What's a normal amount of bugs starting childcare

[Lolayu7]

My 2nd DS is due to start a childminder 2 days a week in Jan (he will be just one) and I'm panicking about all the bugs they pick up. I had a terrible time with my first DS, he was born April 2020 so a lockdown baby and hardly mixed with anyone until he went to childcare.

We then had an horrendous time the normal colds, but lots and lots of viruses with high temps lasting a while, Croup multiple times, tonsillitis, conjunctivitis made worse as he's allergic to the treatment for it , hand foot and mouth multiple times with all his toe nails falling off , random awful rashes , D&Vs. He's been the Dr's and hospital more times than I can count . He also had a food allergy thankfully outgrown it now which didn't help as he had a very bad reaction at 18 months. At one point in 7 weeks he done 2 days in. Then at another point in 3 weeks he went in one day. He was supposed to do 3 days a week m

The stress fills me with dread . I'm seriously considering a nanny but obviously this is more costly and I do want him to mix . Does my first DS sound like the normal level of bugs or does it seem a bit more? My DS was also very prem so maybe I'm a bit more nervous.

In my experience, they pick up far more germs in a nursery than at a childminder, probably due to a nursery having a lot more kids. Was your first at a childminder too?
My older son wasn't as ill in childcare as you described but my younger son was prem and had v poor immunity in his early years. Due to covid (2020) we switched from nursery to child minder temporarily, as I thought it would be lower risk (he was deemed at higher risk to begin with). He was a lot healthier than at nursery. I think it helped to build his immunity a bit more gradually. So I guess the smaller the setting the better initially. But at some point they have to face the crowds.

My eldest was at a childminder, although im thinking the same that a childminder has less children.

Was your younger sons immunity low because he was prem , as I do worry about this . But we have been discharged from NICU and none of the Dr's have mentioned it .

Ours was in nursery and was never seriously ill but basically seemed to have a cold for a year.

@Lolayu7 my younger son is adopted so after being prem and having been subjected to maternal smoking and all sorts throughout pregnancy, he had poor nutrition for over a year with his birth mum. That was before moving to foster care for a year and then us aged 2. He had asthma and allergies and his immunity was a lot better once we got those under control. The good news is that despite all this he is now a very robust 9 year old who has close to 100% school attendance. So even with poor immunity early on they can build it up, it might just take a bit of extra time. As yours is your second he has probably already built up some immunity from being around your first, so it may not be anywhere near as bad as you are expecting.

I don’t think either child did a full week for months in their first winter. Thought second would be better as wasn’t after lockdown and he’d picked up bugs from his brother, but honestly just as bad.