WWYD - daycare

Daycare sent DD home because of a fever. This is after we finished up antibiotics for a double ear infection.... again.

I understand babies / kids will get sick mor eoften in daycare but I feel like she's always battling something. Even the doc mentioned it may be time to find a new place.

And it's getting expensive. We are paying for her daycare but she's missed days from being sick, I get sick and keep her home, I call in using sick time and all the copays... it's adding up!

So I'm now i'm not sure what I should do. My options are:
A. Find a new place
B. Re work my schedule so I won't need daycare. Iwork nights so I can work mostly weekends and suck it up one day during the week.
C. Find a PT job, work weekends when DH is home. - He's not totally on board with this option.

Re: WWYD - daycare

DS was in daycare part time. There was a time when all he did was have ear infections. He always had his hand in the mouth. SO i figured with the touching stuff at school, then hands in mouth = lots of germs.

However, at 3.5 now he's hardly sick.

that said, I had a coworker whose daughter was always sick from her daycare. they pulled her and switched to an in home sitter. She was doing well after that.

If its constant sickness, you may need to visit the idea of switching her daycare :(

WWYD - daycare

I would consider looking into another daycare. Have you spoken with other moms of infants in class with your lo...do they have the same problem

Re: WWYD - daycare

what about trying to find someplace that is smaller with less kids or splitting a nanny? we have dd in a certified in-home day care and she only has a total of 9 kids who are never there all at once. dd is usually only around 2-3 other kids most of the day.
she still has had her fair share of illnesses and colds, but i think it comes with the territory of being around other kids. limiting the number of kids your DC is exposed to might help. good luck with whatever you decide!

WWYD - daycare

Id consider looking into a new place...

Maybe if it was the middle of cold and flu season... yeah, they catch more... but now is when they shouldnt be getting much... and if they do get sick - and its something like ear infection - dr should be able to give a note saying they can go back.

WWYD - daycare

I deal with this also. DS is a preemie and this winter had RSV and bronchiolitis. He was sick almost the entire month of December, January and February. And still now, he gets sick, spends 2 weeks fighting it, one week healthy and then sick again. It gets expensive and tthere is no easy answer. Now we have to do a nebulizer everyday before daycare so I run even later. Personally I am going to suck it up for the summer because we are trying for #2 and I will not be returning to work when that happens. If that was not the situation, I would start looking for a new daycare.

Re: WWYD - daycare

When my DD1 started daycare four years ago she constantly got sick. I don't think it's a matter of the daycare itself. It's more the nature of little ones who are just starting to develop their immune system. Unfortunately lots of kids in close contact mean higher risk of illness. The good news is that the instances of sick decrease as they get older. My DD1 is almost four and she's been doing well and is in the same daycare. I will be starting DD2 there next month.

Re: WWYD - daycare

I think this is indicative of any daycare...I put my oldest DD at 1.5 years old and right away she was sick every 2 weeks or less. It gets less and less as they get older. I dont think it can be helped at a daycare. I'm putting my 3 month old in soon and I'm so nervous, but nothing I can do. My Ped said its ok, we have to do what we have to do and their immune systems will be much better when they are older.

Now that its springtime, it may be better. The wintertime is awful.

Re: WWYD - daycare

If B and C are going to disrupt your family
Life and make things difficult I would stick it out where you are. My DS is watched by a babysitter and he is around other kids but he doesn't get sick very often. I think if you stick it out where you are things will probably get better!!

Re: WWYD - daycare

Re: WWYD - daycare

I have the same issue. My daughter has been sick a million times since she started daycare a year ago. It sucks but I think you will have that issue at any daycare. My ped basically said they will have it now from daycare or later when they start school if they don't do daycare now because they have to build up immunity. I am just hoping that happens soon. I will say though, it seems this past winter was particularly brutal will illnesses. Even at my work everybody was getting really sick with flu and stomach viruses. Personally I would hang in there longer to see if it improves in the summer months. Good luck!

WWYD - daycare

Is she fairly new to daycare? When DD first started - for probably that first year, she was sick constantly. Any daycare is going to send a child home with a fever. The good news is it does get better. Knock on wood, this season DD was not sent home once.

Re: WWYD - daycare

maybe look into a nanny, or an at home daycare that has less kids?

Re: WWYD - daycare

WWYD - daycare

IMO its just part of being in daycare. If you can change your schedule and not have it impact your life and family then I would but pulling her out and putting her in a different daycare won't solve the problem.

DS is in daycare and is always sick but I know this is just temporary and in a year or so it will change.

ETA- it also might just be that your DD gets sick more often......I know there are kids in DS class that are always sick sick where others just get the colds.

Message edited 5/13/2013 11:58:50 AM.

Re: WWYD - daycare

Is your DD in a daycare center or an in-home daycare?

If she's in a center, I would start looking around at in-home daycares. They tend to be less expensive and not so germy. DS has been going to an in-home daycare for 2 years now and has been sick, needing to come home, maybe 3 times.

Re: WWYD - daycare

How often are you talking about?

When DS#1 was watched by my mom, he was still constantly getting sick from places like Gymboree.

Now I have 2 kids in preschool. DS#1 and DS#2 take turns getting sick, especially in the winter months. I never thought about pulling them out or changing schools. Between the 2 kids, there were some months that I felt like as soon as one kid got better, the other one got sick and then got the other kid sick. It was a vicious cycle.

Re: WWYD - daycare

Re: WWYD - daycare

Thanks ladies for your replies. She's had 3 or four ear infections and I'd say throughout the winter she had constant cold / sniffle. DH and I have been getting sick too and missing work using sick time. This passed week I payed for 2 days and got 4 hours of care because they sent her home with a temp which she had all weekend. She's been in daycare for 4 months.