Looking for solidarity! Anyone else going through the just started nursery stream of Illnesses?

[Reesewithafork]

DS 2.5 started in April. Since then we’ve had viral infections, a throat infection, colds, all come with a horrible cough that lingers.

He had just got over an upper respiratory tract infection and then literally 8 days later, after going back to nursery for a week, he’s picked up a viral infection with a horrible mucuousy cough. DH and I are broken! So tired all the time.

he’s only in for two half days a week and yet it’s one week on and one week off at the moment - is this normal?? The doctors keep saying it is and it’s just because of Covid lockdown etc but I’m at my wits end with it and it’s only been 2 months.

he’s also got inhalers for asthma now as they think this is why he gets a cough with absolutely everything so I’m hoping that in time they will knock the constant cough on the head but dear god.

I’ve considered pulling him out of nursery altogether as it’s awful for all of us and we are basically paying for him to get ill and not be there, but I know it will be the same again whenever he starts.

just wanted to vent really.

tell me it gets easier?

Oh everything comes with a fever as well. I should have bought shares in calpol 🤪

This is really normal. I remember when my youngest started at nursery I thought I’d never be able to work again because she was always so poorly.

But it does get better. And if you didn’t do it now then he would be having it when he starts school, and missing a lot of valuable learning.

Dd has been at nursery 2 days a week since March and has basically done alternate weeks. God knows what we would do if I worked full time, we're noth running out of leave to use to cover the days off and its only halfway through the year. Plus the torture of everyone being ill in the house /no sleep it does make me wonder if its worth it too!

It’s so hard isn’t it? I’m self employed and just haven’t been able to work because when they’re poorly it’s a full time job in itself, plus no nursery! Fortunately we haven’t come down with it every time, but I’m sickening for something this time.

people did warn me but I naively wasn’t expecting it to be this frequent! It’s been making me worry that he has some kind of underlying condition that’s meant he’s catching bloody everything.

Also, does anyone know how long this generally lasts?

It gets better OP. By the time they get to school they'll hardly ever need any time off. My son had one day off during the entirely of secondary school and not much more than that during primary.

It does get better OP but it took over a year for us to see a 'thinning out' in the frequency of illnesses.

Unfortunately I can relate, when my LO started I was shocked at the amount of things she was picking up and bringing home to share amongst her siblings. It was brutal, at one point my OH said let’s pull her out but I said it will happen when she starts school anyway, it can’t be avoided as can’t keep kids indoors forever! Just keep the meds stocked up I guess.

I think this is it, I wasn’t expecting it to be every other week! My heart sinks every time he gets a fever or something and I realise he’s picked something else up

My personal favourite was when DD got norovirus (which we all got too) then after recovering instantly started a throat infection. Really hoping it does improve soon!

@BreakinbadBreakineven thats what this last week has been like! I wouldn’t mind but none of my friends kids seem to be as bad, I was starting to think DS is just particularly sickly but this thread is somewhat reassuring

Oh I remember it so well! DD lost so much weight that individual spine bones visible and when she bent over she looked like a dinosaur

Oh poor thing @withiceplease

I don’t think I was expecting it to be this bad over the warmer months either I had it in my head that winter would be when he caught everything

It is normal and some kids just pick up things worse than others too. We've run the gamut of nursery plagues, DD generally shrugs them off within 24-48 hours but DH and I went from October to January basically ill the entire time. It was rotten! We've had nothing since the turn of the year so either we exhausted every single ailment or our immune systems have got better!

I remember that. It never stopped. Mine were in the germ pool that is a nursery from 6 months to 4.5 years. I used all my annual leave up as did DH, with sick DC.

Just coming on to say this is very normal. I was so close to pulling DC out but glad we persevered. It was so painful at the time though. One week on and one week off. I felt so bad for him being so poorly what seemed constantly. It was really hard financially aswell as we still paid nursery fees but also then took unpaid leave off work! However after 4/5months it improved vastly and he's been there a year now and we only get the very odd occasion now. He also seems to bounce back quicker when before it'd take a full week. Hang in there!

My DD has had everything since starting nursery, from tonsillitis to chest infections to ear infections, to cold after cold after cold with a cough thrown in for good measure. Just when we thought it was getting better and the better weather, she comes down with chicken pox!!
I really don't know what else she can get! I feel like we have just paid to "build up her immune system" so far!

We are always told by our GP on our numerous visits that it is all normal, and just to stock up on Calpol.

Did your son have many illnesses pre starting nursery? My daughter was a covid baby so limited exposure and no baby groups, so had had one cold after a wedding and that was it! I checked her nursery app recently and worked out it was close to 5 months before managed a week of full attendance.

She was getting 3-4 bugs/month, not joking/exaggerating. Mix of viral upper respiratory tract infections, tummy bugs and also hand, foot and mouth and one bad chest infection requiring antibiotics. Had her 1 year jabs 3 months late as was ages before well enough/fever free😓

Think the main thing that helped was time, just getting her immune system built up. Also if you can manage it work wise, extending the time she is off before going back to nursery - we were putting her in asap when meeting criteria fever free >24h or no vomiting/diarrhoea >48h and she wasn't normally back to eating properly, but needed both us parents at work.

After the bad chest infection I had a week off work and kept her off nursery and made all her fave foods and packed in veggies and that seemed to be the start of a better time (about 3+ months in) then had natural breaks due to Easter holidays and seemed to be better and less poorly with the subsequent bugs. She had even lost weight so started prioritising her over work and having more frequent "firebreaks" so taking her out of nursery to give time to fully rest and recover (she naps less at nursery). Obvs this isn't possible for everyone.

She's just had some time off nursery for a bad virus this week and it has actually been 3 months since she last missed nursery through sickness! It does get better, the awful sleep and illness will improve. Also found a humidifier seemed to help with coughing and speed up recovery though could have been coincidence as just her immunity building.

He had probably only had one or two things after we started going to soft play. So not much at all by the time he started nursery.

unfortunately he’s had so many things recently he’s had three lots of antibiotics! Really hoping he doesn’t need them for anything else, I’ve got a good probiotic for him to try and help his gut as I know it’s not good for him but not a lot you can do when they need them.

I was actually relieved this one is viral!

Did anyone else find they had to have more antibiotics than they would have liked?

oh yes to stocking up on calpol! Poor kid probably things it’s a snack at this point

Gearing myself up for another night of no sleep due to coughing.. plus I’m getting it too now!

sending sympathy to anyone going through the same!

It is normal and it does get better, but I absolutely feel for you, it's such a hard stage. My 3.5 yr old hasn't been off nursery due to illness now in about 6 months which is a record!

We had this with all 4 DCs and it intermittently lasted all the way through nursery. It’s just a germ pool! I do sympathise, it make working really hard. The only benefit was that when they got to school, their immune system was hard core and they’ve never really had any time off school in years. Take the antibiotics if needed, they are free and we’re lucky to live in a country where they are easily available and sort out a poorly little one.

DS started in September. Since then he’s had a permanent runny nose which develops into a cold roughly every three weeks or so. We’ve also had sickness and diarrhoea, persistent cough which became a chest infection and impetigo. Currently waiting for chicken pox to hit as it appears everyone second child in my town as it.

The first year is the worst (or so I’m told)

Thanks for the solidarity. It’s so so hard isn’t it. I’m wondering whether to just give up work for a bit, I haven’t been working much due to some mental health issues anyway, but with the cost of living rising so much I feel like I should be working more not less!

he hasn’t had any of the big ones yet (hand foot and mouth, chicken pox) so I’m sure we’ve got those to come, and we haven’t had a sickness bug which is the one I’m absolutely dreading! Fingers crossed we get spared that one for a while.

I’ve just been to check on him and he has a temperature of 39.1 but is actually sleeping soundly for the first time in a few nights, so I’ve dosed him up with calpol and am hoping he will sleep through and feel better for it in the morning.

anyone know how long viral infections usually last? 🤪