Sick a lot... is this normal?

[robinb]

If the OP's friend pulls him out of daycare, isn't she just kicking the can down the road? If this child is prone to illness wouldn't he just get sick once he starts school? I would rather get it out of the way now and have a healthy child later when he needs to be in school to learn.

 

[HM]

If the OP's friend pulls him out of daycare, isn't she just kicking the can down the road? If this child is prone to illness wouldn't he just get sick once he starts school? I would rather get it out of the way now and have a healthy child later when he needs to be in school to learn.

That's "IF" he's prone to illness. He might not be.

As I said above, my son wasn't getting sick until he was in daycare and then he was on antibiotices almost every other week due to ear infections. He'd gone 2 1/2 years of his life without a single one and then he got them over and over. Once he was out of that situation he got better and when he started in Kindergarten we did not have a recurrence of sickness (due to being around a lot of kids again). He was not prone to being sick, he was just exposed to constant germs.

 

[aprilchem]

My nephew, who hasn't been in a daycare a day in his life, is sick all the time. I don't necessarily think daycare is always the issue when it comes to sick kids. Some kids just get sick more often than others.

This. My kids have each been in daycare since they were 1; they are currently 4, 6, and 8 and they never get sick, never really have except for the occasional minor cold. We've never had a fever over 99 or so in our house, whereas my sister's children who are home with her are sick constantly. It's an immune system issue, not a childcare issue.

 

[Disneylover99]

What about families that need to have both parents work, making day care a necessity? You can't just zip kids up in a plastic bubble and not expose them to things What do you do with these children when they are school age? Not send them? Home school? Web school?

Large daycare centres are just bad news for kids who are prone to illness. I think this family should look into daycare in someone's house.

Going this route was a lifesaver for us when my son was chronically ill in a large daycare centre.

 

[proud_canadian]

So if it is an immune system issue, how do you fix it?

Also, is there ever cause for concern where medical tests are warranted?

 

[luvmy3]

I know kids get sick a lot. But my friend has a son that seems to be an extreme case. He started daycare at a year when his mom went back to work and since then has been constantly sick (he was sickly before, but way worse the last year). And not just sniffles, but extreme sickness, pneumonia three times, hospitalization for kidney infection, high high fevers, etc. In the past two months he has had, RSV, pneumonia, diarrhea bug, vomiting bug, and three colds. He is honestly never healthy for more than a few days, maybe a week. The doctor just keeps brushing her off saying “kids are sick a lot”. But to me, this seems extreme, and that he needs some further testing. Anyone have similar experiences or know of similar situations. Could it be nothing, or should she be worried?

Honestly OP I don't think there is anything overly concerning in what you posted. Pneumonia can be hard to get rid of, and can re-occur so he may not have had it 3 times, he just may not have gotten better. Stomach bugs (diarrhea and vomiting) are very normal, especially in day care centers where small kids are touching things and putting their hands in their mouth. There is a nasty one going around in this area right now. My one ds seems to catch a cold every few weeks. If she is taking her kid to a doctor regularly and when he gets sick, and he/she isn't concerned about it, it may be for a good reason. If it were my kid I wouldn't be worried about anything. I'd be concerned and keep my eye on him but as long as I was doing what I was supposed to be, like seeing the doc, I'd trust him/her to see anything that I should worry about.

My young cousin was like your friend's ds. She was always sick when she was younger. Now she is a very healthy active teen.

 

[Disneylover99]

Honestly OP I don't think there is anything overly concerning in what you posted. Pneumonia can be hard to get rid of, and can re-occur so he may not have had it 3 times, he just may not have gotten better. Stomach bugs (diarrhea and vomiting) are very normal, especially in day care centers where small kids are touching things and putting their hands in their mouth.

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I totally agree. My son was sick with these same issues over and over again from birth to 2 years. Now he is a very healthy 10 year old who rarely gets sick.