Yet another daycare/illness question

DD has been in daycare for a month. She has, thus far, missed 7 days due to illness and will be out the rest of the week.

She is now on her second ear infection (and second course of antibiotics). Most recently, she had a fever that wouldn't break, which lead to 2 ER trips, the second in which she was cathed and given an IV. They found that she was infected with multiple viruses. She's 6 months old. It was the most miserable day of my life.

I want to pull her out and find a nanny. DH wants to wait it out for at least another month.

Yes, she's building her immune system and she'll never miss a day of kindergarten. Great. I'll let my boss know that needing 10 days off every month will end in four years.

How do you ladies deal with this? Has anyone pulled their DC out because they got sick too much?

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

It won't take 4 years. Dd stopped getting sick that much after the first few months. By her second year there she was NEVER sick. Coxsackie ran rampant in her class that year and she never got it.
I'd give it a little more time

Yet another daycare/illness question

Between 10 months and right before DS turned two was the WORST. I was a substitute teacher, so I had a bit more flexibility at the time. That year Sandy hit, I worked in one of the areas that was hit the hardest so it was about two weeks out of school, DS was sick like once every two weeks, and I had strep throat and fifth's disease at different points in the year. It was HARD because I felt like I was barely at work that year. But it gets better.

I got a lot of push back from DH at first, but we started switching off. I couldn't be the only one handling sick days, and I made him rearrange his schedule so it wasn't just me. If DS wasn't throwing up, my mom or MIL would take him. It does get better.

Message edited 6/28/2016 10:56:07 PM.

Yet another daycare/illness question

I think a lot depends on the kid. I feel like my DS always has a cold, but only occassionally gets really sick even when he was very little. With that said, if there's a stomach bug going around daycare he never gets it, but he always carries it home and gets me sick!!!!

Also - my sister's kids are not in daycare and they're frequently sick.

Eta: my friend's DD goes to the same daycare as us and she's out A LOT. It's really dependent upon the child.

Message edited 6/29/2016 7:07:24 AM.

Yet another daycare/illness question

I agree with Nell. Also why is she out the rest of this week? Does she still have a fever? Ear infection shouldn't keep her home unless the fever won't go away.

While my DS was sick a lot I never kept him home for a cold. Only kept home for fever, rash and diarrhea or vomittinng.

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Yes I also agree with the others that a lot of it has to do with the kid themselves. Everyone's immunity is different.
She was rarely every sick after that first year of daycare.
Like never had a stomach bug except one time in 5 years. Never caught the coxsackie going around, etc

Then started K and was sick a few times- flu, ear infection, etc.

My Dh is never sick, I feel like I'm sick all the time.

Some kids are sick constantly and they stay home, others are in daycare and rarely sick.
It's really luck of the immune system lottery IMO

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Every child is different. DS had a nanny but started daycare at 18 months old. He was basically sick on and off his entire first year. DD started daycare at 11 weeks old. She's 13+ months old now and has only been sick once.

Personally, I'd ride it out. Daycare is the best thing for my kids and having done both, I'm much happier in this setting.

As others have asked, why are you keeping the baby out all week? I never kept DS home for an ear infection unless he was running a fever. And usually once he started antibiotics, his fever broke and he'd be back at daycare.

Yet another daycare/illness question

Give it some more time. Also in regards to keeping her home and you having to take off so much from work, can the number of days be reduced? Meaning, are you keeping her home when she doesn't need to be kept home? DD is prone to ear infections and has been on antibiotics for every one of them. When the fever goes away, she goes to daycare -- even if she's whiny, etc. Keep in mind most kids tend to run warmer than adults so a 99.5 for a kid isn't really a fever. My pediatrician considers fever to be anything above a 100.5 and even then, its considered a mild, low-grade fever.

Message edited 6/29/2016 10:09:12 AM.

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

I'm going to take the opposite stance... this was top on my list of reasons I had a nanny instead of daycare.

I never bought the "she'll never miss a day of Kindergarten" argument and still don't. I'd much rather an older child, with a stronger immune system, that can tell me what's wrong, that's old enough to give meds to and can sleep through the night when sick, than a sick infant.

When DD turned 3 and went to p/t preschool did get her "welcome to the school world" sicknesses, about 3 colds, a stomach bug, and strep for the whole school year. The next year she had 2 colds and that was it. She starts Kindergarten in the fall.

DS is 3 and has never had an ear infection, DD who is 5.5 has had 2.

Because I read everyone on here moan about how daycare was setting their kids up to be germ-fighting machines when they were older I had asked my ped about it when she was little "am I doing a disservice having a nanny?" and she said absolutely not, immune systems develop as kids get older and as long as DD wasn't living in a bubble she'd pick up her share of immunities.

Just in case you wanted some more pro-nanny ammo for your DH...

Yet another daycare/illness question

Thanks all. The ER told us not to send her back until after we f/u with the ped, which we're doing on Friday.

I think we're going to give it the rest of the summer and see how it goes, more so because we can't find a nanny by next week than because I'm dying for her to stay. If she's still constantly getting sick we will re-evaluate.

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Posted by melbalalala

I never bought the "she'll never miss a day of Kindergarten" argument and still don't. I'd much rather an older child, with a stronger immune system, that can tell me what's wrong, that's old enough to give meds to and can sleep through the night when sick, than a sick infant.

Just in case you wanted some more pro-nanny ammo for your DH...

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Some kids never build the immunity. My niece is in elementary school and is still always sick. Other kids, only get sick a few times and then stop. If ER trips are involved and it's that serious, I wouldn't hesitate to pull my child out. It must be the sicknesses going around lately... I know so many kids being hospitalized. It's insane.

Yet another daycare/illness question

My daycare kid is sick far less than my non daycare kid. It's like she brings home whatever illness is floating around but doesn't contract it herself, just passes it to the baby. My daycare kid has been going for 18 months. She's been sick maybe 2 times in the past year. Before that, she did get sick a lot. We just pushed through. The baby though. She was in daycare for 3.5 months and never got a chance to build up her immune system. Now she's sick every few weeks. It's awful. I can't wait to put her back in daycare.

Are you at a big center or a small daycare. I find the big centers to be more germ filled than the smaller places (based on my experience working at daycares and sending my kids).

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

I think it completely depends on the kid. My DS was in daycare from 11 weeks old. After we got through a few months of ear infections, he got ear tubes at 15 months... and he literally only missed a few days of school for the next 4 years!
This was his first year of kindergarten... he had two days of croup and that was it.
My DD is 9 months old and also started daycare at 12 weeks. She had croup for two days and a fever virus for 2 days.. but that's all so far. Hoping she builds the immunity my son has..

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

Posted by melbalalala

I'm going to take the opposite stance... this was top on my list of reasons I had a nanny instead of daycare.

I never bought the "she'll never miss a day of Kindergarten" argument and still don't. I'd much rather an older child, with a stronger immune system, that can tell me what's wrong, that's old enough to give meds to and can sleep through the night when sick, than a sick infant.

When DD turned 3 and went to p/t preschool did get her "welcome to the school world" sicknesses, about 3 colds, a stomach bug, and strep for the whole school year. The next year she had 2 colds and that was it. She starts Kindergarten in the fall.

DS is 3 and has never had an ear infection, DD who is 5.5 has had 2.

Because I read everyone on here moan about how daycare was setting their kids up to be germ-fighting machines when they were older I had asked my ped about it when she was little "am I doing a disservice having a nanny?" and she said absolutely not, immune systems develop as kids get older and as long as DD wasn't living in a bubble she'd pick up her share of immunities.

Just in case you wanted some more pro-nanny ammo for your DH...

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

we missed 4-5 days in 3 months... then got coxsackie and missed another 6 days

he is on a 3 day per week schedule

bye bye $$$$$$$$$$$$$

Re: Yet another daycare/illness question

The first few months were tough. But it really does get better. And daycare was one of our best decisions for DD.