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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if anyone's child DIDNT get sick loads from nursery and school?

80 replies

DinosaurTrain · 08/01/2015 11:55

DS starts tomorrow. He doesn't really need to go as such, but I thought it would be good for him so I do have choice here.

He's rarely sick and recovers quick - I on the other hand have spent Dec/jan unwell with a day or 2 here or there being ok ish in between

Is it ALWAYS the rule that they get sick tons at first? Hmm

Please someone tell me of their magical unicorn child who continued to not get sick after starting nursery?!

OP posts:
victoire1208 · 08/01/2015 21:22

Dd has been plagued constantly since the autumn. I went to the docs as an ear infection developed and mentioned this constant illness. He said its completely normal. Their immune systems are bolstered by periods of repeated illness. He said it often happens as toddlers or when they start school, he perkily said try to see each cold as 1 down 299 to go.

Purplehonesty · 09/01/2015 04:01

Dammit I spoke to soon. I have a very hot ds in bed beside me as he was sick all over his.....
So add one sick bug to my list! He will be gutted missing school tomorrow but I think it might be closed due to the winds anyway...

TeacupDrama · 09/01/2015 07:52

DD was only off in nursery for a bug once she is in P1 (reception in England) and been off with chicken pox she has had odd sniffle but not enough to be off school

muminhants · 09/01/2015 08:39

My son caught lots of stuff at nursery eg chicken pox, baby measles, slapped cheek etc. I don't know exactly how many days he had off sick at infants as he had a week off for an operation and the odd day at other times, but at juniors it was 2 during the 4 years. He's in Y7 now.

As for nits - I never got them as a child but he's had them three times - all at school.

feelingunsupported · 09/01/2015 08:44

I think it's all about luck!

Ds is nearly 3 - has been at nursery 2 days a week since he was 7 months and has only had 2 sickness bugs (he was prem too so had been warned by well meaning family members that he'd 'always be ill if you put him in nursery')

There are always signs up at nursery saying that chicken pox / head lice / hand, foot and mouth etc are going round but ds has dodged them so far

Hakluyt · 09/01/2015 08:50

No, mine didn't. But they are very rarely ill anyway. I sometimes wonder whether I have a different definition of "ill" to other people.............

Mrsstevejones · 09/01/2015 09:03

DD went at 2 - 2 half days a week, didnt really get sick - that i remember.

Did, however catch chicken pox that she then duly passed on to 3 month old DS -sigh.

She has been going a year now, the nursery has had cases of impetigo, hand, foot and mouth disease and vomiting bugs but has been lucky enough not to come down with them but that might be due to her only attending 2 half days a week and not due to super human levels of immunity!

canweseethebunnies · 09/01/2015 09:17

It depends what you mean by sick. Mine had endless colds all through the winter, but only something more serious a handful of times.

MERLYPUSSEDOFF · 09/01/2015 10:12

My (boy) twins got chicken pox at pre school within a week of each other. For me, it was good to have them get it early. At school we have had hardly any colds etc passed on. They seem to get more from family as they have closer contact with cuddles and kissing. They don't do the running around the playground holding hands thing, which I think could be a source of passing bugs?

WhispersOfWickedness · 09/01/2015 10:27

Nope, mine are rarely ill, they've not even had chicken pox yet Confused

DD did bring some headlice home for the Christmas holidays though Hmm

thedevilinside · 09/01/2015 10:55

Not much since year three I would say, the school are quite strict on D & V bugs, so they tend to catch those from selfish buggers who socialise when still contagious, rather than from school.

MamaLazarou · 09/01/2015 11:19

My son caught chicken pox when he first started nursery 3 years ago but since then has never been ill (touch wood)

Good luck OP.

BeCool · 09/01/2015 11:32

DD1 had chick pox by the first half term at nursery - which I was happy with. She didn't get much else from there.

DD2 started in September and has had nothing yet - mind you we were all down with dreadful flu over Xmas and she didn't get that either. She is a teflon kid.

Both DC went to lots of playgroups from about 8 months though (with our CM) so I don't know if that makes any difference.

NoLongerJustAShopGirl · 09/01/2015 11:36

mine were ill in nursery and reception, but have not had anything since age 5 - they don't come down with sick bugs or even sniffles - and now they are 12 and 14.

(I thought that was how it was supposed to be - bombard the kids' systems with everything by socialising them when really young, then you get a healthy, strong immune system for later on)

OldBeanbagz · 09/01/2015 11:37

DD went 3 days a week to nursery and caught the odd cold plus nits (once) and chicken pox.

DS went full time and never caught anything. Not even chicken pox which he still hasn't had. He's now 10.

kickassangel · 09/01/2015 11:40

DD was fine. She appears to have an incredibly robust immune system and rarely has a day off school.

NotCitrus · 09/01/2015 12:26

Ds had sniffles for about 6 months but still well enough for nursery. Anything that made him poorly enough to stay home, he kindly saved for my days off, so only missed a day a year for 5 years, including the perfect timing of chicken pox just before Easter, and breaking bones just before our holiday (handily within the UK so had follow-up X-ray in Devon!)

Dd has now been in nursery 2 years and not missed a day because invariably she perks up and demands to go. But has given me loads of colds...

GreenPetal94 · 09/01/2015 12:56

My boys are now 11 and 13 and other than chicken pox and a broken leg they have had under ten days off school or nursery each from age 2 to date. I don't think its inevitable kids will get sick, I don't do anything magic with mine and they have always been bad at hand washing. We just get the odd cold.

We have had headlice once and only one member of family got it, it did not spread.

MummyPig24 · 09/01/2015 13:04

My children started pre school at 2 and they have rarely been sick. Ds1 is 7 and hasn't even had chickenpox.

Surreyblah · 09/01/2015 13:14

I think nurseries should publish sickness absence rates! Some are better than others on hygiene IMO.

Dd1 had 9 full weeks off nursery in 18 months (aged 13 months up). Mainly gastro bugs and ear infections. Poor thing. Didn't go down well with work! Now in year 2 and generally fine.

Dd2 went to a CM. She was never sick, nor is she now she's at preschool.

JoffreyBaratheon · 09/01/2015 13:32

My kids' primary school had a caretaker that looked like a tramp. Hygiene and he were not friends. It was obvious. And I swear, the whole time they were at that school, from Reception to Y6, every year there were several plagues and epidemics that spread to the point almost every kid in their class would have to have days off... when they got bugs it wasn't a small % of the class, but loads of the kids. I felt sure the caretaker wasn't wiping the door knobs with Detox or something - never known a school like it. I felt like complaining a hundred times when my kids got ill, one after the other, and all their friends, and all their classmates.

I used to do daily supply as a primary teacher so have worked in many primary schools and never, ever worked in one where sickness bugs were so constant, endemic and affected so many kids. The Head and teachers didn't even seem to notice. I wish there was a way parents could complain anonymously - it was obviously the caretaker not doing his job properly.

The second my kids hit Y7 and a different school - no more bugs.

I never worked in a school where if a bug hit a class, 90% plus of the kids would go down with it - several kids, at the most.

Labtest7 · 09/01/2015 13:51

Mine started reception on treatment for leukaemia (diagnosed in nursery) and still averaged a 77% attendance til treatment finished in year 2. Most of her absences were due to appointments and fatigue from steroids than on anything she caught at school. In fact the only thing she picked up at school was slapped cheek. She wasnt ill but did require 6 blood transfusions because of it.

mimilovell · 09/01/2015 14:49

Yes my child is breastfeed and unvaccinated. We also found that other children whose parents made the same choice, also did not get ill as much as the vaccinated kids.

Hakluyt · 09/01/2015 14:52

" We also found that other children whose parents made the same choice, also did not get ill as much as the vaccinated kids."

Bollocks.

Bellwether · 09/01/2015 17:04

I don't think it has to be a rule. My son's only been sick once in 3 years.