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Mine started at 3 months and was sick constantly. This winter was the first one where we made it to March without being or for illness. She is 2.5.

It's normal. Once it gets warmer and kids stop putting everything in their mouths, it should let up.

My ped said once you put your kid in daycare expect to be in 2 times per month for sick visits so unfortunately seems normal

My son started last January and was basically sick every 2 weeks until April. Once spring comes it gets better, and the first year is the hardest. This winter we made it to February without anything bigger than a mild cold.

@Mae: it doesn't sound abnormal. My kids started as babies and pretty much just had a constant snotty nose and random fevers. A couple of bad illnesses too.

@lawbee11: glad to hear this. I felt like we were never going to rejoin the rest of the world for a bit there...

Mine started at 6 months in the fall and was crawling at the time. She was sick or getting over something like 3 weeks of every month. They were mostly colds and she dodged all the stomach bugs and HFM, etc. that went around. Not sure how, but she does have a good immune system. It lasted until Spring. We pulled her out then and she hardly ever gets sick now! She's with a SAHM twice a week and her daughter is sick quite a bit, but DD never gets it or if she does it lasts way shorter than the sitters kid. It's rough when you have to take so much time off work and dealing with a sick kid and all that comes with it. Hang in there, summer is right around the corner!!

DS started at 16 months at the beginning of the year, so height of cold and flu season. He also went for a few transitional play dates beginning in mid December. He basically got sick the minute he stepped foot in there. He had two viruses in December, 4 back to back in January, including one nasty stomach virus and one that made DH and I deathly ill for two weeks, then in February he had a constant cold and an ear infection, a week after he finished antibiotics he had a double ear infection that required a stronger antibiotic that gave him explosive diapers for 10 days straight. He has "just" had a runny nose for about 10 days now.

I'm told this is normal??? I'm just hoping the warmer weather helps. We wash our hands and his face and hands pretty much constantly and wipe him down in the car the minute we pick him up.

We started both girls in daycare in the middle of January. They're 1 and 2.5. I was just thinking of posting a similar post about this. For us, they both have constant colds, ( I can handle that part ) but it's the throwing up. All.the.time. Last night my older one started throwing up while DH and I were out on a date and had to come home. Threw up all night. Two days ago the younger one was throwing up all morning. Last week when I took them out of town, they were both throwing up. Two weeks before that one of them was throwing up. I don't know if it's an anxiety thing or a recurring bug thing or what. I'm pretty sure since January, the younger one has had it three times, and the older one.. probably 5-6 times, maybe more. I'm sooo tired of it! I hope it ends soon for you guys!

Sadly it sounds like our experience too. We're doing ok but I miss my family and friends desperately. If my kids aren't sick theirs are.

LO 1 started at 4 months and she was sick all the time until she was 14 months old. Bronchilitis, pneumonia, colds, viruses, etc. She started in April. It sucked!

LO 2 started at 4.5 months and she was sick once or twice her first year in daycare. She started in Sept.

@Alba4: I agree that sometimes its that age 1 year when they are putting things in their mouth, crawling around etc that they pick up more germs. I think by starting my kids early maybe they were able to gain some immunities while they were still little and in a bouncy seat!

@Mae: I could have written your post! My daughter is only in daycare a day and a half a week thanks to my MIL watching her the rest of the time and it seems like when she started around 2 years old, she caught EVERYTHING.

Two things that seem like they've helped us are keeping hand sanitizer wipes in our cars to wipe her hands and face down as soon as we put her in the car after daycare and changing her clothes from daycare as soon as we get home. It might be overkill but I'm desperate!

My oldest started at 12 weeks old in January a few years ago and he had very frequent ear infections for the first year or so. After that things were pretty smooth (still had colds and I think pink eye a few times) but last spring at 3 years old he started with strep throat. He got it again this spring but he doesn't usually feel terrible with it.

My youngest started at 12 weeks in July and faired pretty good the first year(colds and a few ear infections). Last fall when he was 19 months he got bronchiolitis and pneumonia (had to have a 3 day hospital stay) and the week after he returned to day care got hand foot and mouth and he has pretty much had a cold ever since then.

Unfortunately it stinks but I think it's the norm!

DD started at 10 months (last Oct) and was definitely sick back to back to back forever, each time a new thing! Finally calmed down now. I don't think it was all THAT bad... Hopefully her immune system is now impeccable, lol!

I think it depends on when they start daycare too?

DS started daycare in September but went full-time in November when illnesses were ramping up at daycare. It was just before turning 1. He was sick every 2-3 weeks (home for 3-4 days each week) until February. Stomach bugs, HFM, fevers. Luckily, our schedules are flexible enough that our work didn't suffer too much.

It's now March, and he has been good for about 6 weeks now. The weather has been warming up earlier this year and i'm hoping we'll have healthier days ahead of us.

DD started daycare in March just before turning 1 and it was only bad the first two weeks (fever) because we were still into winter here. In the 2 years she was there, she only had to stay home 3 times.

This sounds normal (unfortunately) and i've heard of kids going through worse in the first few weeks. Hope things get better for you!

Blah, I'm sorry. This was our first year of day care with LO1, and now LO2. LO1 started day care only 2 days/week at 14 months, and he was sick CONSTANTLY. Ear infections left and right, stomach bugs, GI bugs...you name it. He's 3.5 now, and while he does have a constant runny nose in the winter, he's doing much better.

LO2 on the other hand is 6 months, goes 5 days/week, and he's been in day care for less than 2 months. He's had a GI bug, double ear infection that didn't react to the first antibiotic, so we put him on another one...just finished that and he got a stomach bug that he literally just got over. The poor kid hasn't had a normal poop in 2 months with GI issues, antibiotic reactions, and stomach bug issues. Today may be the first day he is well, and I'm not counting on that lasting...

DD started preschool at 2.5 her first winter we were at the pediatricians once a week for nine weeks straight. I'm including well visits and visits for little sister that caught everything big sister brought home... and the ER visit for little sister when baby sister was only six days old.
It was a rough winter.

@SweetiePie: My friend is a SAHM and kept her kid at home until preschool at 3 years old and he was sick a lot the first year. Another friend had her 2 and 3 year old start preschool together this past year and they have basically been sick off and on the whole year. She and her husband have been scrambling to cover their work while staying home with the kids when they're sick and was advising all working parents to diligently save their PTO the year before their kids start preschool! I think it's just the nature of the beast. Everyone says the second year is better, so it's better to get it out of the way in daycare/preschool than in kinder, Etc.

Fwiw, S has been sick a lot since December, but every month he is sick less often and for shorter amounts of time. I think the number of kids also affects things - he has a group of maybe 5-6 littles with him and a few older kids who drop in here and there for a few hours after school. At his preschool that he will start in the fall he will have 8-10 kids in his class.