Sick Kids & Daycare (poll)

Seems like a lot of kids get sick when they are exposed to many other kids during the day. I am trying to think about (for the future) the pros and cons of bringing DD to daycare. The education & friendships are nice, but I want nothing to do with too many sick kids!

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Other. My kids did get sick often as infants. Maddie is in daycare now in the pre-school room & rarely gets sick.

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Ava doesn't go to daycare, and I have to say, I kind of wish she was exposed to more children during the day so that maybe she'd build some immunity. I mean, it sucks when they get sick, but if they're immunity is going to build up, that's not a bad thing. It's like being a teacher. Your first couple of years, you're sick all the time, then after that, you hardly ever get sick.

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My kids go to a sitter's house with 6 other children for 2 hours a day, and they are sick quite often.

I will say, however, that last year was FAR worse than this year.

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DS started daycare in Feb (at 17 mos old) and he gets sick a little more than he used to when he was in group family care (in a home with 3 other children). But when I say sick, I mean that he basically has a runny nose on and off. He's sick right now, and it's the second time he's been truly sick (meaning w/fever) since starting daycare.

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Jack, now 3.8 yo goes to preschool /daycare and rarely gets sick. He had only one cold this winter. When he was younger we used a home based daycare with only 1 - 2 other kids 1 of them being the day care providers daughter. He was rarely sick during that time period.

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Jack goes to a preschool program 3 x a week and would get a few colds. But for Molly those germs that Jack brought home turned into bronchiolitis and we spent 3 nights in the hospital when she was 6 weeks old. So chances are your children will get sick whether they are in daycare or not. It will happen sooner or later and I agree that it is good to built up immunity early on.

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Emily gets babysat for at my friend's house. She watches Emily, her 4 year old daughter, and 3 other kids. (Although one of them only goes on Mondays.)

Emily has been VERY sick this year. She has had a lot of colds and 2 bad stomach viruses.

It seems like my friends whose babies go to bigger daycares actually get sick less.

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My oldest never went to daycare and he hardly ever got sick. But, when he started school (pre-k) he was sick all the time. It's inevitable. Whether your little one goes to daycare now or school later, chances are they will be sick a lot during their first year around other kids.

Message edited 4/15/2007 11:19:46 AM.

Re: Sick Kids & Daycare (poll)

Re: Sick Kids & Daycare (poll)

My son dosent go to daycare, and while he hasnt been sick in awhile... there was a time where he was getting sick all the time....

I work in the office at a daycare center, and yes- in the beg. children do tend to get sick often...

But once they get past that "hurdle" they have some kick @ss immune systems!!!!!

You cant avoid it- whether you attack it now at daycare- or wait until your child starts kindegarten- they are gonna go through that "hurdle" period of frequent colds and sickeness!

Message edited 4/15/2007 2:47:50 PM.

Re: Sick Kids & Daycare (poll)

Ava just started daycare at 2 1/2. She was always getting sick when she was home with me. Since daycare- nothing!!! So, who knows!!

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Carlie goes to daycare 4x a week and has been pretty healthy. She get s sick occasionally, but no more than any other kid.

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My son started day care a month and a half ago and he got really really sick the first week. He has been fine ever since!(knocking on wood and spitting over my left shoulder)

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Hannah started daycare on 3/12 and has been sick since 3/16 I can't seem to get her better. She is only in daycare 3 days a week so far.

Is this normal?

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Nate started daycare when he was 1 years old and never even got a cold before daycare. In the last year, he's been out sick at least once every 6--8 weeks.

yeah, it $ucks when they are sick, but it will happen when they are exposed to other kids on a regular basis.

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DS was in daycare for 4 days and got sick, then they informed the parents that rotavirus was going around the school. I took him out after a week.

Yes, I want him to have a strong immune system too, but I dont think subjecting him as an infant is healthy (IMO). I will enroll him back into daycare when he is older & stronger. Ped said that is the best thing to do.
If I didnt have other sitter options he would probably still be in daycare.

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It's true, there's no denying that if your child is in daycare, they will get more viruses and colds from their little buddies. When we put Alex in daycare at 10 weeks old, our pediatrician told us that we should expect for her to get sick at least twice a month for the first year. And he was RIGHT!

But, with that said, like the others mentioned, it's inevitable. You either take the risk when they are younger, when school isn't quite as important, or when they are older, and it's not good for them to miss so many days of school.

While Alex was sick a lot the first year, her immunities built up quite well. The first 2 colds were AWFUL, but after that, whenever she got sick, it usually only lasted one day. On rare, very rare occasion, we've had to keep her out for 2 days, never more than that.

Now that she's 18 months, she gets sick, maybe once a month, if that, and by sick, I mean a little bit of sniffles, maybe a little cough. She gets a real "illness" with accompanying fever, maybe once ever 3-4 months. I attribute that to the fact that her immunity system is well adjusted at this point.

So, now, I never have a concern or worry about bringing her to a party, or keeping her away from the kid with the "sniffles" because it rarely affects her these days... to me, the benefits of daycare for my daughter, and the benefits of working, for me, well outweigh the first year of sniffles

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My kids stay home 3 days and go to daycare 2 times a week. Yes they get sick, but they get sick when home 5 days too. Kids that stay home and don't get sick when younger get very sick when they got to kindergarden, or so I have heard.

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DD was in daycare for 3 months until i got laid off. She was sick every single day of her daycare. She kept getting consective colds, then pink eye, viruses.

As soon as i took her out within 2 weeks she was better, and hasn't been sick since December.

I know being exposed to germs is a good thing, and i am in no way a germ phobe, my kid eats stuff off the floor

But i would rather DD get sick when she can tell me what's wrong-mommy my tummy hurts, throat, ear etc. then when she's an infant and all she can do is cry.

Yes she'll prob get sick when she goes to school, but at 3-4 years old what could she possibly miss so important by being really sick.

JMHO. But I will DEF use daycare again, when I go back to work. I have no choice.

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