DD is sick again. Not sure about day care.

NicoleWI · May 2010

Seriously wondering if we should pull DD from daycare and/or think about other options for new baby due in Dec. I've HAD IT with illnesses. DD has croup now for like the fifth time. Last weekend, she was sick with high fever/random flu-like illness and rash on legs (not roseola). Three weeks before that, it was stomach flu and just after that a mild cold/mild croup. In between, I had stomach flu and DH also had the flu-like thing. She goes to daycare three days which seems to be just enough for her to pick something up on Tuesday, let it incubate, and get sick Friday or Saturday. This is DH's busy time and I'm pregnant so this is especially sucky.

Additionally, we missed part of my family vacation in August, Christmas with my Dad's side of the family, had croup at Thanksgiving but went (all adults there), had croup for her first b-day party in January, had mild ear infection/cough/turned into pneumonia on vacation to FL in March. In between those things have been all sorts of little colds and fevers. This has really affected our quality of life and I feel terrible for DD being sick so much.

DH and I were pretty healthy kids as were our siblings. She was BF until just over a year, too, and we hand-wash like crazy.

Has anyone else actually changed child care arrangements b/c of this and how did it work out?

I have not been thrilled w/ day care in general, but she's FINALLY to a point where I think she gets something out of the activities so it seems silly to pull her now. The illness thing isn't getting better though and it's just been really bad for us.

DoughGirl · May 2010

I don't have any advice, just some empathy.

DS started daycare at 13 weeks and within 2 weeks had RSV. From that point it seemed he was sick non stop for the first year of his life. DH and I both used every single minute of our PTO for sick time for him.

I felt the same way and thought maybe daycare wasn't the best option, thought about looking into a nanny or an at-home caregiver. Then I listened to my SAHM friends and with the exception of the ones who take their kids nowhere, their little ones get everything that comes down the pike too.

This year has been so much better though. Since moving up to toddlers, DS is sick much less. Little cold here and there and aside from a bout of HFM ( that he picked up elsewhere) we haven't missed any days and actually get to take vacation this summer. I think he just passed the point of sticking everything in his mouth.

I can't imagine that another place is going to be less germ ridden when it's full of toddlers too. Do you think they aren't diligent enough with sanitizing surfaces and toys and handwashing, etc. How open is the communication with the center? I mean, I would feel totally comfortable talking to our dc director and just expressing concern over constant sickness, even if it's just to be reassured of the cleaning procedures.

I hope it gets better for all of you!

KAtwinmom · May 2010

I'm so sorry you have all been so sick recently! I'm not sure if you are using a family provider or a center-based program, but either way, if the program is licensed by the state you are in, they are required to follow certain healthy and safety regulations. I work for a national group of child care learning centers, and while each one is independently owned and operated, they all have to follow state requirements and in addition, they have to take yearly training that covers health and safety (plus other stuff!). You can get a good idea of how seriously a program takes this by looking at the Parent Information Board posted prominently in the lobby. They should have posters about health information, including when a child is too sick to stay or when they will call for a sick child to be picked up. There should be an "isolation area" for children who get sick during the day, so they can be comfortable while waiting to get picked up. Also, they should be following (and having the children follow) proper handwashing procedures, including after wiping noses, diapering, toileting, before and after eating and after playing outside. The most important thing you can do is first, ask your provider to tell you how and what precautions they take. Then, take a look around! Do they have a place to store toys that have been "mouthed" prior to being sanitized? Do you see teachers using gloves when diapering? Does the place look clean? Do they communicate health information to parents? If so, you can feel comfortable that they are doing all they can, and little immune systems are getting a workout no matter what. I hope this helps!

NicoleWI · May 2010

I think other parents are sending their kids sick. They sent two home w/ HFM the other day. When DD had HFM (b/c of course we had this, too) she clearly had a fever and stayed home.

We almost went to ER this a.m. b/c this is the second worse croup she's had, but we've held off and are going to urgent care at 10:00. Oh, AND, we have photos scheduled for 4:00 today. Can't reschedule b/c I rescheduled LAST week with the photographer b/c DD had 103 degree fever. DD is going to look exhausted and cranky in photos.

flyer23 · May 2010

I have a friend with three kids who had tons of issues with her oldest getting sick in daycare. She tried a couple of different daycares, same thing. She eventually switched him into this place that is CRAZY expensive -- and not all that impressive from a curriculum standpoint, IMHO. (I've looked at it for my kids.) But one thing that money most definitely buys you is a small army of employees who are dedicated to cleaning the place (they have no child care responsibilities) and that has made a HUGE difference in the number of illnesses for her kids.

wheelenl · May 2010

Sorry you are dealing with this. Out of all the kids I know, the only ones who get croup regularly have SAHMs. Maybe it's not the daycare but a genetic predisposition? Just food for thought. If it were me, I'd want to do anything I could like you are,

jkelly41 · May 2010

DS never got sick at day care until he moved to the toddler room. I have seen very sick looking kids when I drop him off so I know parents are sending their sick kids there anyway. I can't tell you how upset this makes me- and how much work I've missed because of DS' illnesses. We are definitely looking into a nanny when baby #2 comes along because the level of social interaction is not worth him being sick so much.

mysticporter · May 2010

FWIW, no matter what the child care situation is, if your LO is getting a healthy amount of social interaction, she is going to get sick from other kids either way. DH is a SAHD, and once DD got old enough to go to and participate in activities with our kids, she has started getting sick a ton more. She hasn't had the more major issues you've described, but like PP said that may be genetic predisposition (or just bad luck).

If the specific daycare she is in seems to be a problem (too lax a policy on kids attending sick, not doing enough as far as cleaning), I'd look into other arrangements, but as long as they are making reasonable efforts I'm not sure how much help a different situation would be if LO is still interacting with other kids on a regular basis.

charmgal · May 2010

DD has been sick a lot lately, and it's very frustrating. However, I have been repeatedly told two things that make me feel better. Don't know whether they're true or not, but....

1) It gets much better after the first year and

2) they're either going to get everything that goes around now at daycare, or later, when they start school, so take your pick.

It sucks having to use so much of my own sick leave, especially with needing to save it for my maternity leave with #2!

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DD is sick again. Not sure about day care.

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