[dilgra]

Tati was home with me nearly 2 years after coming home from Guatemala. She was very healthy and had no major illness, only a couple of little colds that were really just the sniffles that lasted 2 or 3 days.

I went back to work about 2 months ago and she is now sick for the 3rd time since starting daycare! And it is not just he sniffles any more. She started with a cough and fever last night. I stayed home with her today because DH was out of town but since I just started my job, he has been the one to stay home with her for most of the other times. He has missed a lot of work and I have already missed 3 days to keep her home. And of course I hate it when she is sick! I feel terrible when she is so miserable. The first couple of years she basically only went to the Dr. for check ups, now we are there once a month .

I like her school and I am sure that it is pretty common since she is now being exposed to much more than she was before but how on earth do you deal with this. At this rate we will both run out of vacation/sick time soon! Ugh!

[dmg0703]

I hear that it is quite common for the kiddos to get sick a lot when they first go. I enrolled DS in a 2 morning per week program 2 weeks ago and he not only got so sick, he got DH and I SOOOO sick too I hear that after a while their immunity gets built up, I would just make sure that the daycare facility washes the kids hands, etc and maintains a clean environment - but kids are always touching everything!!!

[luv2teach2]

Last year was my DD first year in a preschool. I ended up using all of my sick days because she was sick so much. This year I have only been out 3 days. Her immune system is just getting used to all of the germs. Not much you can do, but will gt better next year.

[adoptnky]

We put Alex in daycare when I went back to work after my maternity leave (12 weeks after being home). For the first 6-9 months he was ALWAYS sick. Colds, fever, ear infections, etc.

He's now been in daycare for 2 years and now he is very rarely sick.

They do build up immunity. My best friend's kids are watched by her parents, and she went through the same thing when they started preschool/kindergarten.

So, I would say that you just need to hold it out - you will have to deal with it now or later.

Hope Tati starts feeling better soon.

Kim

[Slatond10]

I can totally relate...It was about 3 yrs b4 I had vacation time that could be used for something else. 1 yr was going to Guat and bringing DD home, next 2 yrs were sickness /dr appt. As Single Mom, I didn't have an options. Last yr was the first time we took a real vacation. IT WAS AWESOME!

They do build an immunity and sicknesses do taper off! But it sure is hard on all accounts -- to see your child sick and to have to take off so much time from work.

[JosieWales]

There's not much you can do! She'll get some antibodies built up--you may be docked some pay in the meantime, but making sure she's getting well comes first!

[TerriBB]

It will get better. My friends who didn't send their kids to daycare got the "sickies" in kindergarten. Our son started daycare at 3 months and had MANY ear infections, usually started by colds, but would run a fever and couldn't return for a while. Our daughter had several colds her first year of daycare.

It is now April and we've only had 3 sick days total with two kids!

You may want to find an older adult babysitter that may agree to take on the "second day" of sickness. Most daycares want the kids fever free for 24+ hours. If this happened, our kids would spend the "healing day" with my parents.

[khaki17]

This is the hardest part of being a working parent!

My daughter was sick about once a month for the first 18 mos in daycare. Now--she is 5 and hasn't been sick in quite a while. It really does get better.

How flexible are your jobs? Can one of you go to work super early and get in several hours of work and then come home to let the other one go to work to get in several hours of work?

Can either of you work from home for part of the day? I usually find I can get some work done at home when my daughter is sick because she will sleep more.

Do you have any relatives or neighbors that would help you out? My aunt lives near us and helped me out quite a bit. She really couldn't do a whole day of babysitting, but she would come for 4-5 hours or so. Enough for me to work part of the day. My mom is about 1.5 hours away and has come when it looks like my daughter will be sick for several days.

You will make it through! It is just tough at the beginning.

[Suzeb1]

As a single mom, I've been mostly fortunate in that my dd spent the first 1 1/2 years she was home with my sister, so she got some germ exposure from her cousins, but was able to still stay with my sister unless she was so sick that I felt like I needed to be home with her.

Since then, December has been our bad month, the past two Decembers she's been home more than at daycare. I have a friend from church who adores dd and has watched her once she's well enough to play, but not yet well enough to go back to school. I've worked on ensuring that we build that relationship so that dd is comfortable with her. It's been a big help.

Like other posters, I took almost no vacation time so I could build it up. I also work differently now. I have a blackberry and can log on to work from home, so I always have contact information, etc. so I can still call in or follow through on commitments if we have to stay home. I've found that that as a result, no one has a problem when I'm gone.

It does get better, though, and she doesn't get sick nearly as much. Good luck and hang in there!

Susan
Mommy to a 4 years and 1 day year old (who was so excited this morning that she is STILL 4!)

[cantwait2bmommy]

Funny you posted this....I was just thinking this morning how grateful I am that dd is FINALLY healthy again. She started daycare in Jan, 2 days a week after spending 13 months home with me (1 illness that lasted 4 days and minor sniffles and coughs in that time). The first week she went to school Wed and Thrus. When she woke Fri am she had a small pink spot on one eye. By Mon am she had double pink eye. We took her to the doc and she was diagnosed with double pink eye and a double ear infection. We picked up all the meds and within 48 hours she had a full body rash and a nasty head cold (which dh and I both caught). Anyway, long story short all this hung on for 2 1/2 months. During that time I REALLY wanted to just hire a nanny and be done with it, but I know if she doesn't get through the germs now, she will have to do it when she starts kindergarten. We survived and she is much, much better. I asked the same question you are asking and I've now learned there is no answer except "tough it out....it will get better."

Good luck!
Chris

PS: Tati is just GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!

[JustBarbara]

First winter in daycare DS had five ear infections and many colds, coughs - I dreaded my cell phone going off - we were at the peds so often that we knew all the doctors on staff! Now more than two years later he has not had a sick day in over a year - and that was last Easter when he got pink-eye - and then passed it on to me. So, hang in there - your child is just building up immunity - it will get better. Single parent here so just me - none of my family/friends with kids wanted DS to be around them when he was sick - understandable so I took all my sick days and some vac days. Good luck - better now than missing school in kindergarten.

[joepegcamp]

We put my son in preschool this year for two days per week so he could build up his immunity system. I plan on going back to work in the next year and want his body to handle all the germs. We don't have relatives close by, so I'm also developing relationships with other sitters who can help me out if he needs to be at home on his "healing days" and I have to be at work.

[mama8]

This too shall pass and will get better! A couple of suggestions:

find a backup plan that does not involve missing work - a relative, friend or neighbor - your house or theirs - it can be hard to keep missing work!

I highly recommend the flu shot - my kids have been getting flu shots for years and we are all staying healthy!!!

Good luck - but as someone else said - it is now or later!

[maccafan]

I can relate. When DS started daycare, he was sick pretty frequently for the first several months. It's getting a lot better now. Fortunately, DH and I both have flexible jobs. If one of us has to stay home with DS, we usually take turns. For example, I'll stay home with DS in the morning while DH goes to work, then he'll come home mid-day and let me do some work from home. Luckily, my MIL just retired, so she helps a lot, too.

Good luck! And the other posters are right, it gets better!

[w8ting4Thomas]

I could have written your post 8 mos ago.
For us it was 2 things...Thomas had to build immunity...but he also had tube put in and he has not been out a day since! Not saying that is your issue at all, but trying to tell you that one way or another it will settle down!
Hang in there. In a year it won't be an issue and my friends tell me that when he hits Kindergarten he will be so healthy and we won't have the issues that kids new to groups environements will face!
And hang in there!