Sick 8 Month Old Question

I'm a provider and have 4 kids in care including my own daughter. The fact is the more kids in care the more likely colds will spread because they are airborne and because at your son's age if they are sharing toys and mouthing them they will get the cold germs. It is difficult to keep kids of this age separated--its easier when they are not mobile. My daughter has caught colds from the other kids and the other kids have caught colds from her. At least 4 in 8 months seems like its a little high. How much space is there to spread them out? Do you want her putting him in a playpen for extended periods of time to prevent colds especially if the other child is sick often. Maybe to prevent toy sharing--you could see if she would use a set of your toys just for your baby when a cold is running through the daycare. She may not want to deal with this if she has trouble setting limits about what the kids play with. My kids were pretty good about leaving the "baby" toys to the babies especially if I enforced it when they were sick. I'm more of a nervous nelly and having my own child with the kids I think helps me try to prevent them from infecting one another constantly, but at a certain point and number of kids in care , colds will spread regardless. The other kids often bring infections they got from their parents or siblings here, there's a general understanding that colds are colds--not a real big deal unless your son is prone to ear infections afterward or develops lung issues afterward. In the end if this still bothers you and you want to change try a provider that has less kids in care and ask about her cleaning procedures.

jason don't be too quick to blame the sitter. first it's nearly impossible to keep kids separated when you are in a daycare setting. S., that kid's parents probably blame your kid just like you blame theirs lol. yes, they probably are giving it back and forth. but any daycare setting will be the same, i promise. not to mention going to walmart, the grocery store, grandma's house, church - just because the sitter's is where he is most of the time, doesn't mean necessarily that's where he's getting it. you really don't know. by the time my son was a year he had had so many colds, he'd had four or five ear infections already. it stinks. as long as he's not running a fever and getting ear infections, it's not terrible. he's building his immune system. kids always seem to have runny noses. sorry about your sickie kiddo. talk to your pediatrician about ways to boost his immune system. winter is always worse!

Well, since the colds seem minor I would think of it this way, his immune system is building up a tolerance and there's a good chance that when he does go to school he won't get sick as frequently. Just a thought.

I agree with most others - frequent illnesses are the downside of daycare. And 4 colds over the last 5-6 months (depending when you started him there) sounds typical to me for a daycare child - my son has had more than that, for sure (he's 9 months and in a bigger center-style daycare so more kids to catch things from). My 1st child was the same way and now, at age 4, he almost never gets sick because he's already had everything. So yes, it's frustrating, but no harm done in the long term.

Hi, Jason:

I notice that there are alot of concerns coming from the care of your son.
I wonder if there is a problem of communication about the needs of your son.
Aside from that, check out some vitamins for your son. Also Hyland Vit C 5 mg tabs that melt in the baby's mouth might be considered as well.

Look on the web for alternative ways to keep a baby healthy.
Sit down and talk to your nanny/baby sitter and see if there is ways that can keep the baby cold free.

Another aspect is to make sure the baby is kept out of drafts and kept warm.

Keep asking questions, you will find your answers to help you get through baby's first year.
Good luck.
D.

Hi Jason :-)

First of all, I agree with Adansmamma, they are probably blaming your child, all the other children as well as the babysitter so take a deep breath and let out a good laugh!.. then lets look at what is happening.

Viruses can live for days on inanimate objects. Some bacteria as well. Even in your own home, there are microbes living everywhere which people bring in from their travels as well as those that come along for the ride on our food. So lets shift the perspective of "it's us against them", which is the consciousness around hand sanitizers, and realize that your son's "young" immune system is getting an education which will help him in the future.

80% of our immune system is in our gut which contains something called "normal flora" which are actually healthy bacteria living within us. To keep this immune system healthy and strong, you simply need to provide a healthy,happy and safe environment for your son on his physical, mental and emotional level. When all of these levels are functioning in harmony, the body takes care of itself.

Part of the job of his "young" immune system is to get educated! It's like meeting someone on the street.. and then years later "remembering" who they are. This is how the immune system works. The more "sterile" an environment we provide, the less educated the immune system is and less able to deal with microbes as the individual matures.

Keep feeding your son good nutrition, (as best you can without all of the chemicals and dyes as the immune system is very busy defending against these foreign things) offer opportunities for exercise and play, give LOTS of HUGS and support his exploration of LIFE through his five senses in a healthy and safe manner. Doing all of this will support all aspects of him, including his immune system. Not only does the immune system work at the physical level, but it works on the emotional level too, so providing safe and spontaneous happy experiences will help your baby feel less "immune" to the world!

Enjoy and keep those kleenex handy!
hugs,
A. www.amyfreundbodytalk.com

Know that it does get better - after my son turned 1 (in daycare), the sickies were a lot less frequent. Another thing to consider is the possiblity of allergies. My 8 month old has just been diagnosed with multiple allergies and has been much better after getting on medication.
Hang in there!