Getting sick at DC

Valerie120408

I'm sure this has been asked before but didn't find a recent post so here it goes: how often does your LO get sick at DC and does it get better over time (maybe when they stop putting everything in their mouths)? DS started going to a new daycare (center) a couple of weeks ago and got sick by the end of the first week. I expected this to happen but I wonder how bad it is going to be. I know it depends on the LO, etc, I'm just curious what your experiences have been. TIA

lona.hunn@gmail.com

I would anticipate it pretty often the first year. DS1 didn't go into daycare till he was 3 1/2. He was sick with strep and stomach bugs every other month for the first year. The following year only a couple times. He was in 3rd grade last year and didn't miss one day of school.

jen5-03

Depends on what you mean by "sick". DD is rarely sick enough to need to stay home, but yeah she gets some sort of crud fairly often.

DD goes up to 3x a week to daycare, she has had a TON of snotty noses, and sometimes a cough, but that isn't something that keeps her home or even slows her down.

She sometimes gets ear infections that keep her home when she gets snotty, but that's not contagious either, it's just how her body deals with the snot and usually if we keep on top of the snot at night (saline nose drops, vicks, steam, etc) we can avoid it.

She's had maybe 3 tummy bugs, a couple random fevers, and pink eye twice. And I attribute all those to daycare. They weren't super bad... until DH and I got them.

But all those were spread over almost 2 years, so I don't think it's too bad.

savannah11

The first year DS got sick about every 6 weeks.  It was bad.  Though not every illness meant he had to stay home, just the ones that included fever.  After that first year it moved to once every few months, if that.  DD has been at daycare for a little over a month and has yet to get sick.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her immune system is a little better.  

abpdjs

Carson started a daycare center 6 months ago and in the very begining he had the stomach bug that was going around, couple of colds, another stomach bug (not as bad as the first one), and two cases of Roseloa (i think but he never had the rash).

el25

My daughter has been sick alot.  She had a double ear infection after 5 days in daycare.  I was completely ready to pull her out, but my pediatrician convinced me I was making a bad call.  For all the times she gets sick now, her immunity will be stronger in her older school years.  It definitely gets frustrating.  I truly hate it when she is sick.  She just had her 9 month well visit and her pediatrician casually said, I'll see you when she is one, and I joked with same saying "What are you kidding."  I'll see you in 3 weeks to a month if not sooner.  I think we have had 3 - 4 ear infrections, 2 stomach bugs, baby Laryngitis and Coxsackie Virus.  Fun stuff.