Parents with kids in daycare: do the runny noses/colds ever stop?

[NewJeffCT]

We were pretty lucky after my daughter was born almost 4 years ago - for the first 10 months, my mother-in-law came from overseas to help us out and was basically a live-in nanny for us.

Then my mom retired and took care of her during the daytime, with me dropping her off & picking her up each day. That went on for almost 2 years.

From there, we sent our daughter to a couple of local family daycare places, usually 2-3 days per week.

Finally, this past summer, we put her into a local preschool/daycare place on a full-time basis. Our daughter likes the preschool, and they have a lot of activities for children, etc.

However, since she started there this past summer, it seems like she almost always had a runny nose. She's had 3 ear infections (luckily, not painful ones... but, they always seem to eventually infect my ears, too!) and also had a mild case of walking pneumonia, and about a month ago, the doctor said that it sounded like she might have some fluid in her lungs again (while she also diagnosed our daughter with her 3rd ear infection)

I realized that once she started full-time we could expect her to get a lot of colds & runny noses and the like - but, how long does it take for kids to start building up a tolerance to these things?

Thanks

[underpants]

1. Not her but me-I've never been so sick in all my life

My doctor says that some of it is from quitting smoking but I have gotten knocked OUT several times by viruses I picked up just walking through the damned place.

[jayfish]

10. Can You Expand On The "Quitting Smoking" Thing?

I've always suspected that smoking adds some sort of protection against common maladies. I'd like to hear an unbiased professionals opinion on the matter.

Jay

[underpants]

13. Well this Doctor told me this

Apparently there are narcosensors or something like that and smoking basically keeps the whole immune system on high alert because you are basically poisoning yourself constantly so it is always fending stuff off. Once you quit the system eases up a bit and stuff gets by it. At least that is how it was explained to me.

[jayfish]

15. Makes Sense. Thanks. -NT-

Jay

[NewJeffCT]

11. I've been getting sick a lot, too

I got out of college in 1989... from '89 through February of 2001 when our daughter was born, I took a grand total of 5 sick days, and 2 were to visit my sick ex-wife before we got married.

Since that time, I've started getting ear infections (my daughter has had them 4 times and I've caught them 3 of the times - and the first one was really stubborn and didn't go away for like 4 months and 3 trips to a regular doctor and 2 to an E/N/T specialist)

I also caught some sort of stomach virus where I vomited for the first time since elementary school.

And, not long after my daughter had her fever a few months back, I also had a fever.

[underpants]

12. Well her whole day care went through the RSV thing

I can't say that she has gotten that sick from the other kids though (to answer your original question)

[MrCoffee]

2. that's a big reason why we decided against day-care...

seems like all the little ones we know who are in day-care are constantly sniffling.

hope she gets well soon.

[NewJeffCT]

5. well, I keep telling my wife to work harder

so i can stay home!

But, it's either have her get sick now, or she'll be getting sick once she's in kindergarten in 21 months or so.

[MrCoffee]

8. funny, my wife told me the same thing!

when we did the math, we figured that we'd have an extra $150/month if MrsCoffee went back to work and we put the kid in daycare.

it was worth the 150/month for her to stay home.

[Midlodemocrat]

3. One of the biggest problems is that parents who can't afford to

stay home when the child has a garden variety cold, give them Dimetapp or something similar and send them on. They're contagious and they're miserable, but a lot of folks don't have a choice in the matter.

[NewJeffCT]

4. well, she hasn't really been miserable

her personality has been fine all along, except the one time she had a fever for a few days...

her appetite has been fine.

[Midlodemocrat]

6. Because you are a good dad.

You would keep her home if she were miserable. A lot of folks don't. Even when they get to school, you see these poor little kids who are so sick and can't keep their eyes open.

I think it's terrible.

[NewJeffCT]

9. well, we still have my mom

so, when she does get that sick, we can have my mom come over... and, unlike a daycare place, my mom can give her pediacare or dimetapp or whatnot.

But, my mom is retired and is going to Florida for 3 weeks in January & 3 more weeks in March. Damn my mom for trying to enjoy her retirement! ;-)

So, one of us will have to stay home if our daughter keeps getting sick.

[Chorophyll]

7. It's not just daycare...

my son went to a wonderful preschool, and when he was 2 and 3 he was sick CONSTANTLY. He almost never got sick before that. It seems to be inevitable once they come into contact with so many other kids. My son is five now, in full-day kindergarten, and he doesn't get sick nearly as often. (And not nearly as severely!) It's so hard while you're going through it, though. All I can say is, try to wash her hands as often as possible, and make sure she's getting her vitamins (easier said than done.)

[Kali]

14. It slows down in middle and high school.

Hand washing. Lots of good handwashing. It is a good thing they get these colds - it is building strong immune responses. They need to eat some dirt too. So while handwashing habbits are important - so is getting dirty.