Help me with the reality of school nursery

[Wednesdaywobbles]

My 3 year olds have just started school
nursery. One of my DD’s was only there for 2 days before she was off for a week with conjunctivitis, then we were isolating for a week ahead of DD’s operation. Followed by 2 weeks off to recover from said operation.

So since she started on 8th Sept she’s only had 2 full days there.

she’s gone back today, but waiting in line practically every single child there was coughing and spluttering (the nursery was closed for 2 days last week as all the staff had covid)

Is this totally normal at this time of year?

My DD has recovered well from her operation but she is so tiny (she isn’t even on the growth centile charts - currently under an endocrinologist for this). She picks up every single bug going.

I suspect this is just how it is but would love to hear other peoples experiences

Totally normal. I assume your DC have not been in any form of childcare before now? They will therefore be being exposed to more bugs than normal and will come down with everything (and I suspect Covid isolation has exacerbated this as their immune systems are even less built up than they would normally be).

My DC went to a nursery for childcare purposes, but there was one winter I swear they were off every other week with something or other.

It's also bad in Reception and then seems to settle down (for most children anyway).

Be sanguine. Exposure to these bugs is building her immunity.
Yes, she's going to get colds. Sounds like she's a bit vulnerable though so keep her off if she seems a bit under the weather. Attendance at nursery is a bit less strict than school.

My ds always picked up every bug going as soon as nursery or school went back in September, all the kids seemed to be unwell at that time of year. In fact we have just realised that this September was the first September he has not had a day off sick from school since he started school or nursery and he is now 15!

Thank you for your replies, they have attended private nursery but it was very small and they were only there for 2 mornings a week. The new nursery is much larger than their previous setting so it’s quite a bit different.

She is a little vulnerable (her twin sister is totally opposite, totally normal height & weight and is rarely poorly), so I do worry about her, but we’re hoping her recent operation will help her a lot (tonsils & adenoids removed and grommets fitted)

Totally normal my DD started last April as rising 3 and this sept now as Nursery and so far she was off School last week because of a sickness bug and now today she's off because of a cold and slight temperature.
I'm only bracing myself for it to become more and more frequent as the weather gets worse lots of children will be going in with colds and bugs to spread to one another.

Our three year old started school nursery this term. He has been in private nursery or childminder since 6 months.

We expected it to be tough but have had two colds and two sickness bugs already, all of which are transferred through the family no matter how hard we try. They are just too young for it not to be the case.

Grim and exhausting but nothing too serious, it's just the cumulative effect that's tough. Provided your daughter isn't at additional risk I think hang on and recognise that this bit is as hard as babyhood.

Sorry, but it is normal. Kids of that age spend literally all winter snotty and coughy. You just have to ride it out. All that happens if you try to avoid it is it happens later, when they're older, and they miss stuff in school that actually matters.

Totally normal.
Our pre school and school both say to send kids with colds as its 'just a cold' obviously if a dc is vulnerable that's different if they're ill.
But as a rule they go, there's always a colds, coughs, chicken pox, upset tummy bugs going round.
My youngest gets everything going as new to pre school but others seem to have built a good immune system

Our school nursery has the children spending a huge amount of time outside. Traditionally our illness rates have been pretty low. This year though has been exceptional. So many coughs and colds I guess many of these children lived their baby and toddlerhood in lockdown so just don't have the same immunity as children in previous cohorts.

Completely normal I'm afraid, at the worst points mine was off every two weeks. He's now 3.5 and seems to have better immunity (having been in nursery since 1, bar Covid lockdowns). Last autumn when all the restrictions were lifted I honestly thought about quitting work, he was ill so much (and so was I).

It sounds like your little one will be a bit more vulnerable to illness and take longer to shake it off, but unfortunately the illnesses will get her whether it's now or when she goes to school.

This is completely normal.
A bit off topic but my son has a heart condition and I also worried because he is also tiny and very susceptible to illness. He inevitably got everything going when he first started nursery. I spoke to a dietitian who prescribed him high calorie milk drinks that they give cancer patients - this meant that although he still got ill, instead of losing too much weight as often happens when unwell, it helped to stabilise him. Might be worth considering for your DD

Completely normal. Last winter ours were 3 (in private nursery and nursery school) and 1 (in private nursery), both in full time. Plus all the covid testing regs. I think there was one week between Sept and Christmas that DH and I both worked 5 days.

Frankly it is brutal, but it's just one of those things.

I still remember the time when DS1 was 3-4 (at nursery) and DS2 was 1-2 as just being one illness after another - chicken pox, colds, coughs, sickness bugs - I asked the GP if I was doing anything wrong, should I be giving them vitamins, she said no it is normal. That spring in particular, it felt like we were housebound for about three months! Happy to report that as older kids (touch wood) they seem to have quite robust immune systems.

Completely normal. My two are at primary school. One has been off for 2 days, the other 1 day. Hardly anyone in school yesterday because of bugs - colds, sickness, hand foot & mouth!
They need exposure to them to build up immunity. If you lived in a sterile bubble, you'd be I'll the minute you stepped foot outside of it!
It does get better, but a snotty nose or cough shouldn't stop them going to school or nursery.