My immune system is about as tough as Fort Knox; I haven't had a cold since childhood and I don't think I've had any sort of sickness since high school. I am a clean freak and stay far away from children (not keen on them at all), which helps, but I think my diet (vegetarian, very conscious of nutrition) and lifestyle (loads of exercise and plenty of sleep) helps a lot. I can sit on an airplane for a 20 hour flight surrounded by people sneezing and coughing and not get sick at all.

I don't. I catch everything my son brings home and then usually my husband catches it after that.

Including swine flu, although my husband escaped that one.

We usually have six or so rounds of flu make it through the household in a year, to say nothing of the colds. Cleaning, hand washing, whatever, nothing seems to make a difference.

You can't. I once shipped my son off to his grandmother's for three days in hoped he wouldn't catch my cold before a big Halloween party. He came home when I was better and then went back to his grandmother's the night of the party with a fever.

Herbal immune boosters and a high dose multi usually work for me. Even sleeping with a sick husband and piles of tissues around. I try to keep vegetable and fresh fruit consumption high (no fruit juice - too much sugar). I recently began using a natural disinfecting hand soap.

Don't touch your face. It's almost impossible, but it works.

Caviwipes

So far, we've only had one cold and one virus, but the virus was from the church's nursery. Simply: we stay home and my son doesn't go to day care. I think those two make a HUGE difference.

Your children will catch colds whenever they start regularly being with a group of children--whether it be infant daycare or kindergarten.

I've just given up on not trying to catch colds from my child--he needs the hugs and kisses when he's sick, and I'm more than willing to give them to him. FWIW, I don't get sick that often, probably because my immune system has been strengthened from all the exposure to preschool germs.

my son started Kindergarten this year and this family has NEVER been sicker before. Two bouts of the cold and the swine flu so far.

we keep him home until he no longer has a temp for 24 hours to avoid infecting others, but I'm afraid not everyone does that. I make the first sick person use a different "sick" bathroom than everyone else, we sleep in seperate beds, a lot of disenfecting of knobs, phones, sinks and toilets.
what is most important though, is washing your hands, keeping your mouth covered when coughing or sneezing (and not with your hands) , not touching your face and getting lots of rest and fluids.

Not to veer too far off topic, but does anyone recognize the chair in this photo?

If child comes down with cold we do reverse - conintue to share spoons/water glasses, do not bother with extra cleaning on any surfaces, lots of hugs and hand holding and it works!

Only one of us gets sick at any given time. I usually get a cold 2-3 times a year, and it doesn't get passed around the family and ditto the rest of the gang. Strange, but it works for us!

The stress created over not getting sick pushes the immune system to the point of inability to fight infection. The behaviors described (hourly immune boosting remedies?, compulsive wiping of doorknobs, assigned towels) seem clinically obsessive. Some studies have shown those not exposed to bacteria or viruses during youth have an immune system ill-prepared to fight disease in adulthood. Daily vitamin, wash your hands, exercise. Live your life, stop fearing illness.

garlic! Sounds weird, but when someone in my life is sick I eat a glove of garlic every morning (put in in the microwave 15 secs to make it not over powering in taste). I started this trick this flu cold season and also I did not get the flu shot this year which shows how good this works! I havent been sick once and everyone in my life got the flu/swine flu shot and has been sick at least twice this season.

I don't touch my face unless I've just washed my hands, take a vitamin C with my oatmeal each morning, eat fruit later in the day, a Whole Foods multivitamin with dinner, and if I feel something coming on, echinacea tincture in water four or five times a day.

We drink kombucha (and brew it at home to save on the cost), and that keeps us pretty safe from the germs going around. And we keep our hands off our faces. That helps a ton, too.

By sanitizing everything around yourself all the time you actually weaken your immune system. Immune system need "training", "conditioning" so to speak. My "little one" is not little any more but when she was in day care, kindergarden and school, she was sick probably not more than once a year, twice the most. And I never actually got it from her, and neither did my husband. We just never use disinfectant in our household and always share hugs, kisses, hand towels, even when somebody is sick.

I agree that you have to be exposed to illness regularly to become one of those immunity power houses like kindergarten teachers (hi mom!) and nurses!

I try to not obsess about anything more that washing my hands regularly, not shaking hands with really sick people.

The exceptions: if I am really stressed out, sleep deprived, or have something important to do (usually all three) I become unrelenting. Hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, don't touch elevator buttons/ doornobs with my hands. It doesn't matter if someone else is sick or not, they may still be a carrier.

This is a good compromise for me between being compulsive about it and not living in total fear.

As someone approaching the age of 60, I can tell you that as you get older, exposure to viruses and colds strengthens your immune system. I rarely get colds and viruses now. So, unless you've got a condition that makes it dangerous for you to get a cold; other than the useful precautions of keeping hands clean and eating healthy -- there's really no point in stressing about about it. Anxiety and stress will weaken your immune system too!

So next time you come down with a virus and recover from it, just be glad you got that one out of the way!

What is that picture all about?

that is one creepy picture. i'm more worried about that than getting the flu.

@lmackin: i think it's the puff chair from chicago textile.

i'm a nurse and my partner is a transplant survivor, so i have an immune system that could flatten a tank while he has pretty much none. we basically try to take what hospitals call "standard precautions" no matter where we are: lots of hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes for shopping carts & tabletops, lots of handwashing, etc. i also take plenty of C & zinc during flu season and i ALWAYS get a flu shot. other than that we eat well & try to stay hydrated. so far, so good.

Love me some Jane Austen with my decorating tips. Well done, Ms. Saroff.

Don't worry, be happy. We're clean, but not to the point of paranoia. I figure every new bug my daughter brings home results in us all developing immunity, so we try to relax about colds and sniffles. They're unavoidable when you have a little on in your house.

Since my daughter was born, I've been hospitalized overnight three times with different GI infections and had countless bouts of the sniffles. But for years I was healthy as a horse, so I guess it's my turn.

When kids go to school, they all share germs. They have their own strains that adults haven't had. So when they go and share, they bring home something new to give to the adults in their lives.

My sister always avoid illness by leaving her sick kids with me. Just a phone call - can you watch the kids? , then she arrives with a bag full of medicine that she shoves into my hand as she runs out the door.

I avoid illness (most of the time), by not touching my face, and if they touch any food - it becomes theirs. (From a plate of cookies etc.. they can't pick through it)

Now that I live too far away to babysit, I have been much healthier.

I am with zarazame - I do not believe in over-sanitizing. My mother never did when I was little and I rarely got sick as a child and have a healthy immune system. I also am with Sydney - I am careful to eat healthy, vegan home-cooked food and take good care of myself. That's the best way I know of to keep from getting sick, and I volunteer with kids.

If you share a home with children, and are their primary caregiver while they are sick, I think its pretty much impossible to avoid it.

I think its funny how all these people without kids are sayig its because of their diets, etc. No, its not because you don't eat steak, LOL. Its because you don't have snotty nose kids hanging all over you. ;)

I have Hazmat suits outside my apartment for all guests.

Some viruses actually weaken your immune system, like mono. That's why they don't vaccinate for mono; it's associated with autoimmune disease. Lyme disease is, too. Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's good for you. My body has a great talent for turning average colds into bronchitis and pleurisy, and I also have friends and family who are immune-compromised due to cancer treatment. So we use lots of hand sanitizer, and vitamin C and zinc tablets, and we get sick, we stay home!

Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

Sleep is your immune system's best friend.