K is starting daycare part time next week (*sob* where did my baby go?) and I've had several people ask me if I'm prepared for how sick she's going to be. She's 16 months and never been sick, so I'm completely unprepared. Is there anything I can do to prevent the sickness from happening? Or do I just need to stock the medicine cabinet and hope for the best?
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I wish!!
I will say that DD started at 15 months and she was sick a lot but no where near as much as DS was who started at 5 months!
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Nope, just hope for the best! Purell her hands on the way out of daycare. My LO only goes to daycare once a week (started at 4mo) and last winter it seemed like he picked up a new cold every week. We always give him a good bath after daycare too.
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I don't think there's really anything you can do, or at least not that anyone has told me. Our first winter in day care was brutal. But what they say about their immune systems eventually catching up seems to be true - now at almost 2, my LO hasn't even had a runny nose in months. I do make him wash his hands every day before we leave school. No idea if it helps but it makes me feel better!
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Mostly make sure her hands are washed all the time, but other than that, stock up on meds and wish for the best!
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She has to build an immune system some time
. Lots of rest, clean hands, good/nourishing food.....I think that's a you have! For us, it wasn't too bad until January
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other than hand washing frequently, not much you can do. charlie had a perpetual cold his first two winters, but almost never severe enough to keep him from school. mostly a runny nose or cough. olive got way less sick because she grew up around charlie's daycare germs. once charlie was 3, he rarely got sick so their immune systems do eventually get stronger!
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E was sick for the first few months no matter what we tried. Good luck, its totally worth it because they get so much out of it and have loads of fun.
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Your LO might not get as sick as a baby. Half of Lo's sickness issues and the majority of LO's fevers & antibiotics were ear aches. The doctor said by 18 months ear tubes should handle colds much better.
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Honestly, (knock on wood) LO had a runny nose when she started in January, got croup in March, and that's been it.
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Our daycare is great about getting the kids to wash their hands all the time... but you still can't stop them from passing sicknesses back and forth. Our experience was the first year was the worst. Now our daughter almost never gets sick though.
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Thank you everyone! I was definitely hoping for some sort of HB secret trick to no sickness ;), but you're all making it seem way less scary that what my mommy friends have been warning me about....
@blackbird: that's a fair point! We've had a great run of no sickness, I suppose it's better to happen now than her first day of kindergarten or something.
@Cherrybee: thank you, I'm actually excited for her to start and be around other kids more often!
@singingbee: @Corduroy: @Mamaof2: that sounds promising, hopefully us waiting so long will help it not be so bad.
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@MrsRoo: I'm a teacher , so something that I do to make sure I don't pass on germs is changing my outfit as soon as We get home. We also do a bat h every night. It helps her sleep and we use coconut oil as lotion.
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Have you thought about some essential oils?? I like using Vicks on the feet as a preventative. Also the zarbees cough sryup is natural and has some vitamin c in it.
Also we used to change clothes as soon as she got home.
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I'm not sure that this works 100% but I use a saline nasal spray on myself and LO in winter or when a cold is going around. It's supposed to help! I initially started using it myself years ago to prevent sinus infections that I used to get a lot and since starting it, I haven't had a sinus infection so it works on that front.
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@T.H.O.U.: I have zero experience with essential oils, lol. When do you use the Vicks? Before bed with socks or actually while she's at daycare?
@Aimed: @singingbee: great advice, thank you! I don't know that I would have thought to use saline spray or to be so vigilant about changing her clothes as soon as we get home. -
@MrsRoo: I didn't change her clothes. I figured, she was with everyone it was okay. We also just go to a daycare that's in home. I always changed mine because I teach 6th graders and they are always sneezing and coming down with something.
Eta: when she would start to sound congested I would put her in the bathroom while I took a shower, nose Frieda her, use Maty's all natural rub (like Vick's), and use the baby Vicks plug-ins.
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@MrsRoo: at first sign of any cough I would do the Vicks baby rub on her feet at night and then have her sleep with socks on. The pores of your feet absorb the oils well. Vicks is just an easy option if you don't want to actually get into oils on your own.
Also basically anythinng you can do at the first sign of a cold. Warm baths, steamy bathrooms, saline spray, elevated sleeping etc all help. And like my dad always said, drink some water and go to bed early.
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No idea, but I'm worried about this, too. Liam just started preschool 2 days a week and it's the first time he'll be in a setting with a lot of other kids. He's already almost 2.5, so I hope that means he won't get hit too hard, but I'm definitely nervous for this winter, especially with me being pregnant! And then having a newborn... Ugh not looking forward to him bringing stuff home.
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Wow! Never been sick for 16 mths?!?! That's amazing! As soon as my girl turned 6 mths it was over, cold after cold, cough, hand foot and mouth and endless colds. Washing her hands religiously seems to have lessened the frequency. Good luck!
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My daughter was never sick until she started daycare at 11 months. I EBF until then and I thought it was because of that, but nope. She just hadn't been to daycare and therefore was healthy:) Once we got in daycare, it was constant runny nose, which led to ear infections, which let to tubes, etc...It was definitely a lot for the first 4 or 5 months (plus it was winter, which was super unfortunate timing!)...I really don't think there's anything you can do. My LO stayed so sick it made me definitely doubt that breastfeeding did a darn thing for her at all! I did wean her a couple of months after she started, but homegirl was sick right of the bat!
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I don't know. My one year old just started day care. Never had any kind of illness before. 3 weeks in, and she's had her first cold already. And spread it to me and DH.
I just do my best to wash her hands lot and hope for the best. -
After a handful of colds and ear infections, our pediatrician recommended doing a saline rinse in her nose and then drying it out with out with the nose Frieda every night. I don't know if it was that or just her immune system getting stronger but it worked really well for us.
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I'm not going to lie, our first winter was brutal. She had a perpetual cold and then a scary virus that shot her temp up to nearly 103*. I burned so many sick days between her illness and it getting passed on to me. So far this school hear, we've kept her home for a fever of 101, but mainly it was to avoid getting to work and having to turn around and get her (she's cutting 3 teeth). I hope this winter is better.
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We pulled our LO from daycare because he was so sick. We were in and out of the hospital, on breathing treatments, etc. but it turns out it was just him and the perfect storm. For example, all the puking? Severe food allergy that started at the same time. The hospital trips for RSV and breathing treatments? He has asthma just like his dad. Plus we started in December so duh horrible time.
He starts again Tuesday at a different center. He's almost 11 months old now and I think we will be more successful. We have the allergies under control, his lungs are more developed, yada yada. Good lu ck, I am a huge fan of daycare so I think it's worth it. At least to try it again.
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My LO is 15 months old, has been in daycare since 4 months old, save for a short period with a nanny, and has been sick like twice! You may find yourself pleasantly surprised. DH and I are both exposed to every germ known to man at our jobs, so I am shocked.
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I think it's hit or miss, but really there's not much you can do. My LO has been sick so many times this year (she started daycare at 3.5 months), including over the summer when I thought we'd get a break from it. With that said, everyone I've talked to says that the first year is the worst, and that daycare kids don't seem to get sick as often as other kids once they start school. Who knows if that's true but I'm hoping it is!
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I'm so sorry to say "no" but it's the truth. However, my pediatrician said that some kids will get sick all the time (mine) and some may never get sick. I hope your LO falls into the latter category
. Lots of rest, clean hands, good/nourishing food.....I think that's a you have! For us, it wasn't too bad until January
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