 [ Symptoms ] why do kids get so many colds [ Disease ] i guess i should not complain too much about colds and flu — these two common illnesses are a large part of any primary care practice everyday i see several children who are excluded from school or day care and i still have not been able to cure any of them colds are caused by a variety of respiratory viruses — over 200 different types adults typically get two or three colds a year children get twice as many younger children in day care or preschool can average up to nine per year either separate infections or back to back i call this the cold of the month club the reason children get so many colds comes down to two factors hygiene and immune response as we all know children do not have the most effective hygiene they are poor hand washers and excellent nose pickers it can take several years and a several dozen colds to form a protective immune system against colds usually by age six kids are doing a bit better in the cold department we are never fully immune to viral infections however when children get colds at school or day care they bring them home by the time children show the symptoms of a cold they have spread it around for at least a day the contagious period for most colds is only for the first few days even though the classic symptoms of a runny nose and coughing can hang on for a week or so when you have one cold you can still catch another before the first one abates these back to back colds can cause symptoms to last a long time i have video proof of my daughter coughing for about four months after starting preschool all from these coalescing viruses the more social a person becomes the more colds they will acquire hygiene practices in day care or preschool are pretty good better than most homes however you can not sanitize a child only the things they touch hygiene procedures in elementary school are deplorable i do not think anyone disinfects surfaces anymore the janitors just seem to empty the trash handwashing is one of the most effective cold preventative measures and schools do stress it but kids tend to skip it most of the time kids cough and sneeze freely in the air to limit the contamination of the hands teachers often stress coughing and sneezing into the crook of the kids elbows where they will contaminate their shirts in preparation for your after school hug my sixth grade teacher was a frightening tyrant when it came to covering your cough she would openly chastise yell at any child who did not cover a cough with a tissue as soon as she would hear a cough or sneeze she would single you out with her homing sense one day a cough caught me off guard it was just a little hack but i watched in horror as a loogie