Nursery bugs.

[Kion]

My LO is due to start nursery soon and everyone keeps telling me how she will be picking up all the bugs all the time. I realise it’s inevitable that she will get some bugs from being around others but has anyone had their babies in nursery and found it wasn’t too bad or as bad as they expected?
Can anyone give me some perspective on this?
Thanks x

Bumping for you.

DS was ill for about 6 weeks after starting nursery with a cold and recurrent conjunctivitis. Since then had multiple colds, d+v and most recently a chest infection.

Hopefully someone will say otherwise to reassure you!!

Aww that’s a shame 8days, that sounds awful for you both. That’s the kind of stories I keep hearing unfortunately. Thanks for your reply. Hope your LO is ok now.

Has anyone else had any experiences that were not too bad?

The first few months DS seemed to constantly have a cold, but now seems to just pick up things occasionally.

Me. I have three DC and none of them picked up lots of bugs when they started nursery. Third DC started in September and has had one mild cold. Neither of the other two had much time off for illness other than chicken pox (and even then they managed to get it over Christmas so didn't miss too much). Hope that's reassuring!

Btw they were 21 months, 2 and 2.9 months when they started.

Lots of bugs here too I'm afraid, but in retrospect it was totally worth it as ds is completely mad about nursery. He even calls it home (in addition to his actual home of course).

DD has been at nursery since she was 10 months old (2.9 now) and we’ve had to pick her up early once because she had a temp (and that was teething I’m sure). She’s hardly picked up any colds - maybe 2-3 the whole time and we’ve not yet (touch wood!) had any incidences of d&v. Maybe she just has a good immune system. All you can do is encourage good hygiene and hope for the best.

Mine didn't get ill at all. He's missed 1 day in 2 years through illness and that was just mild impetigo.

Mine started at 4 months and is now 21 months. He's been off once with a fever.

My ds started last January at 9 months old.. he has picked up colds and coughs, had croup twice and a chest infection but he tends to get a cold and it go straight to his chest happened before he started nursery too. He has had tummy bug once I think. He has avoided hand foot and mouth and chicken pox that has gone around the nursery twice since he started. He hasn’t missed a lot of nursery as he has only recently upped to 3 days a week there, to start with it seemed he would always get a cold/cough after his days had finished for the week at nursery be better for when he went back in the following week then wake up with another cold after his days at nursery.

My two haven’t had many bugs from nursery. It has helped that I’ve had them immunised against chicken pox. I think some children catch less and mine don’t seem to get fevers with things like colds as much as some children we know. So mine go to nursery with a cold, but others can’t as they have a fever with it.

Mine started at 12 months. He caught a sick bug a couple of weeks in, and has had colds and sniffles on and off, but nothing more. I think he's lucky and has a strong immune system (like his parents - touch wood, we don't tend to get ill either). He's also breastfed so that may have helped. Good luck!

Dd got everything. She was at nursery for 3 years and in the first two got everything including chicken pox twice. 6 weeks off at one point which almost broke me. That one was either hand foot and mouth or slapped cheek (had both, i just can't remember which it was that time) which developed into a generic viral infection and finally hallelujah into a bacterial infection which was treated with antibiotics.

Despite that the whole nursery experience was incredibly positive and I wouldn't change how we did it. At 7 she still has 2 really good friends from nursery, one of whom isn't at school with her. She was really ready for school and is thriving there and I think the start nursery gave her helped. And she has had hardly any time off sick from school so her immune system must have been well strengthened!

I’d brace yourself for an initial period of illnesses. Once it’s over though it’s done. DS1 had back to back illnesses for 8 weeks but us now rarely unwell.

DS1 started nursery one morning a week from 10 months old. He caught everything going and was ill constantly for the first two years( he was there for four years in total, doing two and a half days by the end). Annoying and not fun at the time, although he loved nursery, but now that he has just started school, it has become obvious that his immune system has been strengthened because of it. Most of the children in his class have had cold after cold, and a bug went round a few weeks ago. DS1 hasnt caught a single thing.

So yes, they do tend to get ill a lot to begin with, I work at the nursery and the children seem to have constant runny noses, but the exposure does tend to benefit them in the long run, assuming there are no underlying health issues.

DS started nursery at 6 months old. He was 3 days a week initially, and for the first 3 weeks he was ill and literally did 1 day, then 2 and then 3. Then he was fine for a couple of weeks before getting conjunctivitis. Since then he’s also had tonsillitis and a viral infection, as well as a few colds.

So, prepare for the worst. I have a mini medicine cabinet for him.

On the plus side, he loves it there and is very close with his keyworker. He gets really excited when we take him in :)

My daughter has been going to nursery for four months now. She’s had to have antibiotics once and she’s had two chest infections and conjunctivitis twice. Overall she loves it though and we are very happy with how much she’s developing there so it’s swings and roundabouts!!

DD has been at nursery 6 months and had a couple of stomach bugs and a couple of viruses. Be prepared that you and your partner may also get the bugs!! :(

My twins have been at nursery since 6 months. The first 12 weeks or so were a nightmare.

I was thankful that, at the time, they only did a day a week. That meant one of them could catch the bug at Nursery, the other could catch it from their brother and they’d both be just about well enough to go again the following week.

I was grateful when the guidance on conjunctivitis changed and that they stopped excluding for conjunctivitis. One of them had it pretty much constantly from Nursery for 4 months or so. Constant different prescriptions.

We were doing alright from then until recently when one came down with chicken pox. The nursery are so convinced that the other will come down with it too that it’s been 3 weeks since they’ve both actually done a full day without either being sent home, or off sick anyway with chickenpox. One is over it. The other one isn’t yet showing any signs.

Twins obviously doubles your chance of catching each bug and then means that they can spread them around at home too, but I found similarly with my Singleton.

Dd has been at nursery 3 months now and only had 2 days off due to a really bad cold/chest infection. Was at the same time as nearly everyone we knew was suffering similarly though, so not even convinced she got it from nursery.

I was dreading it as I thought as going into a new job but (touch wood) DD has been fine. She did have what seemed like an endless snotty nose, but it didn't bother her in the slightest, and a couple of cases of conjunctivitis, but there's no need to stay home with it if they seem ok. After about 15 months of nursery she caught chicken pox and that was the first time I had to keep her home. She didn't start nursery until she was 19 months though so maybe she had a stronger immune system by then that if she'd have started earlier.

Thanks so much everyone for all your replies! It seems like a mixed bag then of experiences.
It’s reassuring to know that sometimes
it’s not too bad for them in terms of bugs and illnesses.
It’s so lovely to hear such positive experiences about your LO’s loving nursery and blossoming there as well! Thanks so much for that, that’s really good to hear. x

DS started last July and was pretty much ill with something for around 10 months.

Now at nearly 2.5he usnt as I’ll as he used to be and does recover quicker.

The first year was pretty awful to be honest with you!

My eldest started at 9 months. Quickly came down with noro (which then flattened me), fly bugs, a zillion colds and then chicken pox in the space of 5 months. Since then, I can literally count on one hand the times he’s been ill other than migraines - he’s 9 years now. Those first few months were difficult with work - I always had to take time off to look after him, then he would infect me too.

Youngest started pre-school at 2. He got a couple of colds, then a horrible bout of chicken pox, but since then nothing else of note.

My son's only ever had coughs or colds since starting nursery (apart from chicken pox but he could have got that from anywhere. No stomach bugs or anything.