Question about daycare and sickness

Well I haven't been on in quite sometime because I went back to work and have been super busy.

I am really enjoying my job, and the boys adjusted really well to daycare. They started at about 10.5 months.

The only problem is that they have been sick ever since they have been there, and it is really starting to get to me. My William has been on antibiotics for 25 out of the last 30 days! They have had colds, bronchilitis, ear infections, conjunctivitis, the list goes on and on.

Is this normal!? When will it get better? Everyone keeps telling me it will get better, but when? Please tell me it will get better. DH and I are going insane, and I feel terrible for my little babes.

My mother is actually coming up a week before their first bday party so that she can keep them home all week so that they will be well for their party!

 

I don't think it is uncommon for kiddos to get sick more at daycare, but that sounds pretty bad to me. My kiddos have been in daycare for 3 months and have had 4 total illnesses (a shared cold (which they also passed on to DH & I), one caught a stomach bug, one caught bacterial pinkeye, and one had a head cold). We have only had antibiotics for the pinkeye. Everything else went away on it's own - just saline, time, and a dose or two of tylenol for a rare fever. There are a total of 16 babies in our baby room lots of them with older siblings who are kind enough to pass on all kinds of stuff.

Have you checked their health department scores? What is their philosophy on sick kids? What is their cleaning philosophy?

 

Sorry about all that. Mine did get sick probably a little more at daycare, but then didn't get sick for a long time after we started. If I can find it, I'll link it in, but there was a thread in the 5 and up forum talking about how everyone was getting colds and such from starting school again. I think it feels a lot worse the younger your kids are, but it's never easy when your kids get sick.

Hang in there. :hug: It does lessen, at least it did for us.

 

I know people who have had the same thing happen. In these cases, it was better for them to have someone to come to their home and watch the baby(s). It was also less work for them in the morning and afternoon not having to drop them off and pick them up. Maybe this is an answer for you. Some have been able to find good, reasonably priced help. I hope it gets better :hug: .

 

Yeah, we had quite a bit of sickness when the kids started daycare. Lots of ear infections ... it totally leveled off after a few months ... mine started at 10 months also, and spent the first few months fairly sick (although it was also winter) ... I don't think we had one sick call the whole summer! They'll adjust, and be stronger for it!

 

The second winter was the worst for us, but that was because mine started daycare in January at 8 weeks old, so we made it through the whole first winter before they were really old enough to crawl and touch things that other kids had touched.

So, the second winter when they were around 10-16 months was hard. I was out of work practically a day every week, between staying home with sick kids and taking them to the doctor. Luckily, although I got several colds, I never got seriously ill myself. Also luckily, mine do not seem prone to ear infections, but there were several rounds of intestinal bugs and colds. Sarah also wound up on an inhaler because after having RSV at 3 months (the only serious illness we got that winter), she is now prone to coughs every time she gets a stuffy nose.

But it was MUCH better the following summer, and the winter after that (this past winter) was not nearly as bad. They still have colds much of the time, but nothing bad enough to keep them home from school (usually).

Hang in there -- they are going to get sick anytime they start interacting with lots of kids on a regular basis, so (IMO) might as well get it over with now. If you really like your job and they really like school, it sounds like a good setup overall. :hug:

 

Totally normal. After the 3rd pedi visit in the first month, I begged my pedi for nanny recommendations! She said that they'll never be sick in preschool or kindergarten because they are being exposed to everything now.

Its nice to know from other moms that it will level off- for financial reasons we took the girls out of daycare and our neighbor watches them for us now. Even though she has kids in school, the girls (KNOCKING LOUDLY ON WOOD), haven't gotten sick much. But maybe thats because they caught everything during their 2 months in daycare.