To ask if the first winter in childcare is as bad for germs as everyone says?

[childcaresettling]

Particularly if it’s a small setting (5-8 children total each day, goes two days).

no other new starters so they’ve all done at least a year in childcare. My LO is nearly 2, so went to baby classes etc last winter but I’m sure that’s not the same

So I have an idea, can everyone share how disruptive it was to their work (or not), how often they were off and if it really was like everyone says?

First year of childcare my medicine box was full of allsorts of remedies and supplies.
Slapped cheek to flu ..colds..everything

The first year or two, is constant illness.
It’s great for immune system but I’d get used to being off work due to dependency leave or working from home if you can. You get through it, OP. I have had 2. It’s hard but it does end. Good luck

3 x conjunctivitis and that was it. Every child is different.

It very much depends on the child, and also how much they have already been exposed to.

DS1 started at the start of spring and for the first 3-4 months missed more nursery than he went. He started at 12 months.

DS2 started in winter at 15 months but had already been exposed to so many germs through having an older sibling in nursery that he was generally ok (but did have a rough first 12 months of his life with two really bad episodes of RSV that left him seriously ill together with many other bugs).

I have three good friends who I met through NCT for my first so our children all started nursery around the same time - one was never ill, one was ill a handful of times and the other had twins where one twin was also often ill whereas the other wasn’t!

In terms of us catching it, D&V we always catch so once one of the children bring it into the house, that’s us down for the next week or so as it spreads. Happens around twice a year. But other stuff such as cold, I personally get a really bad cold from the DC one every 18 months or so but otherwise it’s just mild sniffles or a sore throat for us if we do catch it, but nothing that gets in the way of life or work.

It’s a viral soup. My second child had <50% nursery attendance in their first year. They brought everything home to us as well. Coughs, wheezes, snot, lice, d&v, scarlet fever, impetigo, hand foot and mouth. It was grim. I was permanently ill and sleep deprived from being up with sick children all night. I had to take loads of unpaid parental leave at work. With my third baby now I’m taking an extended mat leave /being a sahm for 3 years just to avoid the whole thing.

My DD started 1st November and didn't do a full week in nursery for 2 months. The second winter she didn't get ill once. It was horrific for sure and I almost quit my job. We got through it and she is very rarely ill now.

Yes, you definitely need last min back up childcare options. I only work 3 days per week and found it a bit easier as they would likely be off on the last of my 3 working days then had a 4 day break from nursery to get better for the next week.

Yeah, the first year is tough. Both of mine went from around nine months. Child 1 got his first stomach bug on day 3!

Anyway they both got multiple stomach bugs, colds and one lot each of HFM and impetigo.

DH and I had a deal where he would take day one, I would take day two and then because I was part time we’d then covered at least three days. If more was needed DH would take a second day and then we’d hit another rostered day off for me or the weekend. So we managed.

Now they have incredible immune systems and have 1-2 days off a year or less.

Our DC weren’t that bad - they were 1.5 years for their first winter at a large nursery. A few colds but quick to get over, I think it helped that they only did 2 days a week, so they could be run down and recover again in time for the next 2 days. I had to pick them up early once. They caught chickenpox at 2.5 and since then (touch wood!!!) they have been fine for all their nursery days. It seems my experience is the minority though!!

It was fine for us, dd got ill the odd time, but didn’t really miss much. She was a childminder with one day at nursery for a couple of years, then all nursery. She had very few days off through primary. Quite randomly she had almost more days off ill the first term of secondary than she had through KS2!

I agree with the prep for the 25% absence, in the longer term it seems to help their immune system but at the time it was rough. My husband and I tried to split it so I'd do one illness he'd do the next however in reality I did more as my work is closer and more flexible.

Also always ensure you have a well stocked medical box, one holiday where DS2 had a horrid cold and I'd forgot the Calpol has taught me there are some items that should just never run out...

Yes.

My dc1 was 10mo when they started childcare in August. That school year I had to take time of 5 times between September and April with him being ill and then I would get ill and have to stay home ill myself. It was he'll. I remember crying on the phone to my line manager at time number 5 because I was so fed up of being off/ill and just wanted to do my job.

I don't remember it being as bad with DC2.

Yes. But it’s never as bad again. (Or at least not for us).

Same

My older two weren’t too bad with childminders, I assume because only a few children. I found pre school and first year of school much worse. I assume nursery would be quite bad too.

Yes.
You might escape a lot of it personally if you've already had everything from working in a school. But the 2 year old will catch everything from the other kids in childcare and their siblings in all of their schools. I think we had something pretty much every month. On the positive side, they missed very little school because they had decent immunity by the time they started there.

Every child is different. My dd was off about 3 times over the 4 years she was in nursery with a cold/cough.