DS just started Pre-K and keeps getting sick!

[jenrose66]

My DS 4 is just starting his 3rd week of pre-k. He has never been in daycare or any other setting where exposed to lots of kids. He missed 2 days his first week due to fever/vomiting, got better over the weekend then was getting the sniffles by Wednesday of last week.

It's bad enought that he's sick but he's also spread the germs to me, DH, and his little brother. Today we all have sore throats.

How long can I expect this to continue. Is this something that goes on for a month, six weeks, the entire year?

I understand that getting sick is a part of going to school. I guess my tolerance is just low with being pregnant...especially since I can't take any good pain or cold meds in my condition. Plus I'm worried about having all these germs swirling around the house once the new baby comes.

Thanks for listening!

 

[dejr_8]

My first son never went to daycare or pre-K. When he started K he was sick every other week (or at least that's what it seemed like).

I don't think you are having a unique experience.

 

[Mommee]

my son (stayed home with me, no daycare) went through this until march, but his year-younger sister only got sick two or three times her first year of school.(because she'd already caught everything from her brother!)

my youngest started preschool sept. 9 and already has had two colds

 

[WDWorBUST]

It seems like it went on until about December when DD first started a preschool program. I hated it and wanted to pull her out....but she loved it and I knew I was just putting off the inevitable if I did. It does get better though - just hang in there.

 

[Go Saints!]

I would expect this to happen pretty much all year, until his body builds an immunity to the germs. DS had one "sick" year and has been a pretty healthy kid ever since. It does get better!

 

[simba20]

DD started daycare in August, back when she was 13 months old. From September-April she was on and off sick.

Yes, this does happen.

 

[krcit]

When my oldest started Kindergarten she had strep constantly...like 13 times over the year. We called the the K center 'the petri dish'. hang in there, it gets better!

 

[golfgal]

By about 2nd grade it settles down. I think after that the kids got sick once, maybe twice/year. There really isn't anything you can do about it. Now that the kids are in high school they get an occasional cold but don't miss school at all or maybe a couple days/year.

 

[mamacatnv]

With each new school environment (K, 1st, middle, high and college even) the kids spent a fair portion of the year getting the local bugs,the younger years were the worst. Fall into winter was worse than spring into summer.

The one nice thing is that we parents don't get as much of it as they do, I guess we got exposed more. Also, DD did not necessarily get all the bugs her brother did and vise versa.

 

[mrssmee]

The same thing happened to my oldest when he started preschool. He had never been to any type of day care, mother's day out, etc.. and it seemed he was sick the entire school year. He was sick much more than any of the other children in his class (most of them had been going to that school since they were two years old). Things were MUCH better for him the next year.

My youngest did not have as much of a problem with sickness when she started preschool, most likely because she had been exposed to so many things from my oldest.

Since then, I have found it to be hit or miss. We have had great years where they have hardly been sick at all, and then we have had years like last year when they were sick so much I could not even take them out of school for a Disney trip like I had planned. My second grader had missed 8 days of school by mid October! He usually does not miss that many in an entire year! We are keeping our fingers crossed this year will be better. So far, no sickness...I better knock on wood.

I sure hope things get better for your little guy! Hang in there!

 

[RunningGirl]

I work at a preschool and while kids do pass things around, the school should be taking some steps to help prevent this:
1. Anytime there is a contagious illness reported, it should be posted so parents know to watch for symptoms and can hopefully catch it early.
2. Kids should wash their hands with soap and water upon entering the classroom. (The other reason we do this is for our severe peanut allergy - that way if someone had peanut butter toast for breakfast we help to exposure for the allergic child.)
3. All classroom tables, sinks, bathrooms should be disinfected daily. We have hospital strength sanitizer that we use to clean with.
4. The school's illness policy should be enforced. I hope they gave you one!
5. Any toys that are sneezed on/mouthed/etc should be removed and sanitized before being used again.
6. After a child (or teacher!) blows his/her nose he/she needs to wash his/her hands with soap and water.

Sickness is unavoidable, but I think each school needs to take steps to try to cut down on kids passing it along.

 

[clutter]

When my dd was in child care, she was sick for two winters. The first year was the local stuff, the next year one of the moms worked in the local elementary school. She'd moved her from out of town, so caught everything in the school. We all (parents went down the hardest) got it too. But since then (11 years), she's had one stomach virus and one round of strep. Other than that a few mild colds or one day fevers. Oh yeah, she did get swine. So there's hope. One, maybe two winters and it will all be over. And hopefully the rest of the family will get immunity too!

 

[jenrose66]

I work at a preschool and while kids do pass things around, the school should be taking some steps to help prevent this:
1. Anytime there is a contagious illness reported, it should be posted so parents know to watch for symptoms and can hopefully catch it early.
2. Kids should wash their hands with soap and water upon entering the classroom. (The other reason we do this is for our severe peanut allergy - that way if someone had peanut butter toast for breakfast we help to exposure for the allergic child.)
3. All classroom tables, sinks, bathrooms should be disinfected daily. We have hospital strength sanitizer that we use to clean with.
4. The school's illness policy should be enforced. I hope they gave you one!
5. Any toys that are sneezed on/mouthed/etc should be removed and sanitized before being used again.
6. After a child (or teacher!) blows his/her nose he/she needs to wash his/her hands with soap and water
Sickness is unavoidable, but I think each school needs to take steps to try to cut down on kids passing it along.

That's a great policy, I don't think my school has anything near that. During our orientation the nurse asked us to keep kids home if they have a fever above 100.4, if they throw up or have a tummy bug, or if they complain of an earache. They also had a handout to this effect that was optional for us to pick up and take home which most parents didn't bother taking (I took one though).

I have to say with food allergies I'm really surprised because when we were touring classrooms there is a table with food and there were jars of peanut butter in there. They don't outlaw any types of food. They really didn't discuss what the food allergy policy that was besides just asking me if my son is allergic to any food. He has no known food allergy but I have a severe one to tree nuts (always supposed to have an epi pen) so I asked that he doesn't get tree nuts....the teacher argued that he's not technically allergic to them..."I told her we don't know if he is or isn't and I don't want him exposed to them without my consent" He was supposed to go to the allergist to get tested but that was scheduled during his first illness from school....I waited 4 months for that appointment then it needed to be cancelled...but I digress.

 

[marcyinPA]

I work at a preschool and while kids do pass things around, the school should be taking some steps to help prevent this:
1. Anytime there is a contagious illness reported, it should be posted so parents know to watch for symptoms and can hopefully catch it early.
2. Kids should wash their hands with soap and water upon entering the classroom. (The other reason we do this is for our severe peanut allergy - that way if someone had peanut butter toast for breakfast we help to exposure for the allergic child.)
3. All classroom tables, sinks, bathrooms should be disinfected daily. We have hospital strength sanitizer that we use to clean with.
4. The school's illness policy should be enforced. I hope they gave you one!
5. Any toys that are sneezed on/mouthed/etc should be removed and sanitized before being used again.
6. After a child (or teacher!) blows his/her nose he/she needs to wash his/her hands with soap and water.

Sickness is unavoidable, but I think each school needs to take steps to try to cut down on kids passing it along.

Preschool teacher here....we do the same as above. However, I teach 2 year olds and it is VERY hard to keep their germs to themselves at this age!

I'm sick now, as a matter of fact....2nd full week of school! I usually get sick three times a school year: 2 colds and the stomach virus. I've been back to teaching (after being a stay at home mom for 11 years) for five years now, and every year I get three illnesses.

OP, I know it's hard right now, but your DS is building his immunities up....he should be much better when he starts Kindergarten!

 

[simba20]

My friend is a nurse (PICU). He son is 16 months old, never been in any type of program (just stays home with Grandma) and has been sick constantly since birth.

Anyway, my friend missed two weeks of chruch and I saw her for the first time last Sunday at church. She was telling me about her son's latest illness (pneunomia--sp?) and I said, "You're bringing home all those germs from the hospital." to which she replied "Yep!"

She takes her shoes off at the door when she enters her house, but she forgets about what's on her scrubs. I told her she needed to install a DECON shower in her garage that she could use before entering the house.

 

[jbear'smommy]

DS was sick for almost an entire year when he first started daycare. Eventually they build up an immunity. It's a good idea to get him a flu shot.

 

[jenrose66]

DS was sick for almost an entire year when he first started daycare. Eventually they build up an immunity. It's a good idea to get him a flu shot.

I already got the flu shot scheduled for both the boys. Unfortunately it's not until 10/9, hopefully that's not too late.

 

[Hannathy]

Just wanted to let you know this has been happening forever! I was born when my sister was starting first grade many decades ago way before pre-school or kindergarten were done. In fact before many of the immunizations that we take for granted now. Well she was one sick kid that year she had every childhood illness known to man from measles to rubella(we called it the German Measles) to scarletina to chicken pox! and she brought every single one of them home to me.
I had chicken pox when I was 6 weeks old. I can only imagine how scared my Mom was since they did not have the medicine we have now or the knowledge or techniques and she had a six yr old and a six week old sick with something kids died of. but you know what it was great for me! after I survived all those things I went thru elementary school and never had to deal with any of those diseases and I don't remember any of them!!!

So it has always happened and there actually is a golden lining to the babies being sick! Just be glad it isn't the serious diseases my Mom had to deal with and it is just viruses and colds.

And whoever said it happens to kids of all ages they are so right. My D who started college this fall says her entire floor is sick with one thing or another from colds to Mono! and they have only been there barely a month!

 

[disfan07]

Unfortunately this is just one of those things that will happen whenever you first put your child into a situation with a group of kids on a regular basis

My mom who taught kindergarten would always say that the kids who missed the least amount of school adn got sick the least were the ones who went to daycare or preschool because they had already built up their immune system, while the kids who never went to either daycare or preschool hadnt really had the same chance to build up their immune system and they would constantly be sick.

It could last for a few months or it could last the entire year. It all depends on the child and how many different types of illnesses go around the school.

 

[golfgal]

The real issue is that with most colds/illnesses people are contagious BEFORE they have symptoms so the germs are spread before anyone knows they are sick.