How often do your babies and toddlers get sick in nursery?
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It’ll all depend on their illness. If it’s just a cough and a cold send them in as that way you’ll be constantly keeping them off. Your nursery should have a list of illnesses that you can and can’t send them in with and if not then definitely ask. They can go in on antibiotics (24 hours after the first dose), sickness bug is 24-48 hours after the last bound of sickness, chicken pox and HFM is 7-10 days or as soon as the spots scab over x
My little boy has something almost constantly! We’re almost always on antibiotics with all sorts. At first I’d keep him home because when he was poorly he’d run a fever and he’d be so down whereas now he can be sick but if it’s not too bad he just gets on with things so then I do send him in otherwise I’d literally never be in work. Sadly the first year is very much a trial by fire but the good thing is with each sickness they are building a stronger immune system. It’s so so hard but it definitely will get better. I remember the first month they would call me every single week. But now we’ve had a few weeks here and there where he’s just got a little cough or cold
He's been at nursery for 15 months and had 2-3 illnesses that required time off - two were nasty coughs and the other time HFM infected his eczema. Unless they have a fever our nursery will let them attend though.
Ours got hand foot and mouth at her induction, had a week there (she does 2 days) then got bronchiolitis so a week off as she was so poorly, in for a week, then ear infection but antibiotics so could go in as no fever, week in and she now has a bad cold so it’s every other week for us but now I’m only keeping her off if she has a temp or something she can’t be in for, else she’d always be off! Xx
Wow
My son is now 21 months and started Nursery at 7 months old. The first 7 months were brutal with at least one day off a month. But I can honestly say it feels like we are through the bulk of it and got through the winter with no sick days. It’s going to be different for all of us but I wanted to share a good story and say it should get better and his immune system is so much stronger now.
It used to be every other week this went on for the whole year. Now she hardly ever gets sick.
Honestly I don’t think a month went by where we weren’t off nursery for a day or 2 with an illness during the first year. It’s brutal but he is now 5 and has a way better immune system than I do! He handles everything so much better and rarely is affected
My son has been at nursery for 3 years and been off with actual illnesses 3 times (Scarlett fever, HFM and chicken pox), and a handful of odd days here and there when they said he had a fever but was totally fine 🙄 He still goes there with a cough or cold, as long as he’s fine in himself and doesn’t require any medication.
Mine has been at nursery since June last year. He went two days a week until Jan and now three days a week. He’s had three one-off days (if he’d been full time I imagine it would have been 2-3 days off for those times with bad cough/cold/fever). Had one whole week off, and then had bronchilotis before Christmas and had almost two weeks off 😫 August, November and February had no days off. So a mixed bag but I don’t think it’s been too bad for us. Neither me or my partner WFH either so it’s such a pain and I dread it if I think he’s starting to get ill
Thank you all, this is so helpful!!
It’s taken us six months to build a bit of immunity and touch wood, we haven’t had an illness in a while x
Our GP warned us to expect around 25 illnesses in the first year of being at nursery. I never realised how often babies get sick when they start nursery. It feels non stop.