Why Young Children Get Sick More Often and What Parents Can Do

Younger Children Get Sick More Often

Every school year, starting about the second week of school, we see a spike in the number of school-aged kids coming in sick, and this should come as no surprise to parents. And we, as pediatricians, totally expect this. It's been shown in studies that prekindergarten through elementary school kids have the highest number of viral illnesses. When kids get to middle and high school, they don't seem to be quite as sick as often.

For many kids, prekindergarten and elementary school are the first times that they're interacting with a lot of kids outside their family on a regular basis. They are exposed to all sorts of new germs, and of course, we know that kids spread viruses easily until they are older and can remember to wash their hands, cover their coughs, and not share snacks.

Older Kids Get Sick Less Frequently

Older kids seem to have gotten the message about hand hygiene, and their immune systems have been boosted by getting all those viruses in their elementary years. So we don't see as many colds when kids get older. They do still share things, and this is the age we start seeing strep and mono, and cold sores a little more often.

Daycare Kids and the Cycle of Constant Colds

Kids who have been in daycare before starting elementary school seem to get sick a lot during those years. As a mom, I wondered if my children would ever be healthy. Between what they picked up at daycare and whatever exotic virus I brought home from clinic, they were always sick.

When Parents Should—and Shouldn't—Worry

I tell parents that these times are hard. There isn't a lot of medicine that they're old enough for, and treatments are usually supportive care with nasal saline, honey, and fluids, and a lot of snuggles. I try to give parents hope, though, and let them know that while it's a rough time during that period, their kids are building rocking immune systems that will help them fight off the viruses when their bodies see them again once they go to school. I've seen that in my practice and with my own kids.

So if you are a parent of a preschooler or elementary school kid, hang tight. We expect to hear that your child is sick often. Kids in general get about six viral illnesses a year anyway. I promise it does get better.