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Daycares seem to gain a reputation of being a hotbed of germs for infants:

Amanda - posted on 09/25/2009 ( 9 moms have responded )

I take my 4 month old to Jazzercise 3 days a week, an hour at a time. This is the 2nd time she's gotten sick from being in Daycare! (She caught a very bad sinus infection/cold with a high temp that just wouldn't go away for 2 days! Thankfully with some antibodiotics from her pediatrician, she is slowly getting better!) While I'm very relieved that I stay at home with her; I worry about when I do go back to work! It just seems like Daycares are a hotbed of germs waiting to happen! Especially when you have a newborn who are still trying up build up their immune systems and are far more vulnerable under the age of 1 or 2.

I've made up my mind and am not going back to Jazzercise til she's at least a year old. Her pediatrician doesn't seem to think I should keep her out. But I do. As a mom, I'm going with my gut instinct. It just doesn't seem fair to drag your baby to daycare if all she ever does do is come home sick!

Has anyone had this problem?

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Rachel Faye - posted on 10/06/2009

my sister takes her 18 month old to daycare and now a child that goes there has H1N1 virus... very scary. I'm honestly not sure about my thoughts on this ... might form more of an opnoion when it gets time for me to consider daycare.

Julie - posted on 10/06/2009

yes i hear that 2 .i wount be taking my son to day care if i have to when he is 2 yrs old as before that they just seem to get sick every time they go which means days off which defeats the purpose of me working so around two for us if we need too but it is good in a way that they get to be social with other kids that is what i like abt it .

Amanda - posted on 10/03/2009

Thank you everyone for your advices & opinion! I will be taking them into consideration!

Amy - posted on 09/29/2009

go with what you feel is right!

Tova - posted on 09/28/2009

If she is generally health, then you dont have to worry. If she has a weakened immune system, follow your doctor's advice. But if you don't expose her to different environments and germs then her immune system will not develop antibodies to fight off more serious illnesses. I would not stop going unless your doctor says so. Thats not to say take her to a "sick party" where parents bring their kids to the house of a kid who has chicken pox or something else contagious. Thats just bad parenting!!!

Carla - posted on 09/27/2009

198

I work in a day care and yes, when kids are exposed to new germs many of them DO become sick. However, there have been studies that have shown that kids who go to daycare and pick up minor bugs are less likely to get childhood lukemia as they have better immune systems. We all do our best for our children but we must remember that we dont live in a sterile environment, with all of our sterilising etc we have created a snowball effect where kids are not exposed to certain things early enough and get allergies and other problems later on. Having said that, this is YOUR baby so dont let anyone tell you whats best, we all have our own opinions and we all know whats best for our own children. A mothers instinct is wonderful.

Rebekah - posted on 09/26/2009

1,508

Yes. After my experience working at a daycare center in high school, I decided to wait to even send my 2.5 year old son to a Mother's Day Out program until after the flu season. I just decided that it wasn't worth it to have my 2 year old sick all the time and bringing it home to my baby girl. My pediatrician is always supportive of keeping my kids at home and out of daycare-- she told me once that healthy kids are home with their mamas. She agreed that waiting to send my 2 year old to MDO was a good idea with the flu going around this year.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 09/25/2009

5,416

I don't think it will matter when you start taking them to daycare. When a kid first starts daycare/preschool they will get sick alot because they are going to be exposed to a lot of germs. I'm very thankful that I can stay at home with my baby, but I know that even if I don't put her in a daycare or preschool she'll get sick a lot when she starts kindergarten.

Jessica - posted on 09/25/2009

thats one main reason i dont take mine to daycare quite yet. i am a stay at home mom, but would love to put her in daycare 1 or 2 half days a week so i can get things done easier. I just know that she is sooo vulnerable to getting sick right now. she has already gotten sick while traveling and my husband caught a cold at work and she got that. I would stick with your gut instinct, because its way more powerful and accurate than anything a doctor would know or say.