Baby, eye infection and nursery

[LouiseTopaz]

I work in finance, and while my job is incredibly stressful, I do work from home, which gives me some flexibility. I have an 11-month-old baby, and since starting nursery two months ago, he’s had two stomach bugs, the flu, a cold, a cough, and now a severe eye infection. I understand that illnesses like bugs and the flu are quite common, but is it normal for a child to catch something like an eye infection from nursery? I’m really struggling to balance work and motherhood. My husband’s job is very strict, and while he’d love to take time off to help care for our son, it’s just not possible. I’m torn between pulling my son out of nursery and sending him to a childminder instead, or accepting that this might just be the norm.

I'd be quite unimpressed at a work colleague doing all the sick care for a child while her hurband does nothing.

Its always a rough start with illness at nursery, but with a childminder you do need to consider what you would do when they are ill or on holiday too

What is the eye infection? You can get (viral) conjunctivitis with a cold. As for everything else it’s unfortunately normal for them to get unwell a lot their first winter in childcare. A nanny would help. A childminder may or may not, it’s less kids but potentially a wider germ pool if they’re picking up older ones from different preschools/schools.

I don't know about the eye infection and how normal it is to catch it from nursery but I don't think with a childminder he would get less illnesses.

My DC went to nursery and my friends DC to childminders.. their DC have had the same or more amounts of sickness/ bugs as mine.

Childminders will still have other DC to look after and often take the DC to playgroups where your DS will be exposed to many more DC ..

Hope it makes sense

My husband’s job is very strict, and while he’d love to take time off to help care for our son, it’s just not possible.
Also, this is absolutely ridiculous with 2 parents working and a DC in nursery. If there’s even half a grain of truth in it then I think you need a nanny because they can still look after a sick child.

Your DH does need to cover some of the sickness. It’s normal to get a lot especially when first starting nursery or another childcare setting, but most employers expect you to share the time off with your partner.

Yes conjunctivitis is incredibly contagious and very spreadable in a nursery setting. It one of the more common nursery illnesses for babies.

Your DH needs to share the load. I can’t bare men who put their wives at the bottom of the pile. You have just returned from mat leave if anything it’s more important than ever for him to do the care during the illnesses for the first few weeks!

I'm a childminder and we have had a few children come to us in the past year because of illnesses at nursery. I will say they get less illnesses here because there's a smaller germ pool but also we can offer a closer hygiene routine (cleaning hands/noses etc) but I will also add that some illnesses still happen. The 3 children that left nursery haven't been sick since they came here as it happens which is good for a year. With a childminder though you also need to consider what you would do for our annual leave or if we get sick (personally I'm rarely sick tho, quite good immune system and good work ethic) but this will depend on the cm

We still had this when my DS started a childminder including an eye infection and with a childminder you’re effected by their holidays and their illness so at this point I’d leave him where he is and hopefully you’re nearly through this stage

I agree with the others though that both jobs are important and your husband really should be taking over some of them. I can never understand blokes that never pull their weight like this.

My husband’s job is very strict, and while he’d love to take time off to help care for our son, it’s just not possible.

Don't be silly, of course it is.

Your husband has just not done it before, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.