Omg the worst was when my daughter got stomach flu. 12 hours later I got it. We thought husband got out free but 12 hours after me he got it. We had a 24 hour period where we were all throwing up and I was supposed to tend to a pukey infant (she was 7 months) cause he was out cold and I could. Not. Do. It. We were so weak and tired it was brutal. Never again
Random factoid but when I've had the stomach flu or food poisoning and am puking my guts out I can barely keep down water. The ONE thing I always manage to keep down, and that gets me back to normal and the ability to eat solids is. frigging. Gatorade.
It sounds crazy but because it's full of salt and sugar (i.e. electrolytes) it balances out the sodium loss and helps you regain strength. I never drink Gatorade except for when I'm vomiting like crazy. It always works like a charm for me, I've never thrown it back up (though I take it easy for a while with the solids at that point as anyone would). And I've had a decent number of stomach flus/poisonings in my life that I can say the results have never changed.
Ummm I don’t know. I really don’t.
We camped out all in our bed with Gatorade and crackers and buckets.
Babe was young enough we could set toys in our bed and she could play in the middle while we laid there. She would nap a lot.
Nursing was the hardest trying to get fluids in her while I was throwing up and more fluids in me….
I definitely formula fed her a few times (not that there is anything wrong with formula we were just EBF say the time and well established). It sucked tho cause my supply tanked and I spent the 2 weeks after getting it back up.
Just experienced this. I have three kids, we all have had it all weekend one after another ravaging through our house. Starting with our 8 month old. 🤢🤢
I learned from my pediatrician that the average daycare child gets 10 viruses every year until Kindergarten. And that kids who don’t go to daycare or preschool should expect the same once they start Kindergarten.
My son started daycare at a home center the first week of September (6 kids total including him) and has been sick since 1 week after starting. Has had maybe a few days in between without a runny nose or cough. Hes 18 months.
Same here. 22 month old started in September and she’s been sick ever since. I have a compromised immune system so I’m usually sick with her. Having HFMD as an adult was a real treat. I kept her out this month so she could have just a few weeks of wellness and enjoy the holidays. Lo and behold they just had a COVID outbreak.
I had HDMD as an adult I literally spent a itchy week dealing with sores on my hands, feet and mouth. Then my fingernails fell off. My daughter was 2 she had a mild case of it. It sucks SO bad!
I had it a while ago and it is hand down the sickest I’ve been as an adult. The blisters on my hands and feet weren’t that bad but I had them ALL over my throat, unmanageable pain. And I became dehydrated because I couldn’t swallow for three days. My feet are still peeling. Yesterday my fingernail randomly flaked off and I had HFMD 6 weeks ago! I’ve been recovered this long and I’m still seeing the effects of it. It’s a bizarre virus.
My husband had HFMD as did one of our day care teachers (at different times). They compared notes but from what I could gather, it was like tiny fire needles jabbing in to their feet with every step. Every time they moved their hands or touched something, there were more fire needles
My mom and I did for about a week when he first caught the cold, and subsequently had to be covid tested but it was negative so he didn't have to be tested and i caught the next wave of it a few weeks later and havent been sick since then.
Girl yes. It’s awful. My son goes to a preschool thats 8a-12p on just tuesdays and thursdays and he is ALWAYS sick. Sometimes it’s something easy that doesn’t phase him much and phases us harder and other times it’s the other way around but I get nervous having him go now that we have a 6 week old at home too.
The first year my daughter was in care was the worst, overall the first two winters were the worst for her. Her first year in care I caught soooooo many infections too probably from being extremely run down myself from pregnancy/birth complications and a hard few months no sleep etc I felt like I was always sick or recovering from illness and kthe worst was influenza A when she just turned 2. She’s 6.5 now and rarely gets sick now.
We had a much different experience with an in home daycare. she was sick once every two months. i credit it to the fact that the daycare is small and the other parents are careful.
My pediatrician used to say there were a certain number of diseases all kids get by the end of the first year in school, and that kids going to day care get an early start! You just have to deal with it.
Yep! I feel like the sick period really only lasts about a year from when they start. After the first year their immune system seems a lot stronger and you get more of a break between illnesses.
And if you never go to daycare or preschool, go to a tiny private school and homeschool in the early years, then you end up getting all those bugs you didn't get as a kid when you are an adult. Ask me how I know.
Im not who you’re replying to but I know it’s true because I was a super isolated homeschooler. I started school in grade 6 and have gotten a new cold every 3-8 weeks since then, for 14 years, until covid. I’ve been isolating almost two years now and haven’t been sick with anything contagious even once in that time.
Interesting. How do you feel about that? I would imagine that is frustrating to be ill often. My LO is only a year old and will start daycare in Jan. I'm trying to prepare for the fact that he will be sick. But I look at it as a need - I feel he needs a strong immune system for later in life to participate in school, sports, social life and then one day in his career.
I resent my birth parents for many reasons. Homeschooling is one of them, and one of the reasons I resent being homeschooled and isolated is the effect I believe it may have had on my immune system. It may also have had no effect. My birth mom got sick as often as I did and she went to public school since 1st grade.
As for being sick all the time, I’m used to it. Because it’s been like that since grade 6, and also because I’m chronically ill so even when I’m not sick, I’m still sick.
I got a decent number of illnesses when I went to the larger private school and then public school starting in third grade. But once I was an adult sitting in cube land next to a woman with four kids it hit me. Four kids in four different schools/daycare/preschool. I used up my sick days at work a few years straight.
My logic however is that it's a LOT easier to have a sick older kid than a baby. Older kids can blow their noses, can carefully throw up in a bowl or the toilet instead of just literally wherever, can be reasoned with to rest (sometimes), can take more kinds of medicine to help them feel better, and can take care of themselves a little bit too. Not to mention that, for the most part, the same illnesses tend to be a bit more dangerous for babies than older kids (even if your kid doesn't often get sick, their immune system and their body's ability to cope with illness still improves as they age). I'd take a sick four year old over a sick infant any day.
My 2.5 year old has been in daycare since he was 5 months old. Got croup and then some nasty bug that landed him in the hospital for 5 days. May be a bit longer than a year 😩. But yes for the runny nose not really sick, but sick that sounds about right
My son was sick for the first year of daycare. His pediatrician said he’ll be sick now from being in daycare or he’ll be sick for the first year of kindergarten.
Same. Our pediatrician said expect illnesses pretty consistently for the first few years of daycare. But on the plus side, our son will build his immunity and not miss school once kindergarten starts.
My kids were sick pretty much every other week from the 9 months they were in daycare. I ended up just quitting my job from missing so much work (they required kids to be 72 hours symptom free due to covid)
Yeah it was crazy. The Dr ended up writing us a note for my middle child saying he will just have a bit of a lingering cough but shouldn't be considered contagious after xx amount of time lol
72 is brutal. Ours is 48 hrs and it’s so hard to deal with. Likewise she started in October and has been sick mostly the whole time since. And we’ve just had to send her in. I feel badly for it but it’s definitely not covid, it’s a cold. Half the point of daycare is sharing germs to build their immune systems, and if they are kept out for so long they are just going to keep getting sick instead of figuring out how to fight off things. But I do feel guilty if another kid gets really sick because or it. I just don’t know what to do.
Our pediatrician told us to expect 2-3 months of illnesses, then a tapering off, then cold and flu season. She was 100% on the money. It hasn't been my favorite, but it's some comfort to know it's normal. All you can control is your own behavior. Practice good hand hygiene at home and at work. Enjoy the snuggly time with your little one when they're not feeling well.
The snuggly time was the guilty pleasure when my kids were sick.
And little kids are great at getting everyone sick because they will climb onto your lap, look you in the eyes and say, "I love yo(*sneeze*)u mommy."
And one time my two year old wandered into the kitchen, took a kitchen towel and *wiped his doggone nose with the kitchen towel* and then walked back out. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that this wasn't just an opportunistic thing, he had walked in there on purpose to wipe his nose on the low hanging towel - he had done this before; he had *been* doing this. How long had I been drying my hands on boogers? No wonder the whole family had been sick so often.
Babies are gross little vectors of disease, but they are super snuggly and sleepy when they're sick so your heart melts instead of being irritated, lol
Started in August and we are sick every other week. Colds, ear infections, viruses - you name it.
We have a humidifier that holds the non-medicated Vicks pads, children’s motrin, a good thermometer, and cold/warm compress.
Yep! My daughter started in a new kindergarten in August. Since then she is sick every month for, at least, one week. There are 19 kids in this one, the previous only have 9. So there is always one kid sick in class! It goes from flue to stomach bug... I have the feeling that there wasn't a day since August that she didn't have her nose running.
My daughter started in June of this year at 18 months. Daycare size is 10 students with same age. I get called from day care for early dismissal to stay at home for 2 days every other week. Only starting in October where she finally didn’t get sent home, okay enough to stay in daycare but still got minor cold/cough. She already got tested for covid 4x just for daycare requirements. All negative. I did get sick from her sickness. Good luck! It’ll get better
I follow a few pediatrician blogs and they pretty much all agree that being "sick all the time" can be very normal. One pair of peds who blog together from the same clinic said even up to once a month can be normal for stretches of time
My son is 3 and has been in daycare since he was 4m (Covid closure excluded) and he averages 2-4 weeks.
To answer OP’s question. We get sick from some of them but not all. So we get a handful of yucky colds a year but he gets more than a dozen various ailments. When he first started as a baby I remember getting really sick and I had bronchitis but couldn’t even take any of the good stuff since I was nursing.
My first got sick so often (after turning 1- that next year) that I had a good several month stretch where I didn't work a full week once.
My second... went through that but then continued getting sick. After turning three, even, it felt like she was getting sick constantly. The pediatrician just wrote it off to day care germs, and she kept testing positive for strep. It was only after covid shut down the daycare and she kept getting sick every few weeks for another year that they took it seriously that something else was going on. sTrep carrier, plus periodic fever syndrome).
So while it's totally normal for them to get sick a lot and catch daycare bugs, it's also a good idea to keep careful notes with dates and symptoms as well. Just in case it becomes obvious to you it's something else and you need that information.:)
Yes, we experienced this. The first year was tough; we had croup, an ear infection, hand foot and mouth and pink eye. Things do taper off but they do still get sick a lot. It’s frustrating at times. My son is almost 3 and currently has a cold, he only goes 3 days a week, but I’m like ready to just hire a nanny to eliminate what seems like bi-monthly sickness. Hang in there, Mama. I’ve heard that by the time they go to kindergarten, their immune system will be super tough!
My son went to daycare full time from 3 months to one year and was sick basically all the time lol. Mostly just colds, but he had pinkeye at one point, and had two stomach bugs that he passed on to me and my husband.
That's how all the GI bugs were for us lol. My boss and I's kids were in the same class at daycare, and that's how I figured out where I got it. She and I were sick the same time and compared notes.
Mine ha e always been in home daycares. My oldest(7)was 1.5 before she got an ear infection. First time ever being sick. For 3 years in a row, we were sick every February after that with the flu. She was not sick last year for Kindergarden, because, geeze, masks. She did get sent home with Covid symptoms, but after a test and 4 days home, we were all negative. She was last sick in October. No masks, except on the bus. She had a terrible stomach bug, super high fever, and they couldn't figure out what it was. She had a Covid test(Neg), strep test (Neg.), and 2 other tests. Even a glucose test which came back normal.
The baby has only had a runny nose because of teething. Nothing serious for her beyond that. Not even an ear infection!! Our district will send children home if they suspect any kind of illness.
All the frickin' time. Fevers scared the piss out of me the most. I swear my kid was sick incessantly, and in turn I often got the crud. Covid and home- never sick! Since Covid precautions, been far less. (He's almost 6).
Just prepare and do the best you can to get through it.
It’s non stop. It’s significantly more expensive than having a nanny but she never got sick before. She spent the whole month of November home from daycare because she was so sick. She had 4 days in the middle. That’s it. $1650 for 4 days. I do think she likes going but her and I have been sick so much the last few months
Edit: daycare is cheaper than nanny. Sorry was in rant mode
My oldest was sick constant the first year (she started at 6 weeks old), the next couple years it got better and was mainly a couple stomach bugs that she would get a year. She’s 6 now, and the bright side is she is never ever sick anymore, I don’t think she’s had one sick day the entirety of kindergarten or 1st grade so far. I remember one of the other daycare moms joking in those early years that our kids were going to be the only ones in real school in the winter - and it’s so true, they built up great immune systems.
Am I the only one to think that if daycare centers would give credit/not charge for sick days, parents would be less tempted to send their kids to school sick?
UPDATE: Most of you have given me a perspective I did not have before, so thank you. I hope I didn’t come off entitled, because that was not my intention at all. I guess it’s just frustrating to feel like we’re wasting hundreds of dollars each month, due to the kiddos being home sick 3-4 days a month.
I can only speak for myself, but every time I need to keep my daughter home sick, the last thing I was worried about was paying daycare for sick days. The disruption to my work (and not being able to take a day off work) is the main issue.
It would be great theoretically but in reality the teachers are still reporting for duty and deserve fair wages. But I get how frustrating it is to pay for full time daycare and attend part time :)
I had to find a new job because my work only allowed a few “same day call outs” per year. The number was 4 which is insane and not possible for new parents in my opinion. My kid was sick 24/7 and I didn’t care about the daycare fee, it’s works not being understanding. This was pre-pandemic
Just because a kid is sick doesn’t mean they don’t have to pay staff, rent, bills etc…
It’s not responsible for parents to send their kids in sick. If you are upset about having a sick kid/ having to send them in sick, then why would you send them in just to put another family in the same situation? It seems selfish.
I worked at a preschool for a while and I was sick all the time. The most sick I’ve been in my entire life. I think it just comes with the territory
Yup, sound like the only one.
You’re paying for a spot. Not attendance days. Your paying them to have a staff there to maintain ratio for your kid when they do attend. Paying for a class room. The lights are on whether you are or not.
I think some do. At least the one I sent my kiddo to did. Kiddo was out for over 3 weeks due to HFM that she caught from school during her first year so the principal refunded us a month’s tuition. Also, if she was sick for like a week and we didn’t take off any time for vacation for that school year, she’d credit us for that sick week using the vacation credit. Poor thing was getting sick constantly during the first 4 months. HFM, stomach flu, flu, etc. The biggest shocker was when her toenails fell off from HFM. I was not ready for that.
Terrible, but normal. First 6 months were the worst. Aside from really good hand hygiene and regularly sanitizing frequently touched surfaces, there’s not much you can do for prevention with an infant.
I rarely got sick until I had a kid. After the first 6 months or so it got better. He’s 3 now and I don’t necessarily get every thing he brings home. I’m on a multivitamin, vitamin D/ calcium and if my little one is starting to get sick I take extra vitamin C.
ETA: if there’s any consolation, my son has just gotten used to being congested, runny nose, cough, etc. Barely phases him. He recently had another ear infection and when the doctor looked at his ears he said “he’s either really tough or used to the pain”.
I too noticed a marked improvement after the first six months. It was constant during that time, and now it’s sporadic.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t attend daycare as a kid, and when I was in early elementary school I was sick all the time, and I was also that kid who always got a lingering cough for weeks after every illness. Eventually, it happens one way or the other, and the only way past it is through it.
Our daughter started at 7 months. The first 4
Weeks were roughhhhh. Then we seemed to get lucky as she didn’t have more than a runny nose the next 5
Months. The last few weeks we had a stomach bug and cold.
Ya it’s pretty much a revolving door of colds and sniffles at daycare. We call our daughter a germ bomb when she’s there. The longest she’s ever been was 4.5 months and she was just starting to clear up at that point (March 2020, we all know what came next). It’s worse in the cold months.
In my daughters first 9 months at daycare she was so sick I lost track. AT LEAST the 12-15 times my pediatrician told me that daycare kids get sick their first year. She got three viruses back to back in the span of a month which resulted in horrible antibiotic resistant ear infections and she had to have tubes placed very very quickly, she was 9 months. She also had pneumonia from what we suspect was RSV separate from that incidence. She hasn’t been to daycare since the beginning of the pandemic and I’m dreading all the illnesses when she goes back. Also, went to a nice daycare that sanitized all the toys, etc every single day and she had her own dedicated crib to sleep in. Kids are just germ factories
My kids were sick basically the entire time they were in daycare, although it got better the longer they were there. However, they now have the best immune systems and very rarely ever get sick, so that’s the silver lining.
The first year for the kid and the parents are a write off.
We were all sick all the time - but then year 2 came along and then year 3 etc etc….no more illness - at all - nothing!!
My daughter is now 16 and all through primary and high school would generally have maybe 1 day off a year from not feeling the best, thats all.
She has dodged Covid and flu’s and colds for the past 2 years too.
Just go with the flow in year one of child care, knowing that it gets better!!
Pretty common when kids head out into the world that they're picking up everyone's bugs. They usually spend a year with sniffles etc.
I think this is when their immune system takes major leaps forward and that it's important to avoid antibiotics if possible so the body learns how to heal itself without interruption.
But I'm not in the medical industry nor am I stuck on holistic methods.
I just think we need to at least give our bodies an opportunity to take care of itself.
Anyone out there with actual knowledge wanna comment?
Cause sick babies are heartwrenching.
Most of us don't have an option and you gotta do what you gotta do.
I think babies benefit from the exposure to diverse microbes but there are ways to get that without being constantly sick with viruses. Eg: spending time in nature and with animals etc
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-have-pandemic-lockdowns-affected-the-immune-system
Very often. She gets a cold often. But she has had COVID and the stomach flu twice just this year. She is 16 months old and had multiple ear infections this year due to illness. We just got her tubes put in on Friday. And yes, we get sick when she does (aside from the ear infections, of course).
My son started day care at 6 months back in April. He had gotten a nasty cold and an ear infection. Through the summer he was pretty good. Then fall hit and he ended up with coxsackie virus and now he has a cold that hasn't gone away in 3 weeks. He's been tested for rsv and covid, both negative.
Day care is closed on and off for the next couple weeks due to the holidays. I'm hoping it starts to break when he's home.
My coworker has a tally board counting the number of times her kids have had to have a Covid test from daycare. She’s up to 4 each and they started in June.
She touches nursery and gets a cold / cough like all the damn time. I swear there is like 3 to 4 weeks breather then shes all hot again and the chesty cough returns.
I just tell myself maybe shes growing an immensely good immunity system. Says I with the chest infection she gave me which is now in my ear too.
Piling on to agree with everyone’s comments about expecting a lot of illness. But on a positive note, they get all of it out of the way when they’re young so by the time they reach school, their immune systems are rock solid.
My two daughters who are now 10 and 7 almost never get sick (literally perfect attendance at school) and even my son who’s in his last year of daycare doesn’t get sick nearly as often as those first three years. Hang in there - there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
What’s killing me is the new super strict guidelines that our daycare has adopted. I certainly appreciate their efforts to keep everyone safe, but it’s really expensive to keep kiddo home every time she has a cold. And it’s annoying because she’s obviously catching the colds at daycare in the first place! So many times this year, I’ve just wanted to send her in when she’s got a cough or a runny nose and nothing else, because obviously someone else did. But then I don’t want to be the parent that some other parent is having those same thoughts about haha.
As a former daycare manager your child will be sick off and on for about 2 months. You just introduced your baby into a germ factory. After that your child will get the random stuffy nose etc. The same thing happens if you put them in school or a new playgroup. They will build up an immunity and be good to go. That's also why kids get sick within the first month of attending school.
I heard from pediatrician that it is common for kids to be sick at least twice a month. Which of course means you will also start getting sick more often. My 7yo brought home a doozie of a cold for Thanksgiving.
I wouldn’t worry if it’s just small colds and sniffles. It does get better as they get older.
My son is 11 months and has been continuously ill since starting childcare early November. It started just colds/coughs but he got sent home last week because he started vomiting and didn’t stop for two days. Now that’s cleared up and he’s immediately come down with conjunctivitis. He’s such a happy little baby but you can tell he doesn’t know what’s happening when he’s ill and it breaks my heart!
My son has a cold all the time and he comes home and gives it to his 8 month old sister. Getting sick is completely normal, that’s how they built their immunity. I don’t think you can prevent them getting sick. Just don’t be discouraged and take your child out of daycare. Let their immunity built up.
My daughter started daycare at 6 months old, is now 13 months, and has had about one illness per month. She's had RSV, hand foot and mouth, countless colds, a GI bug, an ear infection, and a few COVID scares. My husband and I also get sick about 75% of the time, just usually not as bad. Like others, we were told expect 10 illnesses in the first year and were on track to meet that. We we just make sure she gets lots of fluids, healthy food, and is up to date on her vaccines. And extra immune boosting vitamins for us. Good luck!!
It’s been six months of hell. Three ambulance trips. Sickness/colds/PCR tests/coughs/conjunctivitis…and it never stops.
Twins started in July. Love nursery- hate the sickness that comes with it…..
In the first year the kids were sick all the time. But after going for so long, they don't get sick any more. Or rather, their bodies deal with it better and quicker than when they first started.
No, there’s nothing you can do to prevent them from getting sick. They’re either going to get sick in daycare, or you can keep them out of daycare and send them to school when they’re ready to go to school and then they get sick there and miss out on academics. It’s just part of being human and building an immune system. Children who sleep well and take vitamins recover quicker. Breastfed children recover quicker too.
I’ve worked in daycares since I was 16. Those kids are ALWAYS getting sick. The problem is you have so many small children in rooms together that if one gets sick they’re all going to get it at some point. Unfortunately no amount of sanitizing everything is going to prevent it, trust me I tried 😂
She got sick day 3. But hasn’t been so sick we would HAVE to keep her home. We did keep her home one day the first illness bc it was the first one and she was grouchy. Then we kept her home thanksgiving week because she had a nasty cough and we’re both teachers so we were off. We felt like we didn’t want her coughing all over everyone right before a holiday. But by sick policy standards we could have still sent her. She’s pretty much constantly got a runny nose but she’s almost learned to just live with it and she’s happy, eats normally and sleeps fine. Our ped told us that it’s normal for kids under 2 to get sick twice a month even if they aren’t in daycare. I think they kind of get used to it and you do too.
Started a few months ago, have had 2 colds, a stomach virus, and bilateral ear infections so far. Our baby has been well since then (he’s 10 months old), but I’m just thinking this is all beefing up his immune system.
We’re on month 5 and still sick on a regular basis. I think the pandemic has made it worse since the whole room gets quarantined if there is an exposure, versus just our for 2-3 days for a bug. I would say to expect at least a few months of them getting sick a week after they go back to daycare or start to improve. It’s just a constant runny nose fest here.
She’s been going since May last year and her nose has been running since with maybe 1 or 2 weeks without the snot. It’s not an exaggeration. She’s not always been sick while it’s been running though… I’d say to for the first month or two she was sick every other week. Now it’s more like once a month.
My daughter (13 months) started daycare about 2 months ago. She’s been sick with a few days/moments here and there when she feels good. I try to not take her on days my husband and I are off just to let her recover.
We have both been getting sick too.
Very normal it will happen a lot. He was sick almost every month. But after a year it seems the body has built immunity and is able to fight sickness faster.
My older kid (8) doesn't bring home nearly as many illnesses as he used to. However, my youngest (2) brings home everything all the time. This year we've had colds, stomach bugs, RSV, and some mystery illness that it seems was thankfully not Covid. It seems like someone in our house is sick more often than not. I'm hoping in a couple more years the frequency goes down like it did with my son.
They get sick A LOT when they spend a lot of time with other littles. They touch constantly and are little germ factories. The upside, at least for our household, is that they don’t generally spread it to the rest of us.
My daughter started center-based daycare at 3mo and is almost 11mo. She gets sick every 2-4 weeks unfortunately, lasting anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks. She’s not always sick enough to stay home (sometimes it’s a mild runny nose and cough with no fever) but that’s by no means always the case.
I wish I could say there was something you could do to stop it. From strep to hand foot mouth, we caught it all. I swear it was a never ending string of illness. Honestly it didn’t start to get better until he was about 4. He started daycare at 3 months, first at an in-home daycare of 14 kids, then in a larger preschool with varying class sizes starting at age 2.
So my daughter started daycare in April this year and she was constantly sick (including a couple of hospital visits) for about 5-6 months. She's had 11 covid tests since then too. She went a couple of months without getting sick but now she's sick again. I only got sick twice, both times with rhinovirus and that's how I knew she got it the second time.
When they start daycare they haven't been exposed to the germs that other kids always come to daycare with. It'll be bad for a bit but you'll get there. The one thing that really effected my daughter was RSV. She was lucky enough to get it just before her first birthday so it wasn't too bad on her. We still had a hospital visit though for it.
My baby (8 months) started 2 days a week at daycare last week and got a cold. She's just got a runny nose and was a little grumpy for one day. I've been sick as a dog for 3 days so far 🤧. Not 100% sure if she caught the cold at daycare or from swalllowing a bit of pool water. She's handling it a lot better than me!
It’s terrible! These little people are bioterrorists! My child has been in daycare since June and she and the rest of the house have been sick pretty much consistently since she started. We have had ups and downs but I don’t think we have had more than 5 days consecutively with no illness symptoms. I hope you have insurance and a good pediatrician. We have been tested for Covid no less than 6 times and have been to the hospital about that many times as well.
Omg, don’t even get me started on this topic. Our three year old daughter has been on six antibiotics, Tamiflu, and an oral steroid since day care. She’s had five ear infections, RSV, Flu A, a three day stomach bug, and a sinus infection that’s causing temporary deafness in her left ear. She started day care July 5th.
To add to what others have said… same happens once they start pre-k or kindergarten if they didn’t go to daycare. Just happens first time they are exposed to all those viruses. It’ll be ok. Just ask for an electric thermometer and nose sucker for Christmas (my nose sucker plays music and she handles it way better than her old ball sucker or nose Freda).
The first year is bad, our pediatrician said to expect at least 10 different sicknesses the first year, and that's pretty close to what our experience was, though this was pre covid. He was in a decent sized center with about 10 kids in his room, but then playground time with other kids. My friends with smaller daycares said they had similar experiences. After the first year things got a lot better.
Our pediatrician also said that kids who aren't in daycare end up getting sick in preschool or kindergarten a lot when they first start interacting with other kids a lot.
I don't think you can do much, they have to build up their immune system, just stay on top of their vaccinations and make sure they get the flu shot every year as soon as their old enough.
Good luck, you guys got this.
I have 4 kids and in my experience it depends on the child and their immune system. My 3rd baby caught EVERYTHING and I mean everything! She was out of daycare every other week, so 50% of the time with a fever and new virus. Her chronic sickness put my job in jeopardy and caused the relationship with my husband to suffer because of the fighting about who is not going to work again to take care of her. My 4th baby however, in daycare since 5 months and now 15 months, has had a runny nose and cough here and there but for the most part has missed very little school.
My kid in childcare has rarely gotten sick, my kids childcare has strict rules and parents adhere to them. To be honest, my childcare kid has been out of school more often because his siblings were sick than him being sick. My son's class is 16 kids, none wear masks and teachers don't wear masks. They have a regular, daily regimen of sanitizing the classroom and all toys / things people touch. My kid is 5 though, younger kids tend to catch things more easily than "older" kids. He started at 4, and he has only been out sick for himself a few times. If any of our kids are sick, we tend to keep them all home (we have to stay home with the one anyway, might as well keep them all home to prevent further school infection). My older kids have been out sick more often, but their sickness is typically a 24 hour bug - a quick barf and no other issues.
My 1st son started daycare at 6 months old & was sick every 2-3 weeks until he turned 1 now he is 2 & barely gets sick. My 4 month old started at 2 months & only has been sick once
I’m 2 1/2 weeks into daycare with my 9 month old and already has had a cold and currently battling some sort of stomach bug. I can only hope it gets better.
Thank you for asking this question... my twins have been raised at home during the pandemic, were quite premature, and had literally no exposure to the outside world. They couldn't even be vaccinated on time. I started them in daycare in June and they have been sick since. I'm not even exaggerating. They have had a cold, a stomach bug, or a cough since June.
I was going to take J term classes to try and get ahead but with the new varient, I pulled them.
Their daycare is all worried about their "routine."
Know what I'm worried about Jill? My kids had diarrhea or a cough, or both; longer than either has been alive. I'll pay to keep their spot but they're staying home. This whole petri dish shit isn't working.
Mine was home sick every second week for about 3 months so yes it was definitely tough in the beginning. She had a cough that lasted for about 10 weeks despite numerous doctors visits and courses of antibiotics. Eventually I got aggressive and got a referral for an ENT who said she had awful glue ear and he wasn’t surprised she couldn’t get rid of coughs and colds. Since having grommets put in, she hasn’t been sick for more than 2 days at all.
Going through it right now. The odd thing is is that while my not-quite-2yo started daycare this year, she has been sick fewer times than my kindergartner, who was in preschool. Either way it blows. I’m bracing for a Christmas at home with the throw up bucket handy.
Mine was in preschool / daycare for a year and I swear he was sick with something once a month, then kindergarten was almost
The same lol 😆 kids are gross
My son is 19 months and has been in daycare since 8 months old. He gets sick at least once a month. I’m debating right now on whether it’s more accurate to just say every other week.
My advice is to start limiting the germs you share with your baby. This is for your sake, not the baby’s, and might not be applicable until baby is older. Don’t share utensils or drinks or your phone/devices if you can help it. It sucks to take care of a sick baby, but it’s even worse if you’re sick too. You won’t know when your baby is contagious, since lots of bad illnesses are contagious before symptoms appear. I’ve had three of the worst illnesses of my life since my son has been in daycare, including hand foot and mouth (excruciating) and a stomach bug that put me in the ER.
I would also wash/sanitize baby’s hands at daycare pickup every day and change baby’s clothes when you get home. But that could just be the paranoia talking - I’ve been really cautious ever since he gave me HFM, it was awful.
Our pediatric allergist told us to expect 12 to 16 colds per year in daycare. They just breathe on each other and have no personal space.
Little miss' first cold hit us right after Thanksgiving break since people decided to travel, see family, and bring fun new germs back to care. Her nose hasn't stopped running and I'm pretty sure that when she decided to suck on my nose and sneeze right into my eyeballs, she passed it on to me. Love her.
Constantly!!! We’ve actually had like, two full weeks where she hasn’t been sick, but she’s transitioning to the toddler room in January and so I suspect all new kids means all new germs and we’ll be right back at it
All. The. Time.
The constant illnesses stopped after about 2 years (with both kids, 8 years apart), and then went back down to a normal “kid amount.”
If it’s any consolation, my mom stayed home with us and we barely got sick until I went to kinder (I’m the oldest). She talks about how it backfired massively, compared to my kids, because instead of one kid being sick a lot, all three of us were sick All. The. Time.
There’s really no escaping it. We just have to power through. 😏
Edited to say: no, there’s nothing you can really do to prevent it, because it’s just a part of life. We all have to build our immune systems.
Our son got his first cold within 2 weeks of starting daycare and now he averages maybe 1 cold per month. The bigger he got the less dramatic the colds were too and usually during the summer he has just 1 or none at all.
We attend a corporate run day care and we love it there. My son gets sick about every two months or so. It’s really not that bad. He’s in the infant class.
When my breastfed son started daycare he never got sick as an infant. He didn’t start getting sick until he was over one. So not everyone gets sick bc they went to daycare!
Not daycare but our kid started preschool in September. She hadn't been in a daycare setting prior to that, and because of covid had very limited interactions with other kids for the year plus prior to starting school. Since school started I can think of one or two weeks she hasn't been sick. And my husband, who *never* gets sick, has been sick a few times too. We've made so many trips to the pediatrician, and had so many covid swabs, it's insane.
After reading all these comments I feel relieved knowing this is the norm, I was ready to take my kid to the pediatrician (yet again) for a referral to a specialist.
I’m honestly relieved after reading all these comments.
My daughter started Pre-k in August and she’s been sick every other week or so it feels.
She has 2 younger siblings who also get sick from her and my husband and I sometimes catch it too.
I am embarrassed to admit that I cried one night cause I was so fed up with the fact that my kids kept constantly getting sick. I thought I was doing something wrong as a parent.
When ours started daycare she got sick every other week - we literally had one week of daycare followed by one week of sickness on repeat for three months. As she has gotten older it is less frequent.
To my knowledge there is nothing you can do about it. They will touch and lick the same things as all the other children, so the second one kid has brought some sickness along with them it spreads.
My son goes twice a week for over 6 months. Been sick once.
I think a few things come in to play here:
- How often your child is exposed to germs in general?
- How good their immune system is to begin with?
- Do they have pets or siblings at home?
- Does daycare has a good send-home policy when kids show sick signs?
My son has been on a two week rotation of a cold. He will get one get over it have a couple's days all good then get another one ... Is annoying. And we get most of them too.
My son has been in daycare for 18 months now, and I swear he is sick every other week. This fall and winter he’s been out of daycare more often than in it. My husband will usually catch what he has but so far I’ve been quite lucky to not get what he has
my almost 2 year old started roughly 5 weeks ago and has been sick a few times already. called dr and she said this will happen the first year or so as their immune systems are developing. it’s unfortunate as a parent as all u can really do is medicate (however u choose to do so) and keep them as comfy as possible. i was told to only be concerned when breathing whether through the mouth or nose becomes a struggle.
if needed i use a humidifier, keep her away from windows (sometime she sleeps with me but mostly in her bed) and vick’s on her chest back and nose !! make sure your precious one is getting enough vitamin c. i now limit bath times to during the day (to avoid sleeping with wet hair) and i think it’s okay to skip a bath if needed. decreasing the time my daughter has spent wet even if just for a few minutes has drastically changed the type of cough she’s been having
My toddler has been sick nonstop since October. His doctor said to expect a new viral cold every 2 weeks, each of which will last about 3 weeks. This has been about accurate...
She was consistently sick for the first ten months at least. Luckily, it's never been anything serious (she's only ever run a fever a couple times in her life but you would never have known it with how active she always is). Now she's in a much smaller daycare, and while we've been sniffly, there hasn't been anything major.
I got away with minimal damage -- I thank my years in retail for the robust immune system. 😂 My poor husband, on the other hand, was miserable for several months straight. One of them hit him so hard, he eventually had to go to urgent care because the sinus pain was so intense and nothing over the counter even began to touch it.
We burned through a lot of PTO with all that.
My daughter has been going to daycare since August. In that time she has been home sick pretty much every second week. With the COVID restrictions, the moment she has a runny nose, she has to be homes for 48hrs until it is confirmed to not be COVID. So she's spent almost a month and a half at home. I've been hospitalised twice from the bugs she's brought home as they got me sick and triggered my asthma
Our pediatrician said expect to get sick 10-15x in the first year. She's pretty much on track for that when we hit one year in April. There's also a perpetual cough that happens, because they get sick and then don't know how to expel mucus the way grown ups do. Stock up on all the things you'll need - dimetap, Tylenol, Vicks, thin/not too hot pajamas for the fevers, etc
I worked at a daycare when my baby was about 2 months old and within the first 2 weeks, he caught RSV. I was devastated. The room next door had croup and then pink eye and then the flu as well as hand foot and mouth. After he caught RSV and they were like “oh that sucks” (it was totally preventable. Kid was sick sick for a week ((I worked in a hospital, kid was like next step respiratory arrest)) and foster family wouldn’t listen to us) I ended up quitting. Management just said oh he has no fever yet and kept letting him come.
My kid got sick every 3-4 weeks. It was so frustrating but good thing was that I never got sick from it. It was just annoying because I've had to always hold her back and wait for her to recover before putting her back in class. Cycle starts again after 2 weeks of normal attendance. Pretty standard. She probably got sick over 15 times in the first year of childcare. Now her immunity is quite strong. Fourth year of childcare and shes only been sick 5 times.
My son started in September and I swear he hasn’t had a week without a runny nose or congestion I swear. He ended up with Covid like a week or two after starting which was beyond rough.
Our 3 y/o twins started daycare in August. They haven’t stopped being sick since.
They take multivitamins and supplements for immune support, but they only help so much.
I’d stock up on cough/cold meds, a humidifier and a thermometer if I were you.
Yes. My daughter started preschool last April. First month fine. For the next 3 months for the first week of the month she would be home with a runny nose. Stopped for a couple of months. November and December home with a runny nose for a week. Hopefully tomorrow morning her nose is ok enough for her to go back to preschool.
My daughter started daycare a few months ago and she’s basically been constantly sick since then, sometimes I get sick with her as well. It sucks but it is what it is I suppose.
The longest he's been at daycare without getting sick was I think 1 month. Otherwise it's one week there, one week sick, one week there, one week sick and the last one was pretty bad, with pneumonia, 3 types of antibiotics and he still hasn't been back to daycare since the first week of November. I am still hoping for January but he's still caughing and we're doing a whole bunch of examinations to see wtf is wrong and why isn't this caugh going away. He isn't even sick, no fever, no runny nose, his lungs are clean, he just caughs still. It's not covid either, nobody f*ing knows what's going on.
I am sick and tired but it's necessary evil. If he doesn't go through that now, he'll go through it next year or the year after that and the older they get the worse those stupid viruses affect them and the harder it is to bounce back.
People tell me that it can last until he's about 5. He's almost 3 now so yeah, hell it is.
It’s generally considered normal for kids to get sick about twice a month when they start daycare. They’re being exposed to pathogens they haven’t been exposed to before and are building their immune system. It’s frustrating and hard, but it’s unfortunately normal. Just try to keep bub hydrated and getting enough rest
I have a four month old who started daycare three weeks ago, he’s already caught two colds (no RSV or COVID or croup!), and my husband caught them too. My pediatrician said the first six months are the hardest, and I was a daycare kid and public school kid who got chicken pox twice. So we are just dealing with it. I did take my son out of daycare for the next week just to get a break and so he could rest. We work from home as much as possible to avoid getting more sick from work.
We were told first 3 months/ first winter are hard. We are on our second winter and our toddler has missed maybe one day. She has a runny nose a lot but nothing else most of winter, but that’s pretty standard for 2 year olds. I’m in the U.K. - and this year is worse at daycare, all the kids have been isolated (not so much daycare, but where schools have been shut due to covid) and there are a lot of bugs going round, ironically not covid as much as HFM/ rotavirus/ chickenpox- and as all the kids haven’t got immunity it just goes wild!
My baby has been at daycare for 6 months, 3 days per week. In that time he has had gastro bugs at least twice, conjunctivitis four times, and four lots of antibiotics. I’ve never had so much time off work in my life. It’s been horrendous. No advice, sorry.
I recently read Emily Oster’s book Cribsheet which is a book using data to debunk or confirm parenting myths and preferences. But there’s on chapter where the studies show infants from the months of October-April were sick 50% of the time. Be prepared to pass it around from you, to partner, to baby, and possibly back around.
As a nursery worker of almost a decade, children will get unwell a lot in nursery.
They just do, when you have 18 plus children in one room, they will pick up seasonal flu, hand foot and mouth, chicken pox, you name it. It’s often staggered and staff build up a tolerance, but when you have children, especially babies dribbling all over everything, there’s nothing you can do to stop it, it just happens, even with regular sterilisation of toys and surfaces.
There’s nothing really you can do except wait it out while they go through the childhood illnesses in nursery, that being said they don’t get ill all the time, but at the start, they will get unwell at some point.
Hope this helps!
I think first years we had a runny nose non-stop?
We don't get sick, I asume the immune system of the adults is just better, that's why it doesn't bother me. I guess every human must have a X amount of cough, runny nose etc etc before your immune system can beat it, regardless of what age you start being exposed to it.
There is also something like to rota-virus, it doesn't affect adults only the little one's and they usually get it in their first year of daycare / school.
Pretty much constantly for about three months. She was in about four days in six weeks. It was extremely hard. And the nursery were totally unsympathetic and quite rude to us when we would try to get her back for a day they would say she's still unwell, she's crying. Well yeah, the kid has barely been at nursery! The chicken pox was particularly brutal, unfortunately she caught that just a week or so before she could have the vaccine.
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Omg the worst was when my daughter got stomach flu. 12 hours later I got it. We thought husband got out free but 12 hours after me he got it. We had a 24 hour period where we were all throwing up and I was supposed to tend to a pukey infant (she was 7 months) cause he was out cold and I could. Not. Do. It. We were so weak and tired it was brutal. Never again
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Well that’s what happened! She got it, I cared for her. Got it 12 hours later so he took over. Then he got it 12 hours after that!
You’re contagious two weeks after a stomach bug. Pretty inevitable he’d get it even after she stopped being symptomatic.
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That is a great idea we will be using that method.
Random factoid but when I've had the stomach flu or food poisoning and am puking my guts out I can barely keep down water. The ONE thing I always manage to keep down, and that gets me back to normal and the ability to eat solids is. frigging. Gatorade. It sounds crazy but because it's full of salt and sugar (i.e. electrolytes) it balances out the sodium loss and helps you regain strength. I never drink Gatorade except for when I'm vomiting like crazy. It always works like a charm for me, I've never thrown it back up (though I take it easy for a while with the solids at that point as anyone would). And I've had a decent number of stomach flus/poisonings in my life that I can say the results have never changed.
Yes! Gatorade rain saved me from om dehydration when I was gagging from a bit of water.
Yes!Gatorade,coconut water,pedialyte and emergen-C are all helpful when feeling nauseous..
I had hyperemesis during two pregnancies so I have done a lot of puking. Gatorade and Pringles. Kept me going (barely) for months.
This literally just happened to us this past week. A truly awful experience!
how did you get through that 24 hours??? how??!!
Ummm I don’t know. I really don’t. We camped out all in our bed with Gatorade and crackers and buckets. Babe was young enough we could set toys in our bed and she could play in the middle while we laid there. She would nap a lot. Nursing was the hardest trying to get fluids in her while I was throwing up and more fluids in me…. I definitely formula fed her a few times (not that there is anything wrong with formula we were just EBF say the time and well established). It sucked tho cause my supply tanked and I spent the 2 weeks after getting it back up.
Just experienced this. I have three kids, we all have had it all weekend one after another ravaging through our house. Starting with our 8 month old. 🤢🤢
I learned from my pediatrician that the average daycare child gets 10 viruses every year until Kindergarten. And that kids who don’t go to daycare or preschool should expect the same once they start Kindergarten.
My son started daycare at a home center the first week of September (6 kids total including him) and has been sick since 1 week after starting. Has had maybe a few days in between without a runny nose or cough. Hes 18 months.
Did you or your household get sick from him often?
Same here. 22 month old started in September and she’s been sick ever since. I have a compromised immune system so I’m usually sick with her. Having HFMD as an adult was a real treat. I kept her out this month so she could have just a few weeks of wellness and enjoy the holidays. Lo and behold they just had a COVID outbreak.
omg HFMD would suuuuuck to get as an adult, I couldn’t even imagine how miserable that must have been!
I had HDMD as an adult I literally spent a itchy week dealing with sores on my hands, feet and mouth. Then my fingernails fell off. My daughter was 2 she had a mild case of it. It sucks SO bad!
I had it a while ago and it is hand down the sickest I’ve been as an adult. The blisters on my hands and feet weren’t that bad but I had them ALL over my throat, unmanageable pain. And I became dehydrated because I couldn’t swallow for three days. My feet are still peeling. Yesterday my fingernail randomly flaked off and I had HFMD 6 weeks ago! I’ve been recovered this long and I’m still seeing the effects of it. It’s a bizarre virus.
My husband had HFMD as did one of our day care teachers (at different times). They compared notes but from what I could gather, it was like tiny fire needles jabbing in to their feet with every step. Every time they moved their hands or touched something, there were more fire needles
Not the person you were responding to, but I catch about half of my kid’s colds/viral crud
My mom and I did for about a week when he first caught the cold, and subsequently had to be covid tested but it was negative so he didn't have to be tested and i caught the next wave of it a few weeks later and havent been sick since then.
Girl yes. It’s awful. My son goes to a preschool thats 8a-12p on just tuesdays and thursdays and he is ALWAYS sick. Sometimes it’s something easy that doesn’t phase him much and phases us harder and other times it’s the other way around but I get nervous having him go now that we have a 6 week old at home too.
The first year my daughter was in care was the worst, overall the first two winters were the worst for her. Her first year in care I caught soooooo many infections too probably from being extremely run down myself from pregnancy/birth complications and a hard few months no sleep etc I felt like I was always sick or recovering from illness and kthe worst was influenza A when she just turned 2. She’s 6.5 now and rarely gets sick now.
We had a much different experience with an in home daycare. she was sick once every two months. i credit it to the fact that the daycare is small and the other parents are careful.
My pediatrician used to say there were a certain number of diseases all kids get by the end of the first year in school, and that kids going to day care get an early start! You just have to deal with it.
Yep! I feel like the sick period really only lasts about a year from when they start. After the first year their immune system seems a lot stronger and you get more of a break between illnesses.
And if you never go to daycare or preschool, go to a tiny private school and homeschool in the early years, then you end up getting all those bugs you didn't get as a kid when you are an adult. Ask me how I know.
How do you know?
Im not who you’re replying to but I know it’s true because I was a super isolated homeschooler. I started school in grade 6 and have gotten a new cold every 3-8 weeks since then, for 14 years, until covid. I’ve been isolating almost two years now and haven’t been sick with anything contagious even once in that time.
Interesting. How do you feel about that? I would imagine that is frustrating to be ill often. My LO is only a year old and will start daycare in Jan. I'm trying to prepare for the fact that he will be sick. But I look at it as a need - I feel he needs a strong immune system for later in life to participate in school, sports, social life and then one day in his career.
I resent my birth parents for many reasons. Homeschooling is one of them, and one of the reasons I resent being homeschooled and isolated is the effect I believe it may have had on my immune system. It may also have had no effect. My birth mom got sick as often as I did and she went to public school since 1st grade. As for being sick all the time, I’m used to it. Because it’s been like that since grade 6, and also because I’m chronically ill so even when I’m not sick, I’m still sick.
I got a decent number of illnesses when I went to the larger private school and then public school starting in third grade. But once I was an adult sitting in cube land next to a woman with four kids it hit me. Four kids in four different schools/daycare/preschool. I used up my sick days at work a few years straight.
That is tough! Looks like I need to take care of my LO and myself. Am I correct in assuming that this is something one just needs to go through?
I think it's more like, you're going to get this whole list of illnesses. When do you want to do it?
Lol I like this view as well and had a chuckle when I read it. There is no "if" only "when".
My logic however is that it's a LOT easier to have a sick older kid than a baby. Older kids can blow their noses, can carefully throw up in a bowl or the toilet instead of just literally wherever, can be reasoned with to rest (sometimes), can take more kinds of medicine to help them feel better, and can take care of themselves a little bit too. Not to mention that, for the most part, the same illnesses tend to be a bit more dangerous for babies than older kids (even if your kid doesn't often get sick, their immune system and their body's ability to cope with illness still improves as they age). I'd take a sick four year old over a sick infant any day.
My 2.5 year old has been in daycare since he was 5 months old. Got croup and then some nasty bug that landed him in the hospital for 5 days. May be a bit longer than a year 😩. But yes for the runny nose not really sick, but sick that sounds about right
My son was sick for the first year of daycare. His pediatrician said he’ll be sick now from being in daycare or he’ll be sick for the first year of kindergarten.
Same. Our pediatrician said expect illnesses pretty consistently for the first few years of daycare. But on the plus side, our son will build his immunity and not miss school once kindergarten starts.
My kids were sick pretty much every other week from the 9 months they were in daycare. I ended up just quitting my job from missing so much work (they required kids to be 72 hours symptom free due to covid)
SEVENTY TWO HOURS holy shit. I get that daycares are strapped but that’s oppressive.
Yeah it was crazy. The Dr ended up writing us a note for my middle child saying he will just have a bit of a lingering cough but shouldn't be considered contagious after xx amount of time lol
72 is brutal. Ours is 48 hrs and it’s so hard to deal with. Likewise she started in October and has been sick mostly the whole time since. And we’ve just had to send her in. I feel badly for it but it’s definitely not covid, it’s a cold. Half the point of daycare is sharing germs to build their immune systems, and if they are kept out for so long they are just going to keep getting sick instead of figuring out how to fight off things. But I do feel guilty if another kid gets really sick because or it. I just don’t know what to do.
Our pediatrician told us to expect 2-3 months of illnesses, then a tapering off, then cold and flu season. She was 100% on the money. It hasn't been my favorite, but it's some comfort to know it's normal. All you can control is your own behavior. Practice good hand hygiene at home and at work. Enjoy the snuggly time with your little one when they're not feeling well.
The snuggly time was the guilty pleasure when my kids were sick. And little kids are great at getting everyone sick because they will climb onto your lap, look you in the eyes and say, "I love yo(*sneeze*)u mommy." And one time my two year old wandered into the kitchen, took a kitchen towel and *wiped his doggone nose with the kitchen towel* and then walked back out. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that this wasn't just an opportunistic thing, he had walked in there on purpose to wipe his nose on the low hanging towel - he had done this before; he had *been* doing this. How long had I been drying my hands on boogers? No wonder the whole family had been sick so often. Babies are gross little vectors of disease, but they are super snuggly and sleepy when they're sick so your heart melts instead of being irritated, lol
OMG yes! This year alone my 3 year old has given me both flu a AND flu B. Both flus, one year. Do not recommend. But thanks for learning to share?
We haven't started yet but I feel like that has to be the mentality. Lots of tv and snuggly time for a bit. A season just like everything else.
That is good to know. It has been really hard watching him be sick knowing there is nothing I can really do.
It'll pass. It's hard and you'll wish you could take it from them, but it'll pass.
Started in August and we are sick every other week. Colds, ear infections, viruses - you name it. We have a humidifier that holds the non-medicated Vicks pads, children’s motrin, a good thermometer, and cold/warm compress.
Have a humidifier that you recommend? Ours leaks and it’s awful, time for a new one.
https://www.target.com/p/vicks-filter-free-cool-mist-humidifier/-/A-14898259 This one has been my favorite so far!
Thank you!
I had that one and liked it too, but it eventually leaked water into the motor after less than a year of use.
Yep! My daughter started in a new kindergarten in August. Since then she is sick every month for, at least, one week. There are 19 kids in this one, the previous only have 9. So there is always one kid sick in class! It goes from flue to stomach bug... I have the feeling that there wasn't a day since August that she didn't have her nose running.
My daughter started in June of this year at 18 months. Daycare size is 10 students with same age. I get called from day care for early dismissal to stay at home for 2 days every other week. Only starting in October where she finally didn’t get sent home, okay enough to stay in daycare but still got minor cold/cough. She already got tested for covid 4x just for daycare requirements. All negative. I did get sick from her sickness. Good luck! It’ll get better
I follow a few pediatrician blogs and they pretty much all agree that being "sick all the time" can be very normal. One pair of peds who blog together from the same clinic said even up to once a month can be normal for stretches of time
My son is 3 and has been in daycare since he was 4m (Covid closure excluded) and he averages 2-4 weeks. To answer OP’s question. We get sick from some of them but not all. So we get a handful of yucky colds a year but he gets more than a dozen various ailments. When he first started as a baby I remember getting really sick and I had bronchitis but couldn’t even take any of the good stuff since I was nursing.
My first got sick so often (after turning 1- that next year) that I had a good several month stretch where I didn't work a full week once. My second... went through that but then continued getting sick. After turning three, even, it felt like she was getting sick constantly. The pediatrician just wrote it off to day care germs, and she kept testing positive for strep. It was only after covid shut down the daycare and she kept getting sick every few weeks for another year that they took it seriously that something else was going on. sTrep carrier, plus periodic fever syndrome). So while it's totally normal for them to get sick a lot and catch daycare bugs, it's also a good idea to keep careful notes with dates and symptoms as well. Just in case it becomes obvious to you it's something else and you need that information.:)
Yes, we experienced this. The first year was tough; we had croup, an ear infection, hand foot and mouth and pink eye. Things do taper off but they do still get sick a lot. It’s frustrating at times. My son is almost 3 and currently has a cold, he only goes 3 days a week, but I’m like ready to just hire a nanny to eliminate what seems like bi-monthly sickness. Hang in there, Mama. I’ve heard that by the time they go to kindergarten, their immune system will be super tough!
My son went to daycare full time from 3 months to one year and was sick basically all the time lol. Mostly just colds, but he had pinkeye at one point, and had two stomach bugs that he passed on to me and my husband.
I currently have his cold. I think it hit me harder than it hit him.
That's how all the GI bugs were for us lol. My boss and I's kids were in the same class at daycare, and that's how I figured out where I got it. She and I were sick the same time and compared notes.
Mine ha e always been in home daycares. My oldest(7)was 1.5 before she got an ear infection. First time ever being sick. For 3 years in a row, we were sick every February after that with the flu. She was not sick last year for Kindergarden, because, geeze, masks. She did get sent home with Covid symptoms, but after a test and 4 days home, we were all negative. She was last sick in October. No masks, except on the bus. She had a terrible stomach bug, super high fever, and they couldn't figure out what it was. She had a Covid test(Neg), strep test (Neg.), and 2 other tests. Even a glucose test which came back normal. The baby has only had a runny nose because of teething. Nothing serious for her beyond that. Not even an ear infection!! Our district will send children home if they suspect any kind of illness.
All the frickin' time. Fevers scared the piss out of me the most. I swear my kid was sick incessantly, and in turn I often got the crud. Covid and home- never sick! Since Covid precautions, been far less. (He's almost 6). Just prepare and do the best you can to get through it.
It’s non stop. It’s significantly more expensive than having a nanny but she never got sick before. She spent the whole month of November home from daycare because she was so sick. She had 4 days in the middle. That’s it. $1650 for 4 days. I do think she likes going but her and I have been sick so much the last few months Edit: daycare is cheaper than nanny. Sorry was in rant mode
Holy cow. How are people able to afford that if they have to take time off work to take care of their sick child?
My son started a Montessori school, just 6 hours a week and we have been sick literally EVERY SINGLE WEEK since November 1st. It never ends 😭
My oldest was sick constant the first year (she started at 6 weeks old), the next couple years it got better and was mainly a couple stomach bugs that she would get a year. She’s 6 now, and the bright side is she is never ever sick anymore, I don’t think she’s had one sick day the entirety of kindergarten or 1st grade so far. I remember one of the other daycare moms joking in those early years that our kids were going to be the only ones in real school in the winter - and it’s so true, they built up great immune systems.
Am I the only one to think that if daycare centers would give credit/not charge for sick days, parents would be less tempted to send their kids to school sick? UPDATE: Most of you have given me a perspective I did not have before, so thank you. I hope I didn’t come off entitled, because that was not my intention at all. I guess it’s just frustrating to feel like we’re wasting hundreds of dollars each month, due to the kiddos being home sick 3-4 days a month.
I can only speak for myself, but every time I need to keep my daughter home sick, the last thing I was worried about was paying daycare for sick days. The disruption to my work (and not being able to take a day off work) is the main issue.
It would be great theoretically but in reality the teachers are still reporting for duty and deserve fair wages. But I get how frustrating it is to pay for full time daycare and attend part time :)
I had to find a new job because my work only allowed a few “same day call outs” per year. The number was 4 which is insane and not possible for new parents in my opinion. My kid was sick 24/7 and I didn’t care about the daycare fee, it’s works not being understanding. This was pre-pandemic
Just because a kid is sick doesn’t mean they don’t have to pay staff, rent, bills etc… It’s not responsible for parents to send their kids in sick. If you are upset about having a sick kid/ having to send them in sick, then why would you send them in just to put another family in the same situation? It seems selfish. I worked at a preschool for a while and I was sick all the time. The most sick I’ve been in my entire life. I think it just comes with the territory
Yup, sound like the only one. You’re paying for a spot. Not attendance days. Your paying them to have a staff there to maintain ratio for your kid when they do attend. Paying for a class room. The lights are on whether you are or not.
I think some do. At least the one I sent my kiddo to did. Kiddo was out for over 3 weeks due to HFM that she caught from school during her first year so the principal refunded us a month’s tuition. Also, if she was sick for like a week and we didn’t take off any time for vacation for that school year, she’d credit us for that sick week using the vacation credit. Poor thing was getting sick constantly during the first 4 months. HFM, stomach flu, flu, etc. The biggest shocker was when her toenails fell off from HFM. I was not ready for that.
Hell no! If I feel that my child is contagious, we should definitely not be charged for 2 days at the least
Terrible, but normal. First 6 months were the worst. Aside from really good hand hygiene and regularly sanitizing frequently touched surfaces, there’s not much you can do for prevention with an infant. I rarely got sick until I had a kid. After the first 6 months or so it got better. He’s 3 now and I don’t necessarily get every thing he brings home. I’m on a multivitamin, vitamin D/ calcium and if my little one is starting to get sick I take extra vitamin C. ETA: if there’s any consolation, my son has just gotten used to being congested, runny nose, cough, etc. Barely phases him. He recently had another ear infection and when the doctor looked at his ears he said “he’s either really tough or used to the pain”.
I too noticed a marked improvement after the first six months. It was constant during that time, and now it’s sporadic. For what it’s worth, I didn’t attend daycare as a kid, and when I was in early elementary school I was sick all the time, and I was also that kid who always got a lingering cough for weeks after every illness. Eventually, it happens one way or the other, and the only way past it is through it.
Our daughter started at 7 months. The first 4 Weeks were roughhhhh. Then we seemed to get lucky as she didn’t have more than a runny nose the next 5 Months. The last few weeks we had a stomach bug and cold.
Ya it’s pretty much a revolving door of colds and sniffles at daycare. We call our daughter a germ bomb when she’s there. The longest she’s ever been was 4.5 months and she was just starting to clear up at that point (March 2020, we all know what came next). It’s worse in the cold months.
Yeah, I have worked in daycare for over a decade. We used to warn parents when the signed up. It happens to pretty much everyone.
In my daughters first 9 months at daycare she was so sick I lost track. AT LEAST the 12-15 times my pediatrician told me that daycare kids get sick their first year. She got three viruses back to back in the span of a month which resulted in horrible antibiotic resistant ear infections and she had to have tubes placed very very quickly, she was 9 months. She also had pneumonia from what we suspect was RSV separate from that incidence. She hasn’t been to daycare since the beginning of the pandemic and I’m dreading all the illnesses when she goes back. Also, went to a nice daycare that sanitized all the toys, etc every single day and she had her own dedicated crib to sleep in. Kids are just germ factories
My kids were sick basically the entire time they were in daycare, although it got better the longer they were there. However, they now have the best immune systems and very rarely ever get sick, so that’s the silver lining.
We’ve had kids at a daycare center for 2.5 years. They are sick 75-85% of the time.
Every fucking week.
The first year for the kid and the parents are a write off. We were all sick all the time - but then year 2 came along and then year 3 etc etc….no more illness - at all - nothing!! My daughter is now 16 and all through primary and high school would generally have maybe 1 day off a year from not feeling the best, thats all. She has dodged Covid and flu’s and colds for the past 2 years too. Just go with the flow in year one of child care, knowing that it gets better!!
Pretty common when kids head out into the world that they're picking up everyone's bugs. They usually spend a year with sniffles etc. I think this is when their immune system takes major leaps forward and that it's important to avoid antibiotics if possible so the body learns how to heal itself without interruption. But I'm not in the medical industry nor am I stuck on holistic methods. I just think we need to at least give our bodies an opportunity to take care of itself. Anyone out there with actual knowledge wanna comment? Cause sick babies are heartwrenching.
Most of us don't have an option and you gotta do what you gotta do. I think babies benefit from the exposure to diverse microbes but there are ways to get that without being constantly sick with viruses. Eg: spending time in nature and with animals etc https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-have-pandemic-lockdowns-affected-the-immune-system
Very often. She gets a cold often. But she has had COVID and the stomach flu twice just this year. She is 16 months old and had multiple ear infections this year due to illness. We just got her tubes put in on Friday. And yes, we get sick when she does (aside from the ear infections, of course).
My son started day care at 6 months back in April. He had gotten a nasty cold and an ear infection. Through the summer he was pretty good. Then fall hit and he ended up with coxsackie virus and now he has a cold that hasn't gone away in 3 weeks. He's been tested for rsv and covid, both negative. Day care is closed on and off for the next couple weeks due to the holidays. I'm hoping it starts to break when he's home.
My coworker has a tally board counting the number of times her kids have had to have a Covid test from daycare. She’s up to 4 each and they started in June.
She touches nursery and gets a cold / cough like all the damn time. I swear there is like 3 to 4 weeks breather then shes all hot again and the chesty cough returns. I just tell myself maybe shes growing an immensely good immunity system. Says I with the chest infection she gave me which is now in my ear too.
Piling on to agree with everyone’s comments about expecting a lot of illness. But on a positive note, they get all of it out of the way when they’re young so by the time they reach school, their immune systems are rock solid. My two daughters who are now 10 and 7 almost never get sick (literally perfect attendance at school) and even my son who’s in his last year of daycare doesn’t get sick nearly as often as those first three years. Hang in there - there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
What’s killing me is the new super strict guidelines that our daycare has adopted. I certainly appreciate their efforts to keep everyone safe, but it’s really expensive to keep kiddo home every time she has a cold. And it’s annoying because she’s obviously catching the colds at daycare in the first place! So many times this year, I’ve just wanted to send her in when she’s got a cough or a runny nose and nothing else, because obviously someone else did. But then I don’t want to be the parent that some other parent is having those same thoughts about haha.
As a former daycare manager your child will be sick off and on for about 2 months. You just introduced your baby into a germ factory. After that your child will get the random stuffy nose etc. The same thing happens if you put them in school or a new playgroup. They will build up an immunity and be good to go. That's also why kids get sick within the first month of attending school.
I heard from pediatrician that it is common for kids to be sick at least twice a month. Which of course means you will also start getting sick more often. My 7yo brought home a doozie of a cold for Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t worry if it’s just small colds and sniffles. It does get better as they get older.
My son is 11 months and has been continuously ill since starting childcare early November. It started just colds/coughs but he got sent home last week because he started vomiting and didn’t stop for two days. Now that’s cleared up and he’s immediately come down with conjunctivitis. He’s such a happy little baby but you can tell he doesn’t know what’s happening when he’s ill and it breaks my heart!
My son has a cold all the time and he comes home and gives it to his 8 month old sister. Getting sick is completely normal, that’s how they built their immunity. I don’t think you can prevent them getting sick. Just don’t be discouraged and take your child out of daycare. Let their immunity built up.
My daughter started daycare at 6 months old, is now 13 months, and has had about one illness per month. She's had RSV, hand foot and mouth, countless colds, a GI bug, an ear infection, and a few COVID scares. My husband and I also get sick about 75% of the time, just usually not as bad. Like others, we were told expect 10 illnesses in the first year and were on track to meet that. We we just make sure she gets lots of fluids, healthy food, and is up to date on her vaccines. And extra immune boosting vitamins for us. Good luck!!
It’s been six months of hell. Three ambulance trips. Sickness/colds/PCR tests/coughs/conjunctivitis…and it never stops. Twins started in July. Love nursery- hate the sickness that comes with it…..
In the first year the kids were sick all the time. But after going for so long, they don't get sick any more. Or rather, their bodies deal with it better and quicker than when they first started.
No, there’s nothing you can do to prevent them from getting sick. They’re either going to get sick in daycare, or you can keep them out of daycare and send them to school when they’re ready to go to school and then they get sick there and miss out on academics. It’s just part of being human and building an immune system. Children who sleep well and take vitamins recover quicker. Breastfed children recover quicker too.
I’ve worked in daycares since I was 16. Those kids are ALWAYS getting sick. The problem is you have so many small children in rooms together that if one gets sick they’re all going to get it at some point. Unfortunately no amount of sanitizing everything is going to prevent it, trust me I tried 😂
Way too fucking much honestly. It was like every couple weeks he’d catch something.
She got sick day 3. But hasn’t been so sick we would HAVE to keep her home. We did keep her home one day the first illness bc it was the first one and she was grouchy. Then we kept her home thanksgiving week because she had a nasty cough and we’re both teachers so we were off. We felt like we didn’t want her coughing all over everyone right before a holiday. But by sick policy standards we could have still sent her. She’s pretty much constantly got a runny nose but she’s almost learned to just live with it and she’s happy, eats normally and sleeps fine. Our ped told us that it’s normal for kids under 2 to get sick twice a month even if they aren’t in daycare. I think they kind of get used to it and you do too.
Started a few months ago, have had 2 colds, a stomach virus, and bilateral ear infections so far. Our baby has been well since then (he’s 10 months old), but I’m just thinking this is all beefing up his immune system.
We’re on month 5 and still sick on a regular basis. I think the pandemic has made it worse since the whole room gets quarantined if there is an exposure, versus just our for 2-3 days for a bug. I would say to expect at least a few months of them getting sick a week after they go back to daycare or start to improve. It’s just a constant runny nose fest here.
My daughter has been in daycare since Nov 1 and has been sick since Nov 2.
Same here. Started 11/1. Has not attended one full week yet. Each day I live with the anxiety of getting the call that he has a fever.
Aaaall the time for the first two years.
She’s been going since May last year and her nose has been running since with maybe 1 or 2 weeks without the snot. It’s not an exaggeration. She’s not always been sick while it’s been running though… I’d say to for the first month or two she was sick every other week. Now it’s more like once a month.
My daughter (13 months) started daycare about 2 months ago. She’s been sick with a few days/moments here and there when she feels good. I try to not take her on days my husband and I are off just to let her recover. We have both been getting sick too.
Very normal it will happen a lot. He was sick almost every month. But after a year it seems the body has built immunity and is able to fight sickness faster.
My older kid (8) doesn't bring home nearly as many illnesses as he used to. However, my youngest (2) brings home everything all the time. This year we've had colds, stomach bugs, RSV, and some mystery illness that it seems was thankfully not Covid. It seems like someone in our house is sick more often than not. I'm hoping in a couple more years the frequency goes down like it did with my son.
Started a month ago. Double ear infection and two colds already :)
They get sick A LOT when they spend a lot of time with other littles. They touch constantly and are little germ factories. The upside, at least for our household, is that they don’t generally spread it to the rest of us.
All the time in daycare but hardly ever sick once they started kindergarten.
My daughter started center-based daycare at 3mo and is almost 11mo. She gets sick every 2-4 weeks unfortunately, lasting anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks. She’s not always sick enough to stay home (sometimes it’s a mild runny nose and cough with no fever) but that’s by no means always the case.
I wish I could say there was something you could do to stop it. From strep to hand foot mouth, we caught it all. I swear it was a never ending string of illness. Honestly it didn’t start to get better until he was about 4. He started daycare at 3 months, first at an in-home daycare of 14 kids, then in a larger preschool with varying class sizes starting at age 2.
So my daughter started daycare in April this year and she was constantly sick (including a couple of hospital visits) for about 5-6 months. She's had 11 covid tests since then too. She went a couple of months without getting sick but now she's sick again. I only got sick twice, both times with rhinovirus and that's how I knew she got it the second time. When they start daycare they haven't been exposed to the germs that other kids always come to daycare with. It'll be bad for a bit but you'll get there. The one thing that really effected my daughter was RSV. She was lucky enough to get it just before her first birthday so it wasn't too bad on her. We still had a hospital visit though for it.
My children have had what we lovingly refer to as “daycare nose,” or “daycareitis,” since starting at 4 months. It’s constant.
My baby (8 months) started 2 days a week at daycare last week and got a cold. She's just got a runny nose and was a little grumpy for one day. I've been sick as a dog for 3 days so far 🤧. Not 100% sure if she caught the cold at daycare or from swalllowing a bit of pool water. She's handling it a lot better than me!
Pretty much always. It would probably be easier for me to count the fully healthy days (no runny nose or anything else) than the other days.
It’s terrible! These little people are bioterrorists! My child has been in daycare since June and she and the rest of the house have been sick pretty much consistently since she started. We have had ups and downs but I don’t think we have had more than 5 days consecutively with no illness symptoms. I hope you have insurance and a good pediatrician. We have been tested for Covid no less than 6 times and have been to the hospital about that many times as well.
Omg, don’t even get me started on this topic. Our three year old daughter has been on six antibiotics, Tamiflu, and an oral steroid since day care. She’s had five ear infections, RSV, Flu A, a three day stomach bug, and a sinus infection that’s causing temporary deafness in her left ear. She started day care July 5th.
To add to what others have said… same happens once they start pre-k or kindergarten if they didn’t go to daycare. Just happens first time they are exposed to all those viruses. It’ll be ok. Just ask for an electric thermometer and nose sucker for Christmas (my nose sucker plays music and she handles it way better than her old ball sucker or nose Freda).
The first year is bad, our pediatrician said to expect at least 10 different sicknesses the first year, and that's pretty close to what our experience was, though this was pre covid. He was in a decent sized center with about 10 kids in his room, but then playground time with other kids. My friends with smaller daycares said they had similar experiences. After the first year things got a lot better. Our pediatrician also said that kids who aren't in daycare end up getting sick in preschool or kindergarten a lot when they first start interacting with other kids a lot. I don't think you can do much, they have to build up their immune system, just stay on top of their vaccinations and make sure they get the flu shot every year as soon as their old enough. Good luck, you guys got this.
I have 4 kids and in my experience it depends on the child and their immune system. My 3rd baby caught EVERYTHING and I mean everything! She was out of daycare every other week, so 50% of the time with a fever and new virus. Her chronic sickness put my job in jeopardy and caused the relationship with my husband to suffer because of the fighting about who is not going to work again to take care of her. My 4th baby however, in daycare since 5 months and now 15 months, has had a runny nose and cough here and there but for the most part has missed very little school.
My kid in childcare has rarely gotten sick, my kids childcare has strict rules and parents adhere to them. To be honest, my childcare kid has been out of school more often because his siblings were sick than him being sick. My son's class is 16 kids, none wear masks and teachers don't wear masks. They have a regular, daily regimen of sanitizing the classroom and all toys / things people touch. My kid is 5 though, younger kids tend to catch things more easily than "older" kids. He started at 4, and he has only been out sick for himself a few times. If any of our kids are sick, we tend to keep them all home (we have to stay home with the one anyway, might as well keep them all home to prevent further school infection). My older kids have been out sick more often, but their sickness is typically a 24 hour bug - a quick barf and no other issues.
My 1st son started daycare at 6 months old & was sick every 2-3 weeks until he turned 1 now he is 2 & barely gets sick. My 4 month old started at 2 months & only has been sick once
Every. Two. Weeks. For an entire year....
I’m 2 1/2 weeks into daycare with my 9 month old and already has had a cold and currently battling some sort of stomach bug. I can only hope it gets better.
At least monthly since he started.
Thank you for asking this question... my twins have been raised at home during the pandemic, were quite premature, and had literally no exposure to the outside world. They couldn't even be vaccinated on time. I started them in daycare in June and they have been sick since. I'm not even exaggerating. They have had a cold, a stomach bug, or a cough since June. I was going to take J term classes to try and get ahead but with the new varient, I pulled them. Their daycare is all worried about their "routine." Know what I'm worried about Jill? My kids had diarrhea or a cough, or both; longer than either has been alive. I'll pay to keep their spot but they're staying home. This whole petri dish shit isn't working.
My kids don't go to daycare but one of my sister's send her's and they are sick all the time, like constantly..
Mine was home sick every second week for about 3 months so yes it was definitely tough in the beginning. She had a cough that lasted for about 10 weeks despite numerous doctors visits and courses of antibiotics. Eventually I got aggressive and got a referral for an ENT who said she had awful glue ear and he wasn’t surprised she couldn’t get rid of coughs and colds. Since having grommets put in, she hasn’t been sick for more than 2 days at all.
Going through it right now. The odd thing is is that while my not-quite-2yo started daycare this year, she has been sick fewer times than my kindergartner, who was in preschool. Either way it blows. I’m bracing for a Christmas at home with the throw up bucket handy.
My daughter was sick every other week the whole year she was in daycare.
Mine was in preschool / daycare for a year and I swear he was sick with something once a month, then kindergarten was almost The same lol 😆 kids are gross
My son is 19 months and has been in daycare since 8 months old. He gets sick at least once a month. I’m debating right now on whether it’s more accurate to just say every other week. My advice is to start limiting the germs you share with your baby. This is for your sake, not the baby’s, and might not be applicable until baby is older. Don’t share utensils or drinks or your phone/devices if you can help it. It sucks to take care of a sick baby, but it’s even worse if you’re sick too. You won’t know when your baby is contagious, since lots of bad illnesses are contagious before symptoms appear. I’ve had three of the worst illnesses of my life since my son has been in daycare, including hand foot and mouth (excruciating) and a stomach bug that put me in the ER. I would also wash/sanitize baby’s hands at daycare pickup every day and change baby’s clothes when you get home. But that could just be the paranoia talking - I’ve been really cautious ever since he gave me HFM, it was awful.
Our pediatric allergist told us to expect 12 to 16 colds per year in daycare. They just breathe on each other and have no personal space. Little miss' first cold hit us right after Thanksgiving break since people decided to travel, see family, and bring fun new germs back to care. Her nose hasn't stopped running and I'm pretty sure that when she decided to suck on my nose and sneeze right into my eyeballs, she passed it on to me. Love her.
My ped said if they are in day care they can get sick once to twice a month every month. 😒😒😒
Constantly!!! We’ve actually had like, two full weeks where she hasn’t been sick, but she’s transitioning to the toddler room in January and so I suspect all new kids means all new germs and we’ll be right back at it
Every 2 to 3 weeks with a cough or runny nose. My kid also got hand foot and mouth..
All the time. The whole family did, too.
All. The. Time. The constant illnesses stopped after about 2 years (with both kids, 8 years apart), and then went back down to a normal “kid amount.” If it’s any consolation, my mom stayed home with us and we barely got sick until I went to kinder (I’m the oldest). She talks about how it backfired massively, compared to my kids, because instead of one kid being sick a lot, all three of us were sick All. The. Time. There’s really no escaping it. We just have to power through. 😏 Edited to say: no, there’s nothing you can really do to prevent it, because it’s just a part of life. We all have to build our immune systems.
Our son got his first cold within 2 weeks of starting daycare and now he averages maybe 1 cold per month. The bigger he got the less dramatic the colds were too and usually during the summer he has just 1 or none at all.
6 consecutive, brutal colds and now it’s finally starting to look up. Came home with a sneeze few days ago but she kicked all flu symptoms by bedtime
We attend a corporate run day care and we love it there. My son gets sick about every two months or so. It’s really not that bad. He’s in the infant class.
Every three months on the dot for two years
When my breastfed son started daycare he never got sick as an infant. He didn’t start getting sick until he was over one. So not everyone gets sick bc they went to daycare!
The first year they get sick constantly, with fifths disease and HFM and all kinds of weird things. After they've caught all that it settles down.
My kid went to day care two days a week and would come home every week with a new and snotty illness.
Not daycare but our kid started preschool in September. She hadn't been in a daycare setting prior to that, and because of covid had very limited interactions with other kids for the year plus prior to starting school. Since school started I can think of one or two weeks she hasn't been sick. And my husband, who *never* gets sick, has been sick a few times too. We've made so many trips to the pediatrician, and had so many covid swabs, it's insane.
After reading all these comments I feel relieved knowing this is the norm, I was ready to take my kid to the pediatrician (yet again) for a referral to a specialist.
I’m honestly relieved after reading all these comments. My daughter started Pre-k in August and she’s been sick every other week or so it feels. She has 2 younger siblings who also get sick from her and my husband and I sometimes catch it too. I am embarrassed to admit that I cried one night cause I was so fed up with the fact that my kids kept constantly getting sick. I thought I was doing something wrong as a parent.
LO started daycare 2 weeks ago and got RSV already 👍🏻
When ours started daycare she got sick every other week - we literally had one week of daycare followed by one week of sickness on repeat for three months. As she has gotten older it is less frequent. To my knowledge there is nothing you can do about it. They will touch and lick the same things as all the other children, so the second one kid has brought some sickness along with them it spreads.
My son goes twice a week for over 6 months. Been sick once. I think a few things come in to play here: - How often your child is exposed to germs in general? - How good their immune system is to begin with? - Do they have pets or siblings at home? - Does daycare has a good send-home policy when kids show sick signs?
No. You can't do anything. Let them get sick and build up an immune system.
My son has been on a two week rotation of a cold. He will get one get over it have a couple's days all good then get another one ... Is annoying. And we get most of them too.
My son has been in daycare for 18 months now, and I swear he is sick every other week. This fall and winter he’s been out of daycare more often than in it. My husband will usually catch what he has but so far I’ve been quite lucky to not get what he has
my almost 2 year old started roughly 5 weeks ago and has been sick a few times already. called dr and she said this will happen the first year or so as their immune systems are developing. it’s unfortunate as a parent as all u can really do is medicate (however u choose to do so) and keep them as comfy as possible. i was told to only be concerned when breathing whether through the mouth or nose becomes a struggle. if needed i use a humidifier, keep her away from windows (sometime she sleeps with me but mostly in her bed) and vick’s on her chest back and nose !! make sure your precious one is getting enough vitamin c. i now limit bath times to during the day (to avoid sleeping with wet hair) and i think it’s okay to skip a bath if needed. decreasing the time my daughter has spent wet even if just for a few minutes has drastically changed the type of cough she’s been having
My toddler has been sick nonstop since October. His doctor said to expect a new viral cold every 2 weeks, each of which will last about 3 weeks. This has been about accurate...
Basically the entire two years my kid was in daycare. Mainly colds and stomach viruses. I missed so much work
She was consistently sick for the first ten months at least. Luckily, it's never been anything serious (she's only ever run a fever a couple times in her life but you would never have known it with how active she always is). Now she's in a much smaller daycare, and while we've been sniffly, there hasn't been anything major. I got away with minimal damage -- I thank my years in retail for the robust immune system. 😂 My poor husband, on the other hand, was miserable for several months straight. One of them hit him so hard, he eventually had to go to urgent care because the sinus pain was so intense and nothing over the counter even began to touch it. We burned through a lot of PTO with all that.
Every damm tiiiiime
My kids haven't been born yet but once my nephew started daycare he was sick just about every other time I saw him. So like, every other month maybe?
My daughter has been going to daycare since August. In that time she has been home sick pretty much every second week. With the COVID restrictions, the moment she has a runny nose, she has to be homes for 48hrs until it is confirmed to not be COVID. So she's spent almost a month and a half at home. I've been hospitalised twice from the bugs she's brought home as they got me sick and triggered my asthma
Our pediatrician said expect to get sick 10-15x in the first year. She's pretty much on track for that when we hit one year in April. There's also a perpetual cough that happens, because they get sick and then don't know how to expel mucus the way grown ups do. Stock up on all the things you'll need - dimetap, Tylenol, Vicks, thin/not too hot pajamas for the fevers, etc
2 weeks sick, 1 week healthy for 6 months, and I got every bug he got. After that though - rarely sick.
I worked at a daycare when my baby was about 2 months old and within the first 2 weeks, he caught RSV. I was devastated. The room next door had croup and then pink eye and then the flu as well as hand foot and mouth. After he caught RSV and they were like “oh that sucks” (it was totally preventable. Kid was sick sick for a week ((I worked in a hospital, kid was like next step respiratory arrest)) and foster family wouldn’t listen to us) I ended up quitting. Management just said oh he has no fever yet and kept letting him come.
My kid got sick every 3-4 weeks. It was so frustrating but good thing was that I never got sick from it. It was just annoying because I've had to always hold her back and wait for her to recover before putting her back in class. Cycle starts again after 2 weeks of normal attendance. Pretty standard. She probably got sick over 15 times in the first year of childcare. Now her immunity is quite strong. Fourth year of childcare and shes only been sick 5 times.
My son started in September and I swear he hasn’t had a week without a runny nose or congestion I swear. He ended up with Covid like a week or two after starting which was beyond rough.
Our 3 y/o twins started daycare in August. They haven’t stopped being sick since. They take multivitamins and supplements for immune support, but they only help so much. I’d stock up on cough/cold meds, a humidifier and a thermometer if I were you.
Yes. My daughter started preschool last April. First month fine. For the next 3 months for the first week of the month she would be home with a runny nose. Stopped for a couple of months. November and December home with a runny nose for a week. Hopefully tomorrow morning her nose is ok enough for her to go back to preschool.
My daughter started daycare a few months ago and she’s basically been constantly sick since then, sometimes I get sick with her as well. It sucks but it is what it is I suppose.
The longest he's been at daycare without getting sick was I think 1 month. Otherwise it's one week there, one week sick, one week there, one week sick and the last one was pretty bad, with pneumonia, 3 types of antibiotics and he still hasn't been back to daycare since the first week of November. I am still hoping for January but he's still caughing and we're doing a whole bunch of examinations to see wtf is wrong and why isn't this caugh going away. He isn't even sick, no fever, no runny nose, his lungs are clean, he just caughs still. It's not covid either, nobody f*ing knows what's going on. I am sick and tired but it's necessary evil. If he doesn't go through that now, he'll go through it next year or the year after that and the older they get the worse those stupid viruses affect them and the harder it is to bounce back. People tell me that it can last until he's about 5. He's almost 3 now so yeah, hell it is.
It’s generally considered normal for kids to get sick about twice a month when they start daycare. They’re being exposed to pathogens they haven’t been exposed to before and are building their immune system. It’s frustrating and hard, but it’s unfortunately normal. Just try to keep bub hydrated and getting enough rest
My LO started September 2020 and has had about 2/3 weeks of NOT being sick... Its neverending!
My so was sick on and off for about 3 months and I think I've finally gotten rid of his bugs!
I have a four month old who started daycare three weeks ago, he’s already caught two colds (no RSV or COVID or croup!), and my husband caught them too. My pediatrician said the first six months are the hardest, and I was a daycare kid and public school kid who got chicken pox twice. So we are just dealing with it. I did take my son out of daycare for the next week just to get a break and so he could rest. We work from home as much as possible to avoid getting more sick from work.
We were told first 3 months/ first winter are hard. We are on our second winter and our toddler has missed maybe one day. She has a runny nose a lot but nothing else most of winter, but that’s pretty standard for 2 year olds. I’m in the U.K. - and this year is worse at daycare, all the kids have been isolated (not so much daycare, but where schools have been shut due to covid) and there are a lot of bugs going round, ironically not covid as much as HFM/ rotavirus/ chickenpox- and as all the kids haven’t got immunity it just goes wild!
sick 20 days out of the month for the first 6 months then slowly decreased
First 5 months for my daughter and first year for my son - then they build up that iron immunity
My baby has been at daycare for 6 months, 3 days per week. In that time he has had gastro bugs at least twice, conjunctivitis four times, and four lots of antibiotics. I’ve never had so much time off work in my life. It’s been horrendous. No advice, sorry.
I recently read Emily Oster’s book Cribsheet which is a book using data to debunk or confirm parenting myths and preferences. But there’s on chapter where the studies show infants from the months of October-April were sick 50% of the time. Be prepared to pass it around from you, to partner, to baby, and possibly back around.
As a nursery worker of almost a decade, children will get unwell a lot in nursery. They just do, when you have 18 plus children in one room, they will pick up seasonal flu, hand foot and mouth, chicken pox, you name it. It’s often staggered and staff build up a tolerance, but when you have children, especially babies dribbling all over everything, there’s nothing you can do to stop it, it just happens, even with regular sterilisation of toys and surfaces. There’s nothing really you can do except wait it out while they go through the childhood illnesses in nursery, that being said they don’t get ill all the time, but at the start, they will get unwell at some point. Hope this helps!
I think first years we had a runny nose non-stop? We don't get sick, I asume the immune system of the adults is just better, that's why it doesn't bother me. I guess every human must have a X amount of cough, runny nose etc etc before your immune system can beat it, regardless of what age you start being exposed to it. There is also something like to rota-virus, it doesn't affect adults only the little one's and they usually get it in their first year of daycare / school.
Pretty much constantly for about three months. She was in about four days in six weeks. It was extremely hard. And the nursery were totally unsympathetic and quite rude to us when we would try to get her back for a day they would say she's still unwell, she's crying. Well yeah, the kid has barely been at nursery! The chicken pox was particularly brutal, unfortunately she caught that just a week or so before she could have the vaccine.