Do children get sick as often with a childminder in comparison to nursery?

[dontrunwithscissors]

Any parents/childminders out there who can give me their opinion?

DD1 started nursery at 11 months and was off nursery at least 1 day a week for what seemed like months and months. I'm currently on maternity leave with DD2 and trying to decide what childcare to use when I return to work. If I were to use a childminder, can I expect DD2 to be sick as often as I would if she attended nursery?

I would assume that as she mixes with less children that she MIGHT get less sick. But some childminders have children after nursery/school which your DD would come into contact with and so could catch all their bugs. My DS had that problem at nursery - I was told to expect him to be frequently sick for at least the first 3 months, or 6 if it fell over winter (which it did!). After 18 months he doesn't get as sick.

Oh and apparently 2nd and subsequent children don't have the same thing because they are constantly catching little things from their older siblings so don't get hit by all the bugs at the one time when they start nursery.

Don't forget that childminders get sick too, also they need holidays.

I don't think it makes much difference. I am a childminder and some of my minded children are never sick and one or two get ill very often.

Most childminders do mix with other people quite a lot, not just the children they look after and the comings and goings of their families at pick up/drop off times but also visits to toddlers, libraries etc and the inevitable school & preschool runs.

What may be different, when you compare different nurseries and childminders is their sickness and exclusion policy and how they implement it. eg, a child may be sent home after a toilet accident or one instance of loose stools, where the carer has deemed this to be diarrhoea. The HPA guidance describes diarrhoea as 2 or more loose bowel movements so another carer may not contact the parent until at least 2 or 3 movements have occurred. (sorry if thats too much info!).

Most childminders will not care for sick children at all, but some would agree to care for a child with chicken pox if all their other mindees had already had it (or want to get it or there were no other mindees present) and the carer and family have all had it. Some childminders and I imagine all nurseries would not be able to do this because of the risk to other families, eg babies or pregnant mothers.

So if you're thinking about a new childcare arrangement its worth asking questions about the types of situations they would call a parent about. And to ask other parents who have used the service about their experiences (including how much time the childminder has had off sick)

In 3 years of minding I have only closed for 2 days due to me and my son being ill, I have 4 children of my own so thats not a bad record.
I also have a child I care for that does 2 days with me and 2 with nursery and mum has always had a battle with nursery over accepting ill children, she finds nursery accept children back after 1 day of illness where as I won't.He is always picking up bugs at nursery and we don't seem to have them here, I do tend to use dettol wipes etc regulary as I don't want my children being poorly.

having worked in both settings I would say IMO usually there are less bugs at a chilminders. Mainly because they are stricter on hygiene but also because there are less children.

Danthe4th - what do you mean by the fact you won't accept a child back after 1 day of illness? What if they're well enough after a day off to come back (eg a bit of teething)?

Thinking about it, I kept DD1 off nursery a lot when she was just a bit under the weather (eg a bit of a cold, or she hadn't slept well due to teething.) She wasn't too poorly to go to nursery, but I'm very soft I felt that nursery just didn't give her the chance to relax/rest a little if she wasn't 100%. (I have a very flexible job so was able to do this.) I've just started sending her to a childminder for a few afternoons to give her contact with other children (and me a break ), and I wouldn't be quite so worried about sending her there with a bit of a cold. I suppose my hope is that - by using a childminder - I would feel happier sending DD2 off to a CM where I wouldn't with a nursery. (Hmm, sorry, that's a different angle to my original question. ).

chitchat 07 - It's interesting that DD2 may not go through this process, although DD1 is hardly ever ill now, so perhaps she might not bring lots of bugs home.

My ds has been with a cm for over a year and is never ill. My friend's ds who is at a nursery is ALWAYS ill. It probably depends on their immune system but I would say cms are best.

dontrunwithscissors - Oh, you'd be surprised. I barely notice the little sniffle DS1 gets but DS2 gets a full blown cold and there has been no one else for him to catch it from. BUT - they seem to be milder than the full blown illness DS1 suffered when he first started nursery.

In my experience no.
DD is nearly 3 now and has been with CM since 9 months.
She has been sent home ill 3 times I think in all that time. Two ear infections and one vomiting.
The CM has incidentally not had even one day off sick.
My friends with children in nursery seem to have had a lot more problems. One took her son out as he had constant stomach upsets and colds so much so it wasn't worth paying.
I think it does also depend on the tolerance of your childcarer. My CM seems happy for DD to go if she has a bit of a cold. Obviously I don't take the mick and send her if she's really ill. They are often willing to see how it goes if I warn them she's not 100%. I find its more of a relationship of trust. They trust me to keep her off if really ill and come to pick her up asap if called. I trust them not to send her home for an easy life.
I think I wouldn't find it so easy to have that trusting relationship with an organisation rather than a person.

My most regular mindee has had a run of illness since starting with me 2 months ago but as it's just me and my daughter (who's only had a cold in the time mindee has been coming) I can only assume that it was coincidnce, although I do take them to various groups and he socialises with a lot of children now, something that doesn't happen so often when he's at home.

DD went to a childminder 2 days a week for 2 years, and IIRC the C/M never had a day off sick, and I don't recall DD having more than the very occasional day.

She only started catching more things (chickenpox etc) when she started in the school nursery.

However the minded children didn't go out and about (C/M is on a farm in the middle of the countryside) and played outside nearly all the time unless it was actively tipping it down, which I suspect made the biggest difference.

I have had mums come to me who have pulled their children out in favour of a childminder because of sickness in nurseries......I also had an ex mindee (still in contact with the mum) who went to a day nursery as I was unable to look after her due to a long leave of sickness and she gets everything going.

I think they are exposed to less at a CMs and hygiene might be slightly higher because there is less space/toys, children may have separate hand towels (mine do) and so on...but my mindees mix with different children everyday at playgroups etc so are exposed to lots that way.....

Think it depends on your child immunity, the settings hygiene standards and policies, they all catch stuff and it's much worse when they are teething.....

I find as a childminder that the children tend be off more when they start nursery school/playgroups than before that although I am always out & about during the week attending toddler groups & childminder drop ins etc. Beforer that they aren't off so much. I also have rarely closed in 15 years of minding due to illness.(not including maternity leave) The one notable exception being when I was off for 6 weeks due to catching an infection & developing cellulitis in my leg & foot & spending 2 weeks in hospital because of it. It meant that I missed all of the summer school holidays, but all my parents were able to sort out cover with my help by contacting other childminder friends who I knew and also using friends & family.

I think it really depends on your child tbh.

I'm a CM who minds one child who is always ill and one who is never ill (with colds)

We rarely seem to have tummy bugs here though, I think I've sent home 2 children with bugs in the last 2 years. Possibly because of the stringent leaning regime, possibly because I won't let a child with D&V back for 48 hours after the last episode as per government health recommendations possibly just because I'm lucky...

I have 11 kids on my books (CM) and they are hardly ever off sick.

I myself have only taken off 2 days in 6 years.

If they don't get it at nusery, they'll get it at school. DS1 has been in nursery since 8 months old and for the first few years, got lots of bugs. However, he's now 4 and touch wood has not missed any nursery days for a long time now. My friend who used a childminder found that her daughter was off lots when she started school, but didn't have many bugs at the CM.

If they don't get it at nusery, they'll get it at school. DS1 has been in nursery since 8 months old and for the first few years, got lots of bugs. However, he's now 4 and touch wood has not missed any nursery days for a long time now. My friend who used a childminder found that her daughter was off lots when she started school, but didn't have many bugs at the CM.

don'trunwithscissors- I was referring to the 48 hour rule due to sickness not just coughs and colds.
But the child who has shared care with me and the nursery says that there are more bugs at nursery and thinks its due to the parents sending children in when they are poorly as they can get away with it as at drop off time its far more hectic than with a childminder and by the time the calpol has worn off parents are long gone at work.To be fair that happens with me as well!!!
Unfortunately bugs are part of childhood and it doesn't get much better at primary school but by the time they get to high school my own children have only had a couple of days off in a few years.

bugs everywhere. i dont think it matters where your child is. my niece spent 0-5 with a nanny, was sick every week. my dd was at cm, sick every week, now at nursery was sick everyweek but now calming down.
nannies and childminders also get sick so you have to factor that in. whatever you do you are always a bit buggered in the early years.

BTW you cant generalise about CM/nurseries being more hygienic. seen plenty of bad practice on both sides of the fence.

best get over with before school anyway. I am a cm and some children have lots of colds and others none. Similar tummy bugs. I dont exclude with colds but ask parents not to send with sickness.. they are supposed to wait 24 hours after last attack but in my experience never do. amazing how many turn up saying child was sick last night but is fine now..!!!if I had my own small children this would piss me off but I dont.

I use all the antibac and practise good hygiene but actually children need to come into contact with bugs to build up a resistance to illness.

in answer to the post I think cms and nurseries are the same as shopping centres and parks.. if you gonna get sick you get sick...