Daughter Constantly Sick Since Starting Preschool

Hi A.,
My Grandbabies have been in two daycares in three years and this daycaare they are in now, they always get sick. But, it is to be expected becasue of so many little germs being passed around all day. I started taking them clorox wipes for the toys and antibacterial soap to wash their hands. All the teacher has to do is use it. I even have their mom bathe them in this antibacterial soap when they come home, especially since it's the cold season

Unfortunately, this just sort of comes with the territory. Both my kids had to go through a "you've got to be kidding - they are sick again" year, but then it does get better. My six year old is sick only every couple months now. My two year old got everything at first and it has slowed down. Their immune systems have to build up at sometime. I heard that kids who don't go to preschool have the same rite of passage in kindergarten (if they didn't do it earlier).

Welcome to preschool! With so many kids in one room or even a school bus they are passing germs back and forth. I have learn it the hard way. I have a six year old who went to head start for two years. It seemed like every week everyone in school was sick and even at home. You yourself will catch anything and everything that your kid comes in contact with when they are around 20 - 50 other sick kids. Yes, we teach our kids to cover there mouth and use a tissue but some kids , you say get a tissue and they look at you like your crazy. Getting a cold or a virus isnt so bad. Wait till your kid comes home with a note saying headlice is going around. I cant even count how many times I have been to Wal-Mart and bought that shampoo. I think i should buy stock in that stuff.Bad enough I have had to do my own head a couple of times. There is really no way of preventing getting sick, you just have to learn to deal with it with a medicine cabinet stocked!

I have a 5 year old daughter who has asthma, her trigger is a cold. When she gets one and the meds don't work we get to go to the hospital for a few days, not fun. The way we have prevented many illnesses is hand santizer. Before she stared preschool we went to bath and body works and I let her pick out a few different smelling hand sanitizers and she gets to take a different one to school each week. She likes the smell which promotes her to use it more. She knows about handwashing and her school is good about telling kids to wash after the restroom and before eating, but the sanitizer is in her cubby where she always has access. I have seen how overwhelmed these teachers can get and I can't expect them to do everything so teaching your child to take care of thier own health is good. My daughter has been out only once this school year and that was for head lice. yuk Hope this helps

Usually over time kids build up an immunity, and it helps siblings also; however; if you are worried, you should call the doctor.

Dear A.,
Please don't be too worried about your daughter, I have been in childcare for over 10 years, I hear this all the time. When children start childcare for the first time their bodies have to build up a defense system to all the germs that they are going to be exposed to with being around so many other children, it takes almost 6-12 months, I know that this is a long time but your going to rather get it over with now than in grade school. What you can do to help is wash hands constantley, lysal everything, maybe try children's vitamins, ask childcare center what their policy is for sanitizing their toys and rooms and how often it is done. I do mine daily, amd still have children with colds. I work with toddlers 12-24 months, and have three children of my own and one on the way, I know insane:) but I love children so I'm giving you the best advice I can. Also talk with your childs pediatrition, she will probably tell you about the same thing. For your other child just make sure that as I said before Lysal, and make sure everyone covers their mouths and washes hands. I hope this helps I know its hard but it will soon be somewhat over. Email me anytime. Goodbye

It is very normal for our little ones to get sick once starting school. My youngest daughter is 7 years old, and when she started going to daycare, she was sick all the time. It seemed like we were at the pediatricians office every 2 months for strep throat. As she has gotten older, she still gets sick often, but not near as much. I asked her pediatrician what I should do and he told me that she would get sick less as she got older and to start teaching her good hand-washing skills. He also suggested that I may be a carrier for strep throat. Carriers rarely have symptoms when they are infected and thus they don't know to take the neccessary precautions to infect others. I am not saying that you are a carrier, but it is possible that someone who has lots of daily contact with your child is.
I hope that this helps.

I don't think that you have anything to worry about. My daughter just turned 3 last month and she spent the entire first year of her life sick all the time. It comes with them beining in daycare/school, but after awhile they get almost 'immune' to it. I wouldn't worry about it, just let her immune system get used to all of the germs and things that is new to it. Don't pull her out of school, school is very important.

My daughter is 2 and started going to daycare this year and was also getting every illness around. Our doctor said its just what happens and maybe by the time she is in school she might not get sick as much. We do get every cold or tummy bug but for us we have stuck it out. You have to decide what is best for you.

Hi A., yes it is normal and it will get better. The thing to do is make sure she gets plenty of sleep and fluids and I give my kids a children's vitimin with extra C and it seems to help alot. And keep them out of the public around the holiday season because everybody is sick and spreading germs, wash your hands and your kids' hands ALOT especially after you come home from shopping and school. Also, two more things to look forward to---you will probably catch more illnesses from your kids than anywhere else and at the beginning of EVERY school year they will come down with something and it will seem to jump start their immune system to be prepared for the incoming cold season. Then it will just get better after the first of the year. I have had alot of experience with this since I have 6 kids and they have given me more colds and flu than when I was working as a dental assistant and two inches from people's faces all day long. Good Luck and take care of yourself cause you will be taking care of eveyone else and you deserve to be healthy.
M. B.
PS. I know this is gross but head lice is VERY sneaky and is easy for small children to catch and always breaks out at the beginning of the school year.

My oldest daughter(now 9 yrs. old) never went to preschool or daycare when she was younger. When she started kindergarten, she was constantly catching stuff. The doctor explained that it is quite common for this to happen. I now have a 2 1/2yr. old and am hoping she doesnt go thru it. Kinda hope big sister will "share" the school germs with her and it will not be so bad when she begins preschool/daycare/kindergarten. It felt like my daughter was sick ALL the time....
Hope that helps if nothing else but reassurance.
S.

Funny you should mention this! I just brought this up to our doctor last week. He told me that children are, on average, ill a cumulative of 110 days out of the year. Children's immune systems are not as strong as an adult, but your 3 year old's run-on illnesses are probably not a sign of a poor immune system. Preschool opens the door wide to all kinds of germs because there are so many children who are not great hand washers and would rather wipe that snot on their sleeve. So, in answer to your question, it isn't uncommon for this to happen. Ask the other moms in the class and I'll bet you'll get one or two similiar stories. If you feel it might be serious, visit your doctor (I did!) and have her head, chest, throat and ears inspected. I'd would just say this is the way it goes with little ones and give you assurance that you are not alone!! I highly doubt a different school will help, but you might ask a teacher or director about hand washing.
Hope this helps!
J.
p.s. I didn't read many other responses so I hope I am not repeating info!!

Yes, this is normal. If up unitl now she has been home with you, then she's not been exposed to much illness. She is just building up her immunities. I had the healthiest boy around until he started daycare at 2, and then he was sick constantly for almost a solid year. Since the first year, and all the illness, he's been better, usually nothing more than a cold or very rarely a stomach virus (hard to fight off!). Good luck!

When my daughter started a real day care she got and ear infection in the first weeks of being there after that it was something after another. The doctor said if she didn't get it now she would get it when she starts school. Going off of what my doctor said I would say yes it is normal.

My son went through the same thing when he started going to daycare. His doctor said it was perfectly normal. Since he hadn't been exposed to many germs at home his immune system wasn't able to fight off all of the germs he came into contact with at daycare. In the end it seemed to make him stronger. He hasn't been sick in about a year and a half.

Hi A.,

One thing you can do to decrease your daughter's chances of catching a bug, and cut down her sick time when she does, is to put her on Kid's Sambucol. It is a great tasting (at least according to my daughter) liquid herbal immune enhancer. You should be able to find it at your local health food store or maybe they can order it for you.

My medicine cabinet is never without it! It is a must have item and I always make sure I have some on hand, especially during winter, along with chewable Vitamin C which can also help repel colds.

My youngest is hardly ever sick since we started using Sambucol and, when she is, it doesn't last very long. I even use the adult version to ward off illness.

Hi A.,

My boys used to be sick nonstop and they had not even started school yet! A friend told me about Pro biotics and they have not been sick in almost a year! The kind I buy is Nature's Way - Primadophilus, Original, 5 billion CFU. I get it at the local healthfood store in the cold section. White bottle with Yellow lid. It is completely healthy so if one of my boys got into it and swallowed the entire bottle it would only boost his immune system :o)

My boys like peanutbutter and honey sandwiches, so I open and sprinkle 2 capsules in them each day. You cannot taste it, I've tried. You can put it in yogert or whatever else you can think of.

Heres' to a healthier future! Our house is MUCH better! My husband and I will get sick but the kids will not. Thats' what we get for not taking it as often as I have the boys take it:o)
S.
____@____.com

To some extent, I think this is normal. Whenever a child starts group care, whether it be at 6 weeks or kindergarten, the child generally gets sick. But, what you are describing sounds a bit excessive. I would suggest you inquire as to how the preschool is trying to prevent this from occurring. How often are they washing toys (every night would be preferred), how are they sanitizing the room, are they sending sick kids home asap, things like that.

Good luck! The good news is that your kids will likely be very healthy in kindergarten. Mine hasn't missed a day of school yet, which I believe is due to his immunity being built up at a young age.

Hi A.,

I have my 3 year old on Juice Plus gummies. They have the full serving of fruits and veggies that your child needs per day. My son loves them and he is rarely ever sick.

I see you have gotten a LOT of responses, and I really don't have the time right now to read through them all, so I am just going to offer you my 2 cents, and my apologies to anyone who may have already told you this.
This is VERY common for the first year of school, preschool, or daycare. It happened to all my kids ( in school ), my grandkids (in daycare), to me when I was teaching my first year at the grade school, and my sister her first year working at the pediatrician's office.
The pediatricians in my sister's office called it the "First Year Crud". They said they all had the problem, too, when they first started working with children. You get exposed to all these fun little germies that children so generously pass around, and it takes your first year to build up immunities to them. The pediatricians actually said it was a good thing. (yea, right .... I dare them to say that to a mom who is cleaning up a puking child and all his/her bedding for the fourth time in one night) They said it gets those little immune systems built up.
Just try to keep your child up to date on their immunizations, feed them well, and be sure they get plenty of rest. Then you just have to doctor the various "cruds" as you get them ( there are things out there I had never even heard of before ! LOL !) and even though it seems never ending, it will get better in time.
Incidentally, you and the rest of the family will get most of this stuff, also, as your sweet child generously shares all their interesting new germies with you at home.
:o)
Ain't it fun ?
LOL. Sorry. That probably isn't funny to you right now.
I really do feel sorry for you.
:o(
Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt ........... SO many times !
Hang in there. It does get better.
:o)