Have you seen a health care provider with each bout? I guess I want to be sure your child is truly having repeated viral infections. Are there other symptoms like fever, ear pain, days out of school? If you child is a typical, healthy child, frequent cold symptoms are very common in this age group. Encourage regular hand washing, eating foods full of vitamins (fruits and veggies) and drinking plenty of water. If the illnesses are " just a cold" then there's nothing to worry about.

If they really are recurrent colds, and not something like a chronic sinus infection, allergies, or other medical problems, your best bet are the basics--good handwashing, hand gel (hard to enforce with a 5-year old; good nutrition, some exercise, and plenty of sleep. Once again, if they are recurrent colds, you almost have to take a philosophical approach that they are part of life, and hope that they each run their course and that there aren't frequent complications.

Kids get sick many times a year which can be normal. Now that winter is here, we spend more time indoors and get frequent exposure to cold viruses. It's hard to minimize the spreading of germs with kids, so try to boost their immune system - take a good quality children's multi, omega-3, and probiotics. Minimize dairy products and make sure they stay hydrated. If symptoms are bad or these measures don't help, take them to their pediatrician or family medicine provider.

It is typical for a five year old newly starting in school to get multiple ( 6 to 8) colds in a winter season. When evaluating a child we want to know his number of exposures, the typical resolution of the illness, whether complicating illness occur. Handwashing, keeping hands off the face are two key prevention methods!

It is important to determine if the symptoms are due to recurrent respiratory infections such as viruses, or are due to other chronic problems such as allergies. Rarely, immune deficiency problems can present with recurrent upper respiratory infections. It is important for your child to see a doctor when he/she is ill.

Children typically get frequent colds per year, especially if they attend daycare or school. The good news is that these are typically viral illnesses. However, if their symptoms last more than 4-5 days or acutely worsen, consult with your pediatrician right away. As always, the best method to stop colds is preventions; including hand washing, not sharing utensils or personal items, and other universal precautions.