiness. the myriad of creams, hormones and drugs (as well as home remedies) all failed.. he is just starting to outgrow it. the pillow and mattress covers are great. no carpet if you can help it and minimal sheets/blankets (we only use 100% cotton). i wish i had one of those air filter things but they are really expensive. hope you can figure it out

moped replied: Thank you Kimberly - you are veryhelpful - fortunately we have hardwood throughout the whole house...........I am starting an anti dust binge tongiht.

kellibellisdillybear replied: My guess would be if you all keep getting the cold, you just keep passing the germs back and forth. Maybe it doesn't have to do with the puppies at all! I'd try airing out the house as much as you can, and wash, wash, wash everyone's hands. I know it sounds trivial, but DH and I did this with pinkeye! I got it, he got it, he gave it back, I returned the favor!!! Close quarters and loving kisses sometimes takes a toll!

moped replied: Thanks guys - I am going to go nuts this week........

Anyways, I was just reading that the human body cannot get the same cold virus twice - interesting.......................

NummyMommy replied: I dont know if this helps but.... we had a really bad cold season this year...and one of the things our Ped said happens with babies is they touch EVERYTHING and also put their fingers in their mouths and on their faces a lot, and since it is far more likely to get a cold from a surface previously touched by an infected person then any other way...babies get a lot of colds. They did a study with shopping carts at a major supermarket and found numerous and various cold viruses on ALL the handles (you know....the part most babies gnaw on) so they advised cleaning the carts between each use. So anyways.....our Ped said its not necessarrily anything in our house, but its going shopping or to the bank ect. Hand washing is still the number one practical way to avoid colds...and Lysol sprayed on most hard surfaces works great (hard to be non chalant about it at the supermarket though ) Purell works good and is sometimes easier then washing and in a pinch I've cleaned my kids hands with baby wipes. The big thing is don't feel bad and think your house isnt clean enough...youre right you cant get a cold you have already had....cleaning the house just prevents other family members from getting sick.

tammyhopkins replied: Jen remember Josh went through a spell when he had a cold forever. It lasted like 5 weeks and then i took him to the doctor and they gave him an inhaler to rule out asthma. Then finally after all his teeth were in his nose stopped running he stopped coughing and did well until his first day at the babysitters then it started again. So it may just be teething or just him strengthning his immune system.

Just a thought.

coasterqueen replied:
Teething CAN cause cold-like symptoms so she might have something there . That would be better than getting rid of his favorite stuffed animals for sure.

moped replied:
My little sister has toaught me everything I know!!!!

redchief replied: I'm leaning toward allergies and agree with Kimberley. While it might seem mean to subject a child to a scratch test, it's meaner to have them sick all the time when there's a possibility that there is something that can be done... Keep investigating!