Constanly Sick 10 Mo Old

That's just great...NOT. I can't believe they are NOW vaccinating for the Rotovirus? And it sheds for 2 weeks?? I can't keep up with all these changes. My youngest is only 6 and they never told me that she was getting that. My oldest is 22 and she hardly got any of this stuff.

I have only very young toddlers in my daycare. All have had shots recently and we have had diahrea go through here repeatedly no matter how clean I've tried to be.

Oh and about the cleanliness..It cuts both ways.. I have moms that bring them in wet or dirty from the car ride over. I tell them don't worry, I'll change them. But they grab a diaper and do it just to "be nice". But they plop them on the floor, strip off the old diaper without putting a clean one under them and then they don't wash their hands! I do my best to educate them without sounding preachy. But even after we've talked they do it again at another time.

I hadn't even thought about the diaper bags they bring in. You know what? It's hopeless. At a certain point there is only so much we can do. At my house I choose to pull everything out of the mouth and tell them NO. I'm training my 1 year olds to knock it off. Most of them hardly do it anymore.

Suzi

I dont know what kind of advice to give you other than that the Daycare situation has probably got almost everything to do with it. My daughter is watched by a friend of the family with one other little boy... she hasnt had any ear infections and the times she did seem under the weather in the past year was due to teething we think... We also do not vaccinate our child because we have learned that it breaks down the infants immune system making it much easier for the little one to get sick... have multiple ear infections, etc (Along with the fact that Vaccinations are not proven safe or effective). Hopefuly you can figure out how to keep him out of harms way and keep him healthy. Good luck.

Hi J.,
Unfortunately, I think you're just dealing with the automatic problems of daycare--- and other than quitting work to stay home with your son, there really isn't much you can do about it, unless you put him with a private sitter- your mother, a good friend, etc.
Every single study on the subject has shown that children in daycare get sick far more often than those who aren't in daycare. And it's only natural that that would be the case.
Obviously, most parents don't have jobs that allow them to stay home every single time a child gets a runny nose/cough/cold, etc. But that runny nose will end up in 75% of the other kids at the daycare. Cold germs spread SO quickly-and even if the daycare is 100% on the ball with disinfection, handwashing, etc (which NEVER happens) there's nothing they can do about germs flying through the air with every cough and sneeze.
That's probably a huge factor in the number of ear infections your son has had. Another factor is the "bottle in the crib" thing. Daycares are notorious for laying a baby in their crib with their bottle. They shouldn't do it-- (MAJOR contributor to ear infections-- laying down to drink-- the nose, mouth and ears/eustachian tubes are all connected) but honestly, what else can they do if there are 4 or 5 babies crying at the same time? Or what if they're trying to get them all to take a nap? They can't hold all of them... So, they put them in a crib and give them a bottle.
Rotovirus comes from fecal matter getting into the mouth, and AGAIN in most common in children that go to daycare. That could be from a worker not washing their hands enough after changing 30 or so diapers a day, then preparing food and feeding the children. It could also be from children sticking their hands in their diapers, then playing with toys which your son then sticks in his mouth.
Proper handwashing and disinfecting toys can help with this, but again reality sets in. You're going to be hard pressed to find a daycare that washes all their toys EVERYDAY. Most do it every couple weeks or so (if you're lucky).
The truth is, the more kids, the more illness-- that's why daycare environments have the highest rates of illness. As kids get older, and they become less drool-y, less "hand to mouth" with their own hands, toys-- everything they pick up-- they generally get sick less and less.
If it really bothers you-- and if there's anyway possible, maybe you can sit down with your hubby and figure out if it's really necessary for you to work and/or if you can work different hours. (Or if you're going to school, maybe you can take evening classes and your son would be home with daddy. )
I worked in daycare for years... and frequent illness is just a part of the territory. Other than not sending them, there really isn't too much that can be done to prevent it.

Best wishes!
T.

i'm a sahm to a 2yo, and we've had rotavirus twice in 5 months, too. the huge upswing in rotavirus cases can actually be linked to the rotavirus vaccinations. the vax for rotavirus introduces a live virus into the recipient, and the recipient sheds that live virus for up to two weeks after the vax. that means the vax makes them contagious and spreads it because dr's are too ignorant/lazy to tell patients to keep their kids quarantined until the child is no longer shedding the virus, infecting others. so it makes next to no sense to vax for it, yet we do it to teensy babies...and they spread it to their peers *because* they were vaxed, not in spite of that fact.

sorry for the diatribe; i'm bitter from dealing w/ 2 bouts of hardcore rotavirus in such a short time. in my research, this is the only thing that jumps out at me as to why it's going around so much more than before the vax was developed.

good luck. get out in the sun. vitamin d is a natural immune booster.

Hi J.,
Well I'm gonna say that fortunately it is that time of year, but lets look at it logically. Your son is 10 months old so i'm gonna assume he is atleast crawling, maybe pulling up to things and maybe even walking but one thing is forsure when he first's see's a new toy or an object the first thing they do is put it in their mouths. That being said you're not gonna make it thru the whole year without him being sick no matter what kind of daycare you have him at. So if there is a sick baby at daycare (nobody knowing) putting a toy in his mouth and then 10 seconds later your son comes by and picks it up and puts it in his mouth there you go, your child will probably be sick in a matter of a couple of weeks. I would imagine after one baby gets sick all of them gets sick. question is Does your daycare clean and disinfect the toys when such a thing happens or even on a regular basis ? If not than thats one thing. second thing is if your child has a lower immune system than other children ? is he suseptable (spelling ?)to everthing and anything ?
I am a home child care provider and I do everthing in my power to make sure these kids aren't getting sick: I wash all blankets, disinfect all toys with bleach and water wipe down swing legs, wash the covers to exersaucers, walkers, the swings, doorknobs I even went as far just 2 months ago that I washed down the entire wall floor to ceiling. If the kids could touch it I washed it. I threw away sippy cups, I got rid of toys that I couldn't clean very well.
My point is talk to your child care ask them if they are disinfecting toys, walkers, things that they pull up on, on the underside of tables and legs. If they aren't than you have your answer. No I dont't want to nor really have the time but if it saves me from getting my kids sick or somebody elses than its all worth it especially when I have for children and a $25 dollar co-pay x's 4 and then a $100 deductible to meet after that before prescriptions are covered.
Your child may benefit from being in a smaller childcare center or even a home child care is he gonna get sick most definitly no matter what will you have as severa of viruses maybe, maybe not you will just have to see. Think of it this way if you take him to a smaller daycare say in-home that has a smaller ratio of children and you cut your Dr' visits down and your co-pays than you did the right thing.
As for immunizations I think each child reacts differently to each one and set. And I don't believe one way is more right than the other. my children have had all of their shots and have run the normal fevers and such and here again each child is different in each way.
On another not I watch 3 babies right now and have 4 kids of my own to are in school 2 are at home with me. And they still get sick my 4 month old I had to take to the Dr. today and she has a double ear infection how did she get it who know's the only thing I can do is treat her for it give her her medicine when I'm supposed to, disinfect the toys she plays with and go on.
In my daycare all the kids had double ear infections, 2 kids, 1 my own at the time 2 months old had rotavirus, and one little boy had rsv. now we are dealing with allergies and there's not to much I can do about that. but to not take them out when it's to cold, to hot, the pollen count is up.
I would also say only take what is needed to daycare, have him wear a certain pair of shoes, only a certain bag goes there and when you immediatly get him home change his clothes and put those clothes in a seperate hamper and wash them, wipe his shoes down before you put them away this way if there is any germs your not spreading them to your house also in the process and immediatly when you get him in the car put hand sanitizer on his hands spray his carseat down after you get him home. do whatever you can do. and if it still don't get any better than you should probably look for another place for awhile. also when you are there show up early see if the people taking care of the kids are washing their hands after changing each baby, see if they are disinfecting the changing area after they are done with each baby. I am a home child care provider myslf and I encourage it. anytime I meet with new children I might be watching I have them show up at their conveince not mine. I may meet with one parent in the middle of the afternoon when I am really busy but if I was a parent looking for someone to take care of my child thats what I would want. goodluck and hope he feels better W..

J.,

Just to commiserate with you . . . I'm a SAHM with a 4 yr old dd in Preschool and a 15 month old ds who is w/me all the time. Since November, they both have been sick non-stop and January was the worst month. (We were at the dr almost every week with one or both of the kids. I kept asking if they had a "frequent visit" program or a punch card we were in there so much!) The baby has had Croup, RSV, one ear infection, the Flu, numerous cold symptoms, we think he had Rotavirus (as he was exposed and sick after that) and they think he may have asthma. My dd has had numerous sinus infections, colds, flu and we discovered she has allergies (after testing.) (This was a magic year for our dd as once she turned 4, the Rotavirus hasn't hit her at all--good thing because she's had it twice and hospitalized both times for dehydration.) It didn't seem to make a difference that he doesn't go to daycare -- with contact from his sister and other relatives and friends, he still got sick. (We wash hands constantly, I carry Purell w/me everywhere and wipe everything down with Clorox wipes -- doesn't seem to matter.) I'm waiting to see if the weather improves everything. Just wanted to let you know, you're not alone!

In general, babies or children who are around a lot of other children will get more illnesses than those who stay home. Rather than just switching facilities, you should consider staying home with your baby. You can still go out and do activities with them to help them socialize, but they don't get as many illnesses, and you all get a lot more sleep.

I am so sorry to hear that your little one has been so sick. I can relate very much to what you're going through as my 18 month old has been sick the majority of this past winter, as well. The longest my little guy has been healthy in one stretch since November is 10 days. It's so hard not to worry yourself sick about them, isn't it?! My Dr. assures me that May is the magic month when we should start to see significant improvement in his health. It seems that by May most of the winter illnesses will finally be gone and kids generally stay fairly healthy through the summer. I don't know about you, but I'm sure counting the days. Also, I work from home, so my son isn't in daycare at all. So, while kids in daycare do tend to pick up and pass on more illnesses, it's very possible your child may have experienced this anyway. I hope he gets to feeling better soon...it's so hard to watch them go through these things. Good luck to you both!