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Original poster

Is your 'lockdown toddler' constantly sick?

51 replies

SapphosRock · 24/10/2021 07:44

I had a baby at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. He didn't get ill at all when he was small due to their being no baby groups, not being able to see family and friends so not coming into contact with any germs.

He barely had a cold until he started nursery this August.

Now he keeps getting tummy bug after tummy bug and constant colds. I've had to keep him home from nursery a total of 10 days in two months which is not ideal when I work full time.

I'm also picking up his germs too and constantly feeling unwell.

Wondered if this is normal?

OP posts:
Pandaly · 24/10/2021 09:22

Yes and work are getting annoyed. We're taking it it turns and DH has started taking more time off even but still!

The nursery said it is normal but the pandemic babies are getting hit worse than normal.

Pandaly · 24/10/2021 09:23

And then there's the whole having to organise a PCR test for every cough

olderthanyouthink · 24/10/2021 09:24

Normal, DD is nearly three and had only been in childcare a few months when lockdown struck. She was sick all the time before lockdown, we were blissfully healthy during the first lockdown and then she started at nursery last September and we've been been constantly ill ever since

Wowcherarestalkingme · 24/10/2021 09:31

Totally. My DS was born in nov ‘19 but was in nicu until Xmas. Then we barely went anywhere as he was so susceptible to colds and we didn’t want him ending up back in hospital. Then March hit. He’s been in nursery for a year now and has a runny nose permanently. My eldest is in year one so they basically spend their time passing colds back and forth between them. Both were off sick last week. roll on spring!

fmac2987 · 24/10/2021 09:34

Verryy normal, our daughter was born May 2020 and 6 months later had a nanny for when I returned to work. We relocated to Australia where we opted for day care and DD was the same, Sick more then she was there the first few months.

The doctor said you can expect 12 viruses a year or more, given kids haven't been in care.

RichTeaRichTea · 24/10/2021 09:35

@SapereAude

Nothing to do with lockdown. It happens invariably when they start nursery. DD is 18 and literally did a week there, a week sick for the first 2 years.
To be fair, many of those who had their first during or just before lockdown have experienced fewer bugs than normal for the first year - even without nursery when I was on maternity leave for the first time we had lots of colds (including hospitalised twice for bronchiolitis). It’s been a normal 18 months for me because my older child brought everything home from nursery anyway.
ShowOfHands · 24/10/2021 09:36

I have a 10 and 14 yr old respectively. Both went through this, particularly my eldest as she had no sibling bringing germs home and we lived rurally. In 6 months of preschool, she had scarlet fever, chicken pox, 3 ear infections, tonsillitis, norovirus and several colds and upset stomachs.

Crimblecrumble1990 · 24/10/2021 09:40

It does seem endless doesn’t it! My March 2020 born DS is constantly getting ill - norovirus, hand foot & mouth, endless runny nose and coughs. He brings them home - I’m back in the office so my immune system holds up a lot better than my still working from home husband who gets all the sickness bugs too. I honestly can’t wait for his nose to stop running!!

89redballoons · 24/10/2021 09:46

My DS is going to be 2 in January, so was 3 months when the pandemic started. He goes to a couple of toddler groups and has had a few bad colds, and also had a really nasty vomiting bug in the summer which I think he picked up at soft play.

We are planning to start him at nursery in January - I'm expecting our second baby in April and wanted to get him settled before he becomes a big brother and then have a couple of days per week with just the newborn when they arrive. However, the thought of DS getting constantly ill and also passing anything he picks up on to me while heavily pregnant is making me reconsider...

HesterShaw1 · 24/10/2021 09:53

It's normal at the best of times, but lockdown and restrictions will logically have made it worse.

Humans need contact with other humans for robust immune systems.

containsnuts · 24/10/2021 10:12

Some kids are ill all the time, others less so. DD has had a cold/cough every two weeks since going back in May. I've not picked up anything from her so presume these are just normal childhood bugs that she's catching now rather than last winter. As someone mentioned up thread, I do worry that if she cought Covid while so run-down and chesty it could be worse for her but I try not to dwell on it. Hmm

YukoandHiro · 24/10/2021 10:14

This is actually normal pre pandemic too but it's so brutal. I have a 4 year old who had a whole year out of nursery and is now in reception and also had a baby in Oct 2020 who has just started nursery. The whole house has been constantly ill since June but nobody has had covid. We did have parainfluenza which affected both children and hospitalised the baby 😬
Sent my eldest for another PCR this morning. Think it's her 14th since summer 2020. Miserable for her.

PippinStar · 24/10/2021 10:14

My 2.8 year old has only got 2 colds in the last year, and they both lasted 3 days or so. My 13 month old has been sick for the last 4 months nonstop. She is a snot machine. It’s awful.

All the other pandemic babies I know are the same.

YukoandHiro · 24/10/2021 10:16

Also I think some are more prone to tummy bugs than others. My first had LOADS, starting even before nursery. It was awful. My second has only had one so far so hoping her stomach is slightly more robust.

My mum said I was constantly vomiting until I was about 8, so maybe it's genetic too. My husband never gets tummy bugs even when everyone else falls like dominoes.

2boysand1princess · 24/10/2021 10:44

@SapphosRock

I had a baby at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. He didn't get ill at all when he was small due to their being no baby groups, not being able to see family and friends so not coming into contact with any germs.

He barely had a cold until he started nursery this August.

Now he keeps getting tummy bug after tummy bug and constant colds. I've had to keep him home from nursery a total of 10 days in two months which is not ideal when I work full time.

I'm also picking up his germs too and constantly feeling unwell.

Wondered if this is normal?

My eldest was ill every second week or so. I will never forget the many out of hours visits and overnight stays in hospital with high fevers that wouldn’t come down. Each time was viral. My attendance at work was shocking as he was very poorly at least 2 times each month. But that was way before the pandemic. He was not a lockdown baby, it was just his body’s way of building immunity. We were fine until he started nursery (1.5 years old) Got so bad we wanted to take him out and think about alternative childcare. Similar happened with my second when he started nursery also before pandemic.
2boysand1princess · 24/10/2021 10:45

Should’ve said I also have a lockdown baby. She is in nursery now (1 years old) and is similar to what her brothers were like when they first started. Rotten cold or stomach bug every other week

RichTeaRichTea · 24/10/2021 11:02

@YukoandHiro

This is actually normal pre pandemic too but it's so brutal. I have a 4 year old who had a whole year out of nursery and is now in reception and also had a baby in Oct 2020 who has just started nursery. The whole house has been constantly ill since June but nobody has had covid. We did have parainfluenza which affected both children and hospitalised the baby 😬 Sent my eldest for another PCR this morning. Think it's her 14th since summer 2020. Miserable for her.
And people say that parents don’t bother to get preschoolers tested… my experience is that this group is tested more than any other because of the sheer quantity of bugs and the need to access childcare
JetRocket · 24/10/2021 11:04

I have a March 2020 too and yes he’s been unwell a lot. I’ve kept him out of nursery and cut down on his classes over the last few months as he kept taking the whole house down with him, including his tiny baby sister Sad

mobear · 24/10/2021 11:08

DC born October 2020 had to have two weeks off after his settling in week recently as he had two illnesses one after the other (both contagious illnesses I’m sure he picked up at nursery). He’d never been sick before. I’m hoping it won’t happen again now he’s back!

herecomesthsun · 24/10/2021 11:15

My non lockdwn toddlers were also very liable to pick up bugs from nursery.

TheLastLonelyBakedBeanInTheTin · 24/10/2021 11:39

Yes, but my other DC were the same so I don't think it's just because of lockdown.

Chessie678 · 24/10/2021 12:58

My 18m DS is constantly ill. He’s ill more often than he’s well since starting nursery. The GP did say they’re seeing more children of this age than normal with various viruses and that the winter viruses seemed to be around in summer.

Artie30 · 24/10/2021 13:06

It's normal even before covid. Ds never got ill as a baby/toddler until he started nursery and he caught everything particularly during the winter. It would be one virus after another! It gets better with age. He's 10 now and hardly ever gets ill!

Silversun83 · 24/10/2021 15:11

@SapphosRock

Relived it's normal!

I remember DD (6) having a lot of colds when she was at nursery but not the tummy bugs and not so constantly.

It's going to be a long winter.

I think some children are just more prone to stomach bugs unfortunately.

DS1 (6) used to get them all the time as a toddler, then had a nearly two-year break from them (thanks to Covid!). Since June however, he has had four sickness bugs 😭

His three-year-old brother however has never been sick and only ever had one diarrhoea stomach bug 🤷‍♀️

Silversun83 · 24/10/2021 15:14

@YukoandHiro

Also I think some are more prone to tummy bugs than others. My first had LOADS, starting even before nursery. It was awful. My second has only had one so far so hoping her stomach is slightly more robust.

My mum said I was constantly vomiting until I was about 8, so maybe it's genetic too. My husband never gets tummy bugs even when everyone else falls like dominoes.

Yep, same experience here with my two!

And I was also the same as a child 😬