my 5 month old catches colds easily. is it my fault for not breastfeeding longer?

Question

my son is 5 months. i breastfed for 2 1/2 months. i know breast milk is best as it builds up the immune system. my son seems to catch colds frequently. he caught a cold in late december that went away in early january. he now caught another cold recently. my son does go to a sitter with other children so i think he catches it from them. plus, the weather has been very chilly lately. so is it my fault or just his surroundings/environment?

Answer 1

It's not your fault, I breastfed my son for 15 months and once he went to daycare he got acold every other week.
There's nothing you can do about it now anyway so don't get yourself down. Good parenting is not about feeling guilty.

Answer 2

Well, it is best to breast feed as long as you can, but although it may help some, it really is going to depend on the environment and genetics. If you or your husband get colds easily, or have allergies, your son will be more likely to have these same traits. Also, the fact that he goes to a sitter with other children(pretty much like a daycare) is probably the major factor. It really doesn't matter how great your immune system is, when you are in an environment with other children who are sick at one time or another, day in and day out, you are going to get sick. Daycare is probably the biggest culprit of all. You really shouldn't put blame on yourself, because most doctors will tell you that even though it is better to breastfeed for the first year, the first six weeks after birth is the most important time. A lot of doctors will tell you that the colostrum, (which usually lasts a few weeks) is the key. I would be more concerned with your son getting sick from daycare than anything else. Studies prove that kids who go to daycare as opposed to staying home with their mom or with a sitter with no other children, are much more likely to get sick and be sick more often.

Answer 3

I'd be asking more how often the babysitter is washing her hands, and how many kids in the daycare come in sick, rather than questioning your abilities as a mom!

Some kids seem to catch every germ that runs past them. It's usually something that they grow out of. It's seen more often in the first year of a communal setting - like daycare or school.

For now, be super dilligent about handwashing - yours and insist the babysitter do it before she handles your child - that's the most common way colds and viruses are spread. Also ask that your child be kept away from any sick children at the daycare if possible.

Answer 4

It's not your fault! I b/f for 4 months and my girlfriend b/f for over a year....guess who's kid is sick more often? That's right! Breast milk is best for their immune systems, but there are many factors involved with how often little kiddos get sick....being around other kids, environment(like smoking etc.), and genetics. Just because a child is b/f for longer doesn't always guarantee they'll be the most healthy and vice versa for kids who go on formula-there are just too many other factors. Don't beat yourself up. I felt guilty about quitting b/feeding but since my son is so healthy and bright, I have let myself off the hook...that's what you need to do. Good luck!

Answer 5

It is definatley not your fault. I breastfeed still and my baby is 5 months as well. A few days before Christmas she got a cold. I took her in and they said it was just a cold. She had an ear infection two days after Christmas. She got rid of it then it came back. So she has had a cold since December 24th to about... January 27 on and off. She had two ear infections. So is it my fault? Heck no. She's in daycare. She's human and colds are common around this time of year. You don't need to feel bad about not nursing anymore. Nor blame it on yourself. Continue to do the best that you can.

~Mom of a 20 week old baby girl~

Answer 6

No, it is not your fault. I could not breastfeed because I produce no milk. We have three kids and our girls are both really healthy. Our son was a sick baby. If someone with a cold even looked at him, he got it. To this day when we get sick, he gets it worse and has it longer than anyone else. Our 6 month old has not been sick once to this day. We have had the flu and colds go around twice and she was fine. It is probably just from being around a bunch of other kids. It's not your fault though!

Answer 7

I dont think its your fault for not breast feeding. I live in a very cold city where its been -30 for the last week and about -10 for the month prior to that and then -30 prior to that during winter. I walk all over the place with my baby bundled up very warm in her snowsuite and blankets. I am living with someone who is sick with a bad cold and has had it for a month..my baby has not been sick at all and she has been around quite a few sick people. (not intentionally of course) and my baby was not breast fed.

Answer 8

A combination of both. His immune system would be better if he were still nursing because he'd be getting antibodies to anything he is exposed to through your milk. And then being in a daycare situation where he is exposed to other kids just increases his chances of getting sick since he's exposed more there. The weather doesn't make you sick.....viruses and bacteria do.

Answer 9

Not it is not your fault..i breastfed my baby and she got colds several times, the first one being when she was 6 weeks old! He must be getting it from the other kids at the sitter.

Answer 10

you gave him some immunity from breastfeeding, tho the health benefits continue through years of nursing.

likely, the day care is the big problem for him. it will compromise his health for years. kids in day care are even twice as likely to have surgery as kids not, and are many many times more likely to be sick.

his environment is your responsiblity, too, you know.
more than 10 hours a week separation from mommy is devastating to a child's intellect, emotional well-being, social skills, and, as stated above, physical health. This is well known data, studies have yielded this grim news for over 50 years and the media, being full of working moms, work actively to skew the information.

Day care is bad for your son in many many ways. The fact that he is not home with you and is being deprived of what he needs to grow well is your fault.

When infants are not with mommy, their brains flood with cortisol, a stress hormone. While psychologically not having mommy available for hours on end teaches a child to view the world as unfriendly and mommy as uncaring and unreliable (what else can he conclude?) physically this cortisol impairs learning, increases anxiety and depression, and causes children to grow into adults who handle stress very poorly.