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Original poster

Nursery - constant illness

29 replies

AxelF · 28/12/2006 15:20

My 8mth old daughter has been at nursery for 4 mths and has had a constant cough for 3 of them! I have been to the docs and hospital and tried everything and I have come to the decision (since the docs seem to be running out of them and starting to claim asthma as obviously have no ideas left) that she is simply catching every cold going which in turn becomes a cough.....Baby is well in herself generally full of the joys of spring and she's a chubby little munchkin.
Since breaking up for Christmas I think my babe is finally getting well. fingers crossed of course. Has anyone else experienced such persistent coughing/illness? I am now seriously considering getting her a nanny instead - however she is very happy at her nursery and with her nursery nurses etc.

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nearlythree · 28/12/2006 15:37

Pretty much par for the course where you get loads of children together esp. as many parents will send them in when they should be at home.

vitomum · 28/12/2006 15:53

yes, this happened to ds. It did improve after the first year though.

Lazylou · 28/12/2006 16:02

I remember when I started working with children (7 years ago) that I spent the first year constantly ill with coughs, colds, headaches, sore throat, but found that it started to slow down after a year. Now I don't tend to get ill very often, but when I do, I end up with flu or something equally horrid.

And unfortunately yes, it is largely down to parents who send their children to nursery even when they are clearly not well and should be resting at home.

I had to send 4 children home last week because they were just too unwell. They all came in again the next day and so were sent home again. It's not fair to the children who are ill to be looked after by frazzled nursery nurses and it isn't fair to the other children as I find my time is taken up by caring for sick children who should be at home with their parents, meaning that I don't get as much time to spend with the well children.

mellowma · 28/12/2006 16:37

Message withdrawn

Mercy · 28/12/2006 16:54

I'm afraid this will happen even when they go to playgroup/nursery school/reception! Then they get chicken pox! But obviously the younger they are the more vulnerable they are to infection.

It does get easier as they get older, so I am told! From around the age of 6 or so the number of colds, coughs, d+v bugs generally lessens somewhat; a combination of a better immune system plus by them they are more likely to wash their hands properly, not cough everywhere etc.

Hope dd is better soon.

Lazylou · 28/12/2006 16:56

I've known others to do that mellowma because of the constant illnesses. It's the parents that send their children to nursery come hell or high water that make me laugh because they constantly moan about their child being ill, yet they continue to send them in, so the bug gets passed round and round and round...

mellowma · 28/12/2006 17:02

Message withdrawn

morningpaper · 28/12/2006 17:12

Yes this is REALLY annoying but it is the nature of groups of small children together

Some months seem AWFUL but there are months of reprieve

And hopefully when they start school they won't spend the first term off sick because they will have developed immunity to some of it already!!

paddingtonbear1 · 28/12/2006 21:44

yes this happened to my dd. For the first year of nursery she caught lots of colds and coughs, and so did I! My friend who uses the same nursery found the same with her dd. After that though things were much better, and now she doesn't catch much at all. Hang in there and things will improve!

boobooma · 29/12/2006 15:05

Agreed. We're going through this right now, with ds (nearly one) being sent home sick quite a few times, and what seems like a constant cough. Finally got the gp to prescribe some antibiotics which has shifted some of it, but still coughing, however, jolly and chubby. Its quite tricky balancing work with time off but we seem to be managing just about. Can't wait for his immune system to kick in.

riab · 02/01/2007 13:33

As a slight Off topic, what do you think is 'reasonable' to send your kid to nursery with?

just packed Ds off today despite slight cough and runny nose.

I won't send him if he has D&V, a fever, is listless, refusing to eat, anything infectous.

I do send him with a cold however, if he is bright and awake, had a reasonable nights sleep and eats his breakfast I reckon he's okay to go.

Original poster
AxelF · 03/01/2007 09:42

Hi again and thanks for all the replies it is reassuring to know we are not alone. Baby was very well over Christmas (hooray) then the day after Boxing Day she caught another cold! - the runny nose came back and with it the cough!. I have sent her to nursery as if I didn't when she had a runny nose and cough she would literally never be there.

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JonesTheSteam · 03/01/2007 09:53

My nephew has been the same - since he started nursery in September, he has had:-

Bad cold
Cough
Conjunctivitis
Chest infection (was in hospital for two nights)
Another cold
Another cough
Stomach bug
Suspected scarlet fever (though the swabs were negative), so probably just a throat infection.

Now, he has chicken pox!

He has been at home more than in nursery, TBH!

Riab - I agree with you - a mild cold is ok as long as the children are ok in themselves. But not when they're listless, or have a temperature, or a D&V bug.

wrappingpaperBOwZZAndribbons · 03/01/2007 09:53

AxelF the first winter at nursery is always the worst IME. It will get better over the summer and hopefully next winter she will have built up a bit of immunity. Both mine were terrible the first winter, especially DD who started going in October.

I think the cough is probably a tickly one caused by the mucus because your little DD is unable to clear her nose.

It will get better.

Original poster
AxelF · 03/01/2007 10:47

Absolutely, this cold does seem to have triggered her cough but sometimes she has one without the other . I do think the winters are tough going for these little ones - bring on the summer!. JTS - Also hope your nephew is much better soon.

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drosophila · 05/01/2007 07:45

My 7yr old has asthma and a cold can mean we end up in hospital. I have decided to do an experiment and use that gel - First defense - which is meant to kill the cold and flu virus on your hands for up to 3 hours ( I understand hand contact is the most common way to spread colds etc).

My dd (almost 2) is at nursery and of late is lurching from one cold to the next. Someone on here mentioned that their nursery has very little sickness and I wonder if some nurseries have better/more enforced policies on sickness.

It's an interesting point about when do you send a child to nursery. As a rule of thumb I tend to keep both at home if they have a cold. I operate to the theory that best to nip it in the bud..... I think I am alone though.

drosophila · 05/01/2007 07:45

My 7yr old has asthma and a cold can mean we end up in hospital. I have decided to do an experiment and use that gel - First defense - which is meant to kill the cold and flu virus on your hands for up to 3 hours ( I understand hand contact is the most common way to spread colds etc).

My dd (almost 2) is at nursery and of late is lurching from one cold to the next. Someone on here mentioned that their nursery has very little sickness and I wonder if some nurseries have better/more enforced policies on sickness.

It's an interesting point about when do you send a child to nursery. As a rule of thumb I tend to keep both at home if they have a cold. I operate to the theory that best to nip it in the bud..... I think I am alone though.

shosha · 05/01/2007 07:56

Message withdrawn

riab · 05/01/2007 13:17

drosophila,
but how do you manage if your kid has a more or less constant sniffle? DS has had a cold since early november. If I had kept him off all that time I wouldn't be able to work.

How is the experiment with the handwash going btw? be itnerested in anythign anyone has done to reduce the incidents of colds/ build immune system.

drosophila · 05/01/2007 13:21

Only just started experiment, Will let you know. I work PT and I usually find that DD, who goes to Nursery Wed - Friday, has a cold by Friday and is usually better by following Wed just in time to catch another one. This has happened for the past 5 weeks. I wouldn't worry about the tail end of a cold sniffle but if it is the start of a cold sniffle I amy well juggle my work days etc. I am civil servant and generally I think they are more understanding as employers

twickersmum · 05/01/2007 13:27

haven't read the whole thread - but when dd1 was 9 months she started nursery in october and spent the next 6 months with coughs/colds etc and not there half the time. however (bar chicken pox) she hasn't had a day off since (is now nearly 3) and often has a bit of a cold but is never ill - never had a tummy bug!

dd2 started nursery in june at 8 months old and was barely ill at all - i think starting in the summer was gentler, but also she had picked up a few bugs from dd1 so had more resistance.

so your daughter should soon become resistant to all these bugs! apparently when children start school they are often ill for the same reasons but if they have been to nursery they cope better.

at 8 months she is probably also getting her top teeth? That often causes a really runny nose which leads to lots of coughs etc. I remember it being a really tough period.

mummynumnum · 05/01/2007 20:53

DD went to nursery on Weds for first full day. I am off on Thurs. She was due to go to nursery today, but woke up, sick everywhere and rather ill, so DH had to have day off. Does not bode well

aprilmeadow · 07/01/2007 17:42

My ds went to nusery when he was 5mths old. He started in the October and i think i lost count of the number of times we were called within the first 6mths of him being there. He had cold after cold and coughs and conjunctivitus and at one point dh was considering pulling him out all together. This winter so far has been great so we are hoping that he is immune to pretty much most of the bugs.

I think you just need to stick it out, the time soon flies by and you will find that your dc is immune to many bugs that friends with children of the same age but that do not go to nursery/childminder are not.

Original poster
AxelF · 09/01/2007 18:12

Yes well I think we have decided to stick it out at nursery after all. DD does also have teeth coming through aswell - (concurrently - one at a time) so if it's not one thing its another!.

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Original poster
AxelF · 10/01/2007 14:40

whoops - I meant consecutively...

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