toddler sick from daycare....worried about infecting newborns

ccarrozza1 · December 2016

So I have an 18 month old and she has been in daycare since September and ever since has been having on going illness, cold after cold, flu after flu...during this time she has also been getting me sick and my husband. I am very concerned about the new baby coming any day now and the amount of virus floating around. Anyone in this situation? I have no idea what to do to fix this. Right now my daughter has a 103 fever, last week she had a stomach virus. I feed her a balanced diet and she gets plenty of sleep. Besides pulling her out of daycare and going back to nanny, I don't know what i can do.

colleenkevin · December 2016

I will be up against this too. My daughter has been going to daycare/Montessori for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week since Feb of this year. Because she started in winter, her "initiation" was rough - 3 or 4 straight weeks of back to back colds. Now that we're back in winter she's gotten me sick twice and my husband is currently nursing a fever from catching her most recent cold (which I haven't gotten yet so that should make 38+ weeks pregnant super fun)

I am not pulling her out of school - having her continue her schedule will give her some normalcy amidst all the change at home and will give me time to be alone with the baby. I am hoping diligent hand washing, rules on how she touches the baby, and breastfeeding will all help prevent the baby from catching her colds. At the end of the day, it's just a fact of life and many many 2nd, 3rd, etc. kids have lived through the same situation so I'm trying not to get too worked up about the possibilities.

I hope you're able to keep your LO from catching toddler germs!

ccarrozza1 · December 2016

Yeah I know I probably lived through it myself since I am the youngest of six but still I worry! I hate seeing her sick constantly. Just want her to be happy and healthy but I think it's part of her "exposure" since she was home with me by myself for 7 months and then a nanny to take her to 16 months of little to no exposure into a germ factory of little kids. I love the socialization that daycare gives her and she learns a lot but she also had a young immune system so has just been getting bitzed by it since she started. I wish there was another natural way of boosting her immune system.

ccarrozza1 · December 2016

And of course the last thing we both need now is another sickness to deal with. I have been battling this for months

Teach123 · December 2016

Maybe you should talk to the daycare about its cleaning policy. My son went to daycare a couple of months before turning 2. I was worried about what you described since he had been at home by himself before that time. The kid seriously never gets sick though. I think the daycare's policy on sending sick kids home and cleaning everything in the room every day has played a big part of it. He's been there almost 2 years now, and the only time I remember him being sick is with an ear infection once.

colleenkevin · December 2016

@ccarrozza1 I know what you mean about feeling bad seeing her sick - my daughter was 16 months when we started her and she didn't handle the colds well because she had barely been sick before that. I was heartbroken for that first month when she was sick constantly.

Now at a little over 2 she knows how to blow her nose into a tissue we're holding, she loves to eat honey when she has a cough or sore throat, and she bounces back after just a couple of days of being sick because her immune system is more mature.

ccarrozza1 · December 2016

@colleenkevin I am hoping by the time she is 2 she will be better equipped to handle these viruses. As for the little guy, I think he is going to have early exposure through her so maybe he will build his immune system faster than she did. That and he will be going to daycare when I go back to work.

MayaVill · December 2016

I know how u feel. My oldest had a cold when my #2 was born, which again led to the newborn getting a cold at 2 weeks. She was coughing and congested but otherwise fine. My oldest is almost 4 and has been going to daycare 5 days a week since she was 7 months. She was getting sick the first 6 months or so but once that settled she now only gets a cold once a year the most. My 15 month old has been in daycare 5 days a week since she was 3 months and has been getting sick more often. Sometimes back to back but is now very strong. And they do get me sick too when they get the stomach flu but that's usually only once a year. I have friends that has been home with their kids or has had nannies taking care of the kids until school age and are now going through the same with sick kids every few weeks/months and the kids are missing a lot of days in school. So the way I see it is that my entire family is benefiting from early exposure.

ccarrozza1 · December 2016

We keep bringing her back to the dr because her cough and runny nose won't go but both places I brought her said she seems ok to heal on her own. I just don't get why a cough would linger for months

ElleMF728 · January 2017

I think in general newborns don't tend to get the sickness as bad since they still have your antibodies. Right now both of my toddlers have colds and Bennett seems fine more or less. A little sneezing but no discomfort or congestion and it has been about a week. Watch binkies, blankets, bottles and sippy cups and throw anything in the wash that the older has touched and wash your hands before you go from one to the other. It seems to work for us. TBH I think that if I get through a winter without the big boys getting sick it would be a miracle.

JessWeck · January 2017

It's the worst feeling as a mom seeing your babies sick. My son whom is 5 goes to school as well, so germs are always on my mind. However, the school does a wonderful job at implementing good hand washing practices into place. The teacher also sanitizes surfaces between classes.

As for your worry about bringing infections/illness around baby, I totally get it. It's always a concern as mothers, especially when our babies are newborns. I would not pull your toddler out of school because of the simple fact that that is an important part of his routine. Instead, I would exercise great hand washing. When you pick him up, wipe his hands down with wet one's antibacterial wipes that are safe for their hands. Once home, have him wash with soap and water. You do the same. Before feeding baby, after diaper changes, etc, wash/sanitize your hands. By following this practice, you will do everything in your control to minimize exposure to germs to your newborn.

These worries come simply from being a good mom!

vssbrm · January 2017

Literally my entire family is sick right now, from the toddlers to the grown ups. I'm really worried about bringing baby boy home. Very tempted to tell everyone to stay away for a few weeks until it all settles. If I were to go into labor today my dad and my sister are the only people who could come to the hospital, I have a huge family.

toddler sick from daycare....worried about infecting newborns

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