Day care

Gold Member Joined: Oct 26 2008 Posts: 1248

My baby is in day care three days a week and we are generally very happy with the place. The morahs are lovely and he seems to be quite stimulated there and eats and naps nicely. They also cut us a break on tuition because money is an issue for us right now. The only problem is that he is constantly sick.

He has had a horrible cough for two weeks. I took him to the doctor who listened to his lungs and said that it's just a cold and not to be concerned. There is nothing to do for it other than a humidifier and elevating his crib mattress. Well, his crib mattress is forever elevated because ever since he started day care at 14 weeks, he has been horribly congested. There have maybe been five days total when he was not sick and those include the first three days.

I keep hearing arguments that it's a good idea to leave him in because his immune system will develop faster than if I take him out and hire a babysitter. However, while that may or may not be true, the poor thing is not sleeping well. Last night he woke up EVERY HOUR because he was so congested and his coughing bothers him. I am at my wits' end. I feel terrible for him and need some sleep myself. When he is not sick, he sleeps through the night, or close enough.

Should I pull him out and hire a nanny or keep this going? When can I expect to see some improvement, if ever?

Thanks so much for any advice.

Gold Member Joined: Oct 26 2008 Posts: 1248

Anyone?

Posted: Tue, May 04 2010, 8:14 pm Post subject: re: Day care

definitely hire a nanny. I dont believe the whole "being around other children builds up the immune system" story...I have 2 children KAH, one that was at babysitting full time as a baby, and one that was home full time as a baby...and I dont see how one's immune system is "more built up" than the other's...all I know is that my first son, who was in group babysitting full time, had quite a number of viruses and colds and coughs, while my second son did not have many viral ailments.. BH..

Posted: Tue, May 04 2010, 8:17 pm Post subject: re: Day care

honestly, im not sure what you think you will gain by staying at a daycare where your child keeps getting sick?...you dont really believe the "building up immune system" myth?...you must realize that for generations children stayed home with their mommies and were not in daycare centers, and I dont think their immune systems were compromised at all!!

Posted: Tue, May 04 2010, 9:56 pm Post subject: re: Day care

Keep in mind, though, if it's constant, then it might not be the day care, he might have developed an allergy to something. My first dd, for whom I had a nanny, was chronically congested until we figured out she was allergic to milk protein. Once we stopped that, she was no longer congested.

There are lots of pros/cons for day care vs. in house care, I wouldn't use the "build up immunity" argument as one of them though.

Gold Member Joined: Oct 26 2008 Posts: 1248

Gold Member Joined: Oct 26 2008 Posts: 1248

Posted: Tue, May 04 2010, 11:03 pm Post subject: re: Day care

was he getting formula before daycare? My understanding is that the milk protein is less broken down in formula than in ebm. With my dd, it got worse b/c she was taking bottles. So, I don't know, but it could be.

from a health perspective, he shouldn't be getting the same virus over and over again, so at some point, he should've been exposed to the majority of the viruses and he should stop getting so sick. Also, I'd double check on the infection control that's done in the daycare. Unless the other kids are sneezing on him or really close by, he shouldn't be getting sick so often. My baby is 5 months and in a family day care, and has had a couple of colds, but not the whole time. Plus, most of those, I think she's gotten from her siblings. For the daycare, find out how often the toys are cleaned off and watch how often the caregivers are washing/purelling their hands.

Gold Member Joined: Oct 26 2008 Posts: 1248

Posted: Mon, May 10 2010, 12:15 am Post subject: re: Day care

I guess the other question for your doctor is if he's had the cough for 3 weeks, maybe it's something that needs antibiotics? I'm not one to run and push them on babies, but I still remember one time my dd had something that just wouldn't go away, and my doctor kept saying "it's a cold, use a vaporizer, push fluids and wait it out" and then about 3 weeks later I saw a different doctor at sick call and she gave us abx and within 3 days I had a new dd.

Definitely look into the toys, also if there are exersaucers or high chairs that are shared, make sure they wipe them down before a new child goes in.

Silver Member Joined: Jul 23 2007 Posts: 869

I went back to work at 12 weeks. Our twins were watched first in a friend's home (around her 5, 7, and 9 year old kids who are homeschooled), and then ultimately in a group daycare setting. I can tell you that although they were congested from almost the time they were born, it definitely got worse for us once the kids were out of the house. But I can also tell you that now at 2.5, it's a LOT better. I would say we went through almost two years of the continuous colds, ear infections, etc. Okay, my situation is probably worse because we automatically had two to spread the germs from one to the other. But I've heard the same thing from other moms, too.
Expect the first 2 years to be rough - but on a diminishing basis. The further you get in to the two years, the better it should get. Of course, that's assuming as others have mentioned, that you've ruled out things like allergies or some other underlying cause.

Also, I don't know about where you are, where we are, we would have been hard pressed to find an in-house nanny that would work for anywhere near what we pay to the daycare, or at least one who's any good.

Gold Member Joined: Oct 26 2008 Posts: 1248

Thank you for the reply. B"H his cold has improved a lot and the cough is almost totally gone. Until the next time, of course. The cold has thrown off his nighttime sleep so badly though...I feel like the walking dead and can't imagine he feels much better.

We are likely moving and when we do, we are going to look into a nanny, if we can afford it. Day care in our current neighborhood is cheaper than a nanny, but only because they are helping us with the tuition. If they weren't, it would be my entire salary PLUS! It is so, so expensive. Rents here are expensive and this is the going rate so What

One more reason to move, I guess.