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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

new nursery and constant illness

15 replies

insywinsyspider · 01/02/2009 21:34

ds's started nursery just before xmas (a long story about my childminder changing her mind and handing in her notice 2 weeks before I started back at work after mat leave)

ds1 is 2yr 9month and ds2 13 months.

When ds1 was at childminders he was rarely ill, I've always taken ds's to a wide variety of playgroups and we've had our fair share of coughs and colds and d&v a couple of times but nursery is a whole new world - since they started we've all had cold/flu just before christmas and only all well half way through the christmas break, then ds1 followed by dh had toncillitus (both ill for about a week), ds2 had high temp for a day which seemed to come to nothing (but was a day off nursery) then he had sickness bug (no nursery for 48hrs) confirmed case of measles at the end of this week so waiting with baited breath to see if ds's get that too... now dh has been sick tonight,

I'm 20 wks pregnant, got redunancy hanging over my head, have now used all my holiday till I start mat leave in May so it's unpaided leave if I have to take time off which is fine as they are genuinely ill but how long does this go on for??? I'm starting to think that everyone else must be sending their children in regardless of illness - even nursery admits its been a bad start to the year - is there anything I can do to boost ds's immune systems? is this normal or are my children particularly sickly kids?

The tiredness is getting me down, strangley apart from cold/flu before xmas I've been fine but its starting to get me down, I'm feling guilty that me being at work is making them ill and doing everything because dh is getting ill too is really hard work

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

cmotdibbler · 01/02/2009 21:37

I'm afraid that being in close contact with different children does mean that they will get more things, and this year has been particularly putrid for bugs generally. However, it does get better as they get through everyone elses bugs.

Does DH not have any leave left to use if they are ill ?

bodiddly · 01/02/2009 21:41

My ds was like this for his first year at nursery ... he went from ear infection to ear infection week on week. You have my sympathy as it is incredibly draining. The only thing I can say is that now he is much stronger and healthier as a result. He is nearly 4 now and his immune system has obviously benefited from being exposed to all the infections. I know that doesnt help you now but I remember posting something on here at the time and everyone telling me that it was better now than when they start school!

pavlovthecat · 01/02/2009 21:44

DD gets bugs a lot, and in the first year, she had coughs and colds all the time. And I get them each time too, so I seem to always have several days of leave for DD and then sick for me (tbh I have started using my leave so I am not always off sick). It will pass, but might take some time for their immunity to get used to all the different bugs and germs they are exposed to.

Original poster

insywinsyspider · 01/02/2009 21:55

its more that there are different bugs each week, where do they come from?? and they can never have every bug can they even if they have good immune system they could still get ill? I'm starting to think I'm doing something wrong - is there anything I can do to help them fight it off? (when no ill they eat well and huge variety of stuff)

dh does have leave but in this climite he needs to keep work happy and we're hoping to save some of his leave for when baby is here (it'll be 3 under 3) - the hardest thing is one is ill with one thing then fine and the other one goes down with something completely different!

OP posts:

KatyMac · 01/02/2009 21:58

DD (11) has been ill for months
As have I
As have my friends 6yo & DH
and another friends 18mo

I think there are just loads of bugs around this year - each f us has had between 5 and 9 viruses/bugs/colds etc - it is rotten

Original poster

insywinsyspider · 01/02/2009 22:00

that makes me feel bit better its just horrible timing mixed in with guilt of leaving them!

OP posts:

Washersaurus · 01/02/2009 22:04

It has been bad this year - DS2 (18mo) has had 5/6 bouts of sickness and diarrhoea, and now has another cold and cough. I feel like hiding in a cupboard (and sleeping)!

I don't think I can blame nursery, they really do up their hygiene (disinfecting ALL the toys etc) when informed of someone coming down with one of these viruses, but it can't be helped really, can it...and it does benefit them in the long run (well that is what I tell myself anyway)

Original poster

insywinsyspider · 01/02/2009 22:09

I don't blame the nursery as their staff have been ill too and they are trying to do their best - I'm just suspicious that parents are sending children in ill as there have been redundancies and possibilly more to follow, nursery manager seemed impressed that I kept ds2 out for the required 48 hours, I'd hope everyone did that or what hope have we got?!

OP posts:

blueshoes · 01/02/2009 22:53

My experience has been the same as bodidlly's. It does get better after the first 6 months to a year. Now my dcs rarely fall ill and if they do, kick it off quite soon.

It really does make them stronger. In fact, my dd is a veteran of many chicken pox outbreaks and despite attending ft nursery since 1 year old, finally caught it at 5 years' old - one of the last few in her class.

BTW, both my dcs came down with a bug at the start of the year. So there is something going round. I see it like a immunity software update. Another box ticked.

Original poster

insywinsyspider · 02/02/2009 19:36

ds's only at nursery till mid may when my mat leave starts so guess it'll just be a rubbish run till then if it takes about 6 months for them to get through all bugs!

OP posts:

catweazle · 02/02/2009 20:00

My DD started nursery last January. I didn't manage a full month at work for the first 6 months. She was ill so often I wondered what I was paying nursery for. But she's been much better for the last 6 months.

angel1976 · 02/02/2009 21:34

Have you tried giving your DS some multivitamins drop? My DS was getting one bug after another when he reached about 7 months old. I know this is normal as the immunity from their mummy wears off after about 6 months. In the end, after a particularly bad bug over Christmas, I started giving him some Abidec multivitamin drops and since then, he has been really well. It could have been a coincidence but no harm in trying it. I was told by my HV to give him the multivitamin drops as I'm in the process of switching DS to cow's milk (he's 11.5 months by the way).

minkybetty · 05/02/2009 13:31

Parents do send their children into nursery sick as happened in our nursery last week. Child sick at nursery on Monday and then dropped off on the TUesday - as a result my DD has had S&D all weekend. Obviously I kept her off 48hours. I have had a real go at the nursery who say that some parents are very assertive when told that they can't leave their sick kids or they pretend that they're aren't that ill, i.e they dose them up with calpol!!! I know times are tough out there but what kind of parent does that???? By their selfishness other people get sick and have to take time off work, that includes children, parents and nursery staff. Anyway, you have to make a stand - this morning I had a small victory as this morning the nursery manager showed me a huge sign that she has put on the door saying parents have to keep their vomitting kids off and below she has stuck up the ofsted health and sickness guidelines. Good luck... I have now been named the "germ police" at work!!!

beanapod · 13/02/2009 19:54

Hello everyone. I have joined up as i am a bit concerned about my son't nursery in relation to sickness, and when I say sickness I refer here to the 36 hours of throwing up, sorry to put it like that. My son has been in childcare one day a week for the last year. In the last six months he has attended the same nursery. Since christmas he has been sick 3 times out of 6 weeks. In the past we have had serious attacks of sickness ie noro virus from the nursery and they have been very efficent in advising the parents, yet now week after week on Friday, (he attends on wed) sure enough once again he is throwing up. I have spoken with the nursery and they say 'oh well we haven't had any other outbreaks'. I pay for one day a week at a cost of £38 yet seem to spend 2 days over the weekend dealing with the illness. I am becoming very frustrated. I don't know if this is normal? My son is not sick otherwise and eats very well at home....

Mummywannabe · 16/02/2009 10:06

Minkybetty - thats really bad on the nurseries part. At work (i manage a nursery) it is very true that parents do all those things but in the example you gave the nursery knew the child was ill as was sick at nursery. I refuse entry in cases like these, and have dealt with many many rude assertive parents. Glad they have taken a stand now!

Before i get jumped on i do understand the pressures of working parents, but at some point you have to say enough is enough!

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