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My son is 19 months old. He's been at daycare for 4 months. Prior to that he was in private care 3 mos. (now closed) where he was sick one time. That was his only illness since birth.

The daycare was highly recommended by a co-worker who has her son there. However, my son's been sick atleast 2 times a month (ear infections, pink eye twice, bronchitis, stomach flus, etc).

I'm a single mom with no living family or assistance of any kind. I must work fulltime to provide for us, therefore, my childcare options are limited. If I could afford a live-in nanny, I'd get one-believe me!

Anyway, I am trying to figure out why my son is so sick there. The 1 thing that keeps coming to mind is they switch him from room to room daily. If his teacher leaves for the day, he goes into another room with other kids, also if his teacher is not there in the morning, they put him in a different room with even more kids.

Is this common or even allowed? He's exposed to way too many kids.

2006-12-31 04:14:37 · 19 answers · asked by Singthing 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting Toddler & Preschooler

19 answers

yes this is very common and it is allowed as long as the ratios are within the guidelines for your state.

here for an hour in the morning and an hour before closing the classes can be combined and the ratio higher - this is for drop off and pick up since children come in at different times.

during the day your child should be in his age group with the ratio that is allowed - this can change rooms as long as the rooms are developmentally appropriate for his age. here 1 year olds have a ratio 1:6. during nap time the ratio goes up 1:12.

what stinks is that your child for the first year will be getting sick ALL the time. if you keep them home with you till kindergarten they will spend their first year of kindergarten sick. pretty soon he will build up his immune system and not be the child constantly having the runny nose and fever.

the one year olds are known for putting things in their mouth so it is hard to keep them germ free. does the room seem clean when you pop in? ask to look at the toys your son plays with and see if they look like they have been sanitized. also ask about the sanitizing procedure and see if they have a chart saying when things were last done.

maybe an extra box of wipes so that they can wipe your childs hands frequently during play because your hands carry the most germs.

make sure all nap stuff and personal things are being kept in your childs cubby. i would also pop in middle of the day unexpected and see exactly what is going on.

it is hard finding a good daycare and if your son seems happy and safe i would keep giving it a try.

in our preschool pink eye was out of control last year. we couldn't get rid of it and it drove me crazy! i sanitized and resanitized, etc. then i had lice go through my room - i itched and itched and itched even though i never caught them. now we are dealing with Fifths Disease. it is never ending!

good luck. hope he feels better soon! SD

2006-12-31 04:23:07 · answer #1 · answered by SD 6 · 5 0

I work at a daycare and that is exactly how we do things. I work in the toddler room. We have a seperate infant room but we sometimes act as though the infant and toddler rooms are one room. The ratio between for adults to kids is the same for infants and toddlers. If we only have one baby we usually have the baby combine with the toddlers.
However, 3 year olds and up have a different adult child ratio. Unless it's a home daycare your 19 month old should not be in the same classroom with kids that are 3 and up, it should be against licensing rules.
Lots of germs go around daycares. Pay attention to what goes on when you drop your child off. If you see a teacher changing a baby's diaper, did they bleach off the changing table afterward? Did that teacher wash their hands? Also pay attention to the toys in the classroom. Maybe when you drop your child off sit him on the floor and show him a toy, look closely at the toy, is it dirty?
If the daycare is properly cleaning off the toys everyday, those toys are a breeding ground for germs. Just think of how many kids mouths have been on that toy in just one day!
Good luck to you. I am also the mother of a 19 month old and I am a single mom. My son goes to the daycare with me everyday. He's had his fair share of pinkeye and ear infections. They do say that being exposed to some illnesses are good for kids it helps them build up a strong immune system. I know it's hard to see your baby sick too and it also is hard to take so much time off work.

2006-12-31 04:31:06 · answer #2 · answered by NicNic82 2 · 2 0

I also work in a child care facility, we do combine rooms at times and I have 0-35 months which is legal in my state. All children must be under 35 months and I can only have 6 children with no more than 2 infants which is up to 12 months. It is also common for them to get sick, because of being around all the other children. If a child becomes sick their parents are called and must be picked up. In my class I work open- 4:30 and my Assistant works 9:00-6:00 the children in my class stay with us all day, therefore, I think he should me moved around so much. I would talk to the director if you have any questions. Good luck and best wishes.

2006-12-31 06:26:25 · answer #3 · answered by okkiegal 4 · 0 0

Daycares are pools of germs for children! That's the way they are and that's the way they'll always be. Now you can talk to your daycare provider and request that your child not be shifted from room to room, remember your paying good money for this so don't feel awkward about requesting such. If they don't accomodate you find a smaller daycare that will. Also finding a smaller daycare means less children, less germs.

As far as your son getting sick, my son did the same thing for a while. I will suggest to you (upon much research) that you do not provide an antibiotic for every sickness that he has. Of course their is a limit to this, talk to your doctor to help you decide when to give your son antibiotics. The problem is this: your childs immune system has to be able to fight off germs and infections. Antibiotics kills these germs and does not allow the childs immune system to fight it, resulting is a weak immunity. I know it might be hard sometimes but let your child fight the germs and let his immunity grow. Once again talk with your doctor to know your limits. Things like bronchitis and ear infection will need treatment.

2006-12-31 04:31:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

I think since you have given him the benefit of the doubt, and he has shown he cannot be trusted... you are completely rational for making a decision like this. His mother's involvement is completely unacceptable. Especially since your court agreement states the day the "outing" took place was your time. Without prior arrangements, this should not ever happen. What if they were in a car accident and your ex and his mother could not contact you? What a wreck that would be! I think at least for the time being, it would be your child's best interest to take him to a new caregiver. If you have a relationship with the new daycare provider, it's even better. Keeping the privacy of the actual facility is completely acceptable. I think the inconsistency of unplanned outings combined no communication between you and your ex can harm your child. Maybe in the future, when he shows he is honorable, then you can share this information. So long as you are not legally obligated to tell him, I say why not. I think your current child care provider has shown her true colors and level of professionalism by not communicating with you. I think it is completely acceptable to tell her that you are pursuing other endeavors as far as a more compatible provider. If you have primary custody, you do not want the caregiver to be biased to the secondary custodian. Good luck honey!

2016-05-22 23:44:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

My 17 month old daughter has been in daycare ever since she was 3 months old. I had the same problem with my first daycare. They constantly switched her around. I talked to the director and told her I was tired of coming in everyday and finding her in a different room. It cost me more than my care payment to keep her in daycare and I have no choice but to work and I don't have anyone who can keep her at home. Luckily I found a smaller daycare that has worked out well. Your child will get sick because people do bring their children in with fevers and the center should send them right back out (they get their money anyway-at least mine makes me pay whether she's there or not).
Long story short........ My suggestion is get out the phone book and call the centers in your area and ask about making appointments to come in and view the center and get information on their procedures for sickness. Be up front with them and let them know you don't like your child being switched from room to room.

2006-12-31 14:35:59 · answer #6 · answered by sna 1 · 1 0

It is allowed.

Can you look for a nanny, that isn't a live in nanny?

I am a nanny, but I don't live with the family. Before me, the little boy was in a daycare too. (He was 19 mnths there.) He got sick, they switched him from room to room, and even put him with older kids who bit and hurt him. Large daycares aren't the best always.

If you can't find a nanny or anything, go talk to them. If they refuse to keep their facilities healthier then find a new daycare. Find an inhome one, the kids get much more attention and usually a parent runs it, and so will have a better idea of your concerns.

2006-12-31 11:56:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

In our experience with daycare if you get a really good one then it cuts down on this problem a lot. Our daughter got a heck of a black eye once and actually popped some blood vessels in her eye (she was learning to walk and fell at a full out run flat onto her face) and they wouldn't let her into daycare because it looked too much like pinkeye. Was a little annoying but it made us feel better about their health practices. They also rotate the toys and dip them in a cleaning solution. They have pretty strict cleaning precautions and our daughter doesn't really get sick from them very much. Maybe you just need to look around for a more sanitary daycare. Good luck either way.

2006-12-31 06:28:21 · answer #8 · answered by evilangelfaery919 3 · 1 0

Yes, it is common and is allowed as long as the staff to child ratio is going with the age of the youngest child in the room. It normally occurs first thing in the mornings and last thing in the evenings when there are fewer children/staff present.

As to the illness that you child is experiencing: this is because the child is being exposed to things that it was sheltered from in the other care. While, it does get frustrating (been there as a single mom on my own- going through the same thing) it will ease up. As long as the classrooms are being properly cleaned/sanitized it is just air born/person to person exposure.
Your child's immunity will build and they will be much more prepared for school where they are exposed to WAY worse.

I know it makes you angry at this point...It will get better. Also, there is always the director of the center for you to voice your concerns too. Too many parents just "jerk" their child from day care to day care without attempting to address what is very resolvable..

2006-12-31 05:39:14 · answer #9 · answered by Heather 3 · 2 0

You're just lucky that he didnt get sick at the other child care facility.

This is all part of the child care experience. He will be exposed to all sorts of illnesses, in most cases, just the presense of a sick child in the building is enough to bring every child there into contact with the virus or infection. There are many communal areas in day care centers.

Of course there are no laws against taking children into different rooms at the day care center. Thats just silly to think something like that. lol.

You either need to find a smaller day care, a private home that offers child care during the day that you can afford (in a lot of cases moms offering to watch children during the day can be much less expensive than day cares).

make sure he's eating well, and that his system has all the nutrients it needs to grow. Getting sick is part of being a child, its how his immune system grows and strengthens. And he will get sick when in day care, preschool, elementary or any social environment. Its part of life.

If you're a single mom, look into state aid for child care. You can get an allowence in most cases to help buffer the cost of reliable safe child care.

2006-12-31 04:20:58 · answer #10 · answered by amosunknown 7 · 4 0

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