Nursery illnesses

[Anca123456]

Hello,

How often does you child get sick from getting a disease from nursery?

My 3 year old started nursery in August 2020 and she has been ok except a few colds but they only had a few children. Since beginning of September more children joined and she had conjunctivitis, chicken pox and now I've been informed there is a case of hand, food and mouth disease. I work full-time and I can't take any more time off, is there something the nursery should do and it is not doing?

My dd is currently off sick from nursery. I think she’ll be off sick for the remainder of the week. She is probably off sick once every 7 or 8 weeks or so. Sometimes only for a day and sometimes for the week.

Unfortunately nursery age getting sick regularly is fairly standard. Although it sounds like you have had a particularly unlucky run which must be exhausting for you all.

I think all the nursery can reasonably do is encourage parents not to bring sick children in. It is galling paying for numerous days childcare every year that can’t be taken up. But young children just pick up a lot of illnesses and infections.

At the start they do get sick a lot - it tapers off though.

Sounds normal. I started my son when he was 1 last year and he had a cold every other week. It only got better over Xmas when he was with us at home for two weeks and he got a break from it all. Then when he went back it was for essential worker children only so greatly reduced and he wasn't ill at all that whole time.
Only when they allowed the rest of the children back he started getting Ill again.
Then also when we increased days and again when he moved up into toddler rooms.
I think as soon as new children are introduced then they seem to get a cold for each child they meet.

He has had conjunctivitis twice (once right now) and once months ago.
He hasn't had d and v luckily or chicken pox but we are thinking of paying for chicken pox vaccine.

That sounds pretty standard when starting nursery....it will be worse this winter as Little children haven’t Been able to build up any immunities due to lockdown...you just have to suck it up in the early years....a year down the line ..it should be a lot better

What can they do? Under 5s have appalling personal hygiene, they sneeze without covering their mouths, they cough and splutter in each others faces, they dribble and drool over toys and they don't wash their hands well.

Staff can minimise this by cleaning surfaces and wiping children often and parents can help by not knowingly sending in ill children but ultimately they will get much sicker than older children or adults.

Mine was sick a fair bit in the first year. My boss was not impressed. She has been rarely off school ever since though. Almost like a huge immune system boost.

The larger the setting the more bugs little onewill be exposed too and after lockdown no one has any immunity so it's like putting a little baby out in a big group. If you can't take time off use a smaller setting or childminder.

Thank you everyone!

They are a small group at nursery and at the moment all sick. They started getting sick when new children came for the settling sessions. I had a chat with the stuff yesterday and they cancelled all settling sessions until existing children will start feeling better.

I hope nursery will make their immune system stronger but to be honest I am not so sure. I didn't go to nursery and I was never sick as a child or at school, it was the same for my friends and classmates. They are probably little and it is too much for them ...

I'm sure that is just a myth
I went to nursery when little and pick up every single cold going. Even now I get so I'll from my DS's cold etc and I wonder on what capacity my immune system was supposedly increased.

It's rubbish!

More kids mixing = more germs.
My LO started nursery beginning of the year and has only had a 4 week break from being ill the last month.
Whilst they've stopped the settling in sessions they are all still going to pick stuff up.

I hope nursery will make their immune system stronger but to be honest I am not so sure. I didn't go to nursery and I was never sick as a child or at school, it was the same for my friends and classmates. They are probably little and it is too much for them ...

It won't do them any harm thats for sure. My kids are rarely ill now. Nursery was interesting, especially with my youngest. But even then, by the time they were about 3 they were hardly ever sick.

Inevitable part of nursery. Thankfully it’s all mostly mild childhood stuff and nothing to be worried about it. If your job isn’t forgiving to sick kids you may want to rethink nursery though. A childminder might be better as the pool of kids is smaller.