daycare's making my kids sick?

Question

i just put my two two-year-olds in daycare for the first time a few days ago, and already they're getting sick (runny noses, coughing, congestion). we've already got the vapor bath stuff & the otc medicines, any other advice?

Answer 1

This is a very common occurrence. Any setting where children are in close proximity to one another is a hot bed for germs to spread. Your little ones will be building up their immunity for several months and will most likely come down with every cold and virus that there is. Make sure they get plenty of rest and eat healthy. When a person gets a virus, their body naturally builds up the immunity to fight that particular virus next time. So, rest assured that eventually you will not deal with this as often. Be conservative with the medication. Most symptoms such as fever, runny nose, coughing, etc. are all the body's natural defense mechanisms to rid itself of the offending virus or germ. Use only what your children need to rest comfortably. Encourage them to drink lots of water and use a room humidifier to help with the stuffy noses.

Answer 2

I usually keep my son out for everything. He has asthma and it tends to get really bad when he is sick. Other people just wouldn't take care of him like we would. I have sent him with a runny nose (no fever and it was clear) because he has allergies and the doc says that's not contagious. But I don't know if I will even do that because earlier this month I let him go to school with a clear runny nose thinking it was allergies and they called me around 11:30 and said he had a high fever. He had not been running fever so I was concerned. I took him straight to the doctor and he had RSV. Now the daycare had not told us that another kid in his class had RSV but that is a different argument. I don't like my kid getting sick from others so I don't want to put other children at risk. If I would have know that he was sick (not with allergies) I would never had sent him. I work and my boss is sort of understanding but I can see that some people would think they may get fired. Thank God for family to help! Great question Carrie!

Answer 3

Be ready to put up with it for a while.... first timers in daycare will be sick seemingly every other week. The combination of germs from others (and boy, are kids germy!) will be swamped on your kids. With fall here and winter approaching, kids will be spending more and more time inside together, so be prepared to have them sick all the time. The good news, is that once they have gotten through the winter, most of the problem is over. The main problem is that your kids haven't had exposure to all the germs yet, so they will catch everything that goes around! Once they build up an immunity to some of the bugs, they will start getting sick less. I'd rather start now when they are in preschool instead of waiting until they start "real" school in kindergarten, where a lot of missed days will really matter in their education. The more stuff they are exposed to now, will help them be stronger later.

Answer 4

If you've just put your kids in daycare for the first time they are likely going to get sick frequently for awhile as their bodies pick up all the germs and viruses that they have not yet been exposed to. This will subside eventually and about the only thing you can do to help is teach them to wash their hands and to make sure that the daycare encourages good handwashing practices both with the staff and the children. They should also sanitize their toys daily to help prevent the transfer of germs from child to toy to child.

Frequent handwashing is the best defense against most illnesses. Make sure that they wash their hands as soon as they get home as well.

Answer 5

Wow the same thing happened to me. My 3 and 5 year old went to a daycare a few months ago and it seemed that every week they would be out a day due to sickness. Stomach virus or otherwise. They hardly ever get sick and it became a concern of mine. I came to find out from two of my co workers that their kids get sick often. I have since taken my children out of that daycare center and they haven't been sick since.

Answer 6

Unfortunately, that's a fact of life with kids in day care. Both of mine have been in day care since they were 3.5 months old -- now 2 1/2 and 1 -- and both have been sick so often I can't even count the number of times. No matter how good the day care is about being sanitary, it happens.

I've found that Tylenol Cold & Cough (the infant drops) and Little Colds help most of the time. Sometimes it seems nothing works and you just have to ride it out.

Answer 7

This is a normal, it will take them a while to get there system up and going along with everyone ,else. I have a large in-home daycare and I have noticed the same thing......But remember if your children are still are getting sick after about a mth. I would trying going to a smaller Daycare or looking into why they are not getting better .

Answer 8

Same thing happened with my two year old. She went two days the first week and the second night, she ran a fever, then got a runny nose. It's just because she hasn't been exposed to alot of germs.
It's been two months now and she is finally healthy, but I think anytime that kids mix, they are going to get sick.
I found Tylenol Cold and Cough worked really well.

Answer 9

There is no advice. Daycares are a breeding ground for all types of colds and infections. A lot of people say children need this in order to build a better immune system. Hog wash. If I were you I would keep your child out of daycare. State laws required daily disinfecting of all the toys, floors, tables, bathrooms, etc. It rarely ever happened that way. (Could that be why we were so sick all the time?)
The school rules stated that sick children were not allowed to be there unless they were on antibiotics or had fully recuperated. (Why, then, did the Director allow those (contagious) children into the school?)

Why is a 2 year old in daycare? This child needs you.

http://www.daycaresdontcare.org/WorkersSay/DaycareWorkersSay_page_5.htm

Answer 10

It's normal they are just now being exposed to alot of children and different germs. Soon they will build up immunity but until then just keep doing what you are doing. If it gets worst check on how the Day care cleans the faculty. If they take extra steps in cleaning it can cut down on the germs, but they will always be some.