I need some urgent help. Illness related.

[inscotland]

My DS has been going to nursery now 3 mornings per week. This week will be the start of week 4. He's been pretty ill.

Week one - gastroenteritis, chest infection, cold and conjunctivitis.

Week two - not sent to nursery to get over all of the above.

Week three - last week he's now had sickness and diahorreah.

Everything that he's had I have had with S&D coming on to me tonight. DS had this on Friday and Saturday.

He is almost 10 months old. Is this normal for him to catch all of this or something more sinister? The nursery looks spotless. What can I ask them to do about parents brining ill children to nursery. I can't let this continue.

Any help you can give really is appreciated.

Thanks

It pretty normal to pick up lots of bugs but this does sound alot. When he has been ill have they insisted on you keeeping him off, told you about exclusion periods? If not perhaps there sickness policy is not as robust as it should be. I'm a nursey manager by the way.

What do you think the more sinister thing could be? Poor hygiene?

To be honest, children just starting at nursery do catch everything going, as their immune systems aren't up to it yet. The nursery will have a policy about excluding sick children after V&D, infectious diseases etc but a lot of parents do just dose their child up with Calpol in the morning, drop them off and hope for the best - not much you can do about that but call the parents back once it wears off and becomes clear the child is sick.

By all means ask to see their sickness policy, read the bit in their Ofsted report about health and hygiene, and ask if the cook has a food hygiene cert, but it sounds like you've just been unlucky and this is normal nursery illnesses.

Is he starting nursery? if so, yes, it's normal for them to catch everything going for a while. S and D could be a return of the gastro of 2 weeks earlier, I suppose? If you got it too, it might be viral rather than poor hygiene, or an allergy declaring itself. Also, 10 months is a prime age for putting everything in his mouth, and with other babies sharing those toys, that's a lot of bugs he won't be used to.
Have a word with the staff, S and D should be doing the rounds if it is a virus, rather than a hygiene issue.

Did your DS have a lot of contact with children prior to starting nursery? If he is an only child and has not been to lots of toddler groups then this will be his first exposure to lots of bugs and he is likely to suffer more.

You will probably find his immune system revs up pretty quickly and you are all fit as fiddles in a month or so.

My manager at work told me not to book anything important for the first month I started back from maternity, and to expect a lot of sickness - she was quite right!

also many illnesses are at their most contagious right before the symptoms manifest - it's not necessarily that parents are deliberately sending their ill children in.

It does sounds a lot like the usual settling in problems when starting nursery.

FWIW, here is my experience:
My DD started nursery at 10 months at the beginning of November. By Christmas she had had a burst ear drum, two bouts of conjunctivitis, untold numbers of colds and the norovirus. It actually got to the point where we thought if things didn't get better in January we would seriously look at a nanny share as it was just so upsetting to see her ill - never mind the problems of trying to juggle work and an unwell child.
We had just over two weeks off with the Christmas period, which I think was enough time for her little immune system to catch up with the onslaught of all the bugs, and she has been pretty much fine from January onwards.

But do speak to the nursery about their sickness policy and anything you don't feel happy about. Our nursery washes the toys periodically (I think it's once a week) to try to help with germs - perhaps ask them what their policy is on things like that.

nope, sorry it is totally normal but very soul destroying I know. It usually gets better by three and my two are definitely stronger because of it now, but it was hell at the time.

i remember this, ds 1 started nursery at 6m, now he is older he never gets ill, he has only had one day off for d& v since he started ft school in january, so yes it does get better

THANK GOODNESS!!! I thought it was only me. My daughter just started her settling in period and is not her usual bubbly self. I will keep her home for a few days so she can recover, but will not book anything important for the first month. THANKS.

It is normal for children to pick up all the nasties when they first start nursery.
It's also true for the staff as well!

oh goodness my ds was always well until started pre school and had such poor attendance in first yr it is so normal but it also helps to strengthen there immune systems

its nothing sinister its just children are susceptible to getting germs as immune systems are weak

when i worked in old peoples home i was always ill picking up every blooming bug someone had as they get older they do tend to not get as many but still always getting a cold from someone else

i remember a friend being all smug your ds is always ill just lately hers was just starting pre school and was then ill continuously for months so i said i told you so always picking things up she's not so smug now lol she's more than understanding

Its normal to be ill a lot in the beginning in nursery, but IME they built up an amazing immune system after a while. A doctor once told me that once DD starts school she will never be sick and he was right.

Try giving a probiotic like infant acidophilous to help heal his gut and build up his immune system.

this is normal, im afraid. dd3 had constant colds, ear infections etc for the best part of 3 months. now, given that was my third that went to nursery, i still managed to forget this totally!

chin up, DD1 and DD2 had near perfect attendance in Primary school, i reckon they were immune to everything by 4!

It sounds pretty normal to me. I took the ds's to tons of playgroups and playdates etc while I was on mat leave and they both picked up a lot when they started nursery. Be prepared for several bouts of conjunctivitis until the child builds up immunity.
I did notice though that friends who had been more at home with their babies or just mingled with their own family or one or two friends, - their children picked up a lot more bugs when they started nursery.
Mine both went to nursery at 12m and touch wood once those bugs were all dealt with and their immunity built up, they are never ill now.

My DD has had so many bugs in the 9 months she has been at nursery. We have conjunctivitis, constant cold, gastric flu, chest infection, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, chicken pox etc etc.

It has been completely and utterly relentless but I have been assured by several doctors (including a consultant paed) that it is very normal and now DD is getting them less and less frequently. We give DD multivits to try and help but not sure it makes a huge difference but you might want to try it.