Ask Our Expert - Three-Year-Old Who Gets Lots of Coughs & Colds

November 22, 2009

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Specializing in pediatric infectious diseases and childhood immunizations.


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Ask Dr. Cates Three-Year-Old Who Gets Lots of Coughs & Colds

QUESTION


Dear Dr. Cates, My 3-1/2-year-old boy has a very weak-looking, bony chest. He is also prone to frequent coughs and colds. What needs to be done to boost his resistance and for him to put on weight? He is not a very good eater. — Worried Mom in India

ANSWER	November 13, 2000


Dear Worried Mom, It's good that you're watching your son's health so carefully. There's quite a range of possibilities that could cause the combination of symptoms you describe--or your son could be perfectly healthy. A good indicator of whether or not he is just experiencing a normal growth slowdown and the usual infections is to have his healthcare provider check his rate of growth. If he has continued to grow in height and weight along his own growth curve, there probably isn't much cause for concern. Normal children your son's age can seem to have poor appetites because they aren't growing as fast as they were in the first year or so of life. I can't tell if he is too thin without seeing his growth records, but the fact that he has a bony chest suggests that he may not be gaining as well as he should. Children get lots of infections soon after they first go out into the world and mix with other children. Most of these infections are exactly what you describe--coughs and colds. We expect children to get about one infection a month when they first start daycare or kindergarten. The best way to maximize your child's immune system is to be sure that he has good nutritious meals, as well as plenty of rest and exercise. — by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P.

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