Abnormal Amount of Sickness

[mamadaycare]

Has anyone else been abnormally sick this last year? I am sure part of it is the mask mandate was dropped so we got to experience germs again. I worked in childcare centers for 12 years prior to opening my in home and I have had sickness after sickness. I feel like I don't look dependable to my parents. But also I can't function with my own two kids when I am sick. Let alone other peoples kids. I had covid and so did my younger two. I just worked my first full week back last week and now I am sick again. I just feel terrible for being sick, even though it is out of my control. And I can't afford to keep missing income on days I close.

[Cat Herder]

Not here. So far. We have always had the flu come around right after the holidays, then slack off until spring. That is when the strep and allergies hit. Then we are golden until HFM and ringworm in late summer from the playgrounds/vacation sites.

That pattern has not changed, except COVID has been "the flu" for the last three years. Same 3-5 days out, except for the first year when the state made them stay out longer even though they technically met attendance policy out of fear of the unknown.

If anything, I am seeing better handwashing, diets, and management of allergies because of the fear of mask mandates becoming a thing here. We have not them one day in my program and never had to close down.

[e.j.]

When I first started doing daycare, I was sick all the time. I caught every bug the kids brought in. It's tough when your own kids are young, too, since they tend to get sick more often and pass it on to you. I remember having the same worries you mentioned - the parents would think I wasn't dependable and I was losing income. Unfortunately, if you're wearing gloves while changing diapers, washing your hands well afterwards and trying to keep things as clean and sanitary as possible, there isn't much else you can do other than maybe continue to wear a mask even though the mandates have been lifted.

Knock on wood, I haven't been sick at all for the past two years. Masking up definitely seems to have played a part in that. I usually get a mild cold or two each year and during late winter/early spring, I can usually expect the stomach bug to hit. One kid brings it in and it goes right through the daycare and my own household despite trying to clean and sanitize. So far, that hasn't happened. We've had several times when a daycare family or two exposed us all to Covid but, thankfully, it didn't spread to the rest of us. Hopefully we continue our healthy streak until the weather gets warmer and there's less illness around.

I hope you feel better soon and that this is your last bout of illness for a while.

[mamadaycare]

Yes! Everything I get it is from my kids. I keep a clean home and clean toys. I use glove and wash my hands frequently. It probably doesn't help that I am allergic to anything that is anti-bacterial so I can only use plain soap and no hand sanitizer. I am hoping it is just a hump I have to get over. Ready for spring to get here!

[GirlMomma]

I hope you get well soon!

I personally haven’t been any sicker than normal.
DH has always tested negative for COVID and had a minor sinus infection this past November.

DD9 and I got COVID in November of 2020. November/December 2021, I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. It wasn’t bad enough to go to the doctor so I self medicated and it finally went away on its own. DD9 hasn’t been sick since she had COVID.

DD2 caught a virus (we had her tested for COVID/RSV and she was negative) this past weekend.

All my DCK got the same virus DD2 had over the weekend. I first discovered the virus in the daycare last Tuesday.

Before that, we fought off HFM and RSV - both last summer. I will have a sick DCK here and there but usually it doesn’t knock out the whole group.

DH and I only wore(wear) masks where/when it was required or if we are around a more susceptible person. We hand wash and clean/disinfect the same way we always have.

[mamadaycare]

This sounds a lot like the sicknesses we have been going through here. I had a stomach bug, then I caught my kids cold and got an ear infection and sinus infection (but I never closed for it) that cold travelled to my lungs and I had to close early to go to the doctor and get xrays. Which I had a parent upset that I closed early. Then I got covid along with my two littles, and now I have caught another cold from my kids. I just thought I had a good immune system from spending my whole life submersed in kids but I don't feel it helped me at all.

[GirlMomma]

mamadaycare the bug that came around recently was just a fever and the kids were lethargic with a low appetite. I honestly thought it was an ear infection - that’s why we took DD2 to the doctor. Doctor tested her for COVID/RSV and checked her ears and said it was just a virus. The fever broke after 36 hours.

Now that the fever broke, she has a cough and runny nose. I would’ve sworn this was COVID honestly. My DCK all have the same thing. The DCK started coming back today. I have one still out - but now they’re vomiting, which is from another virus going around. I’m praying we don’t get that one!

I hope you get to feeling better soon!!

[Pestle]

We had some thing go around that cleaned my clock a couple of weeks ago. My husband got it, and one of the daycare kids probably brought it in. Fever, lethargy, no other symptoms. Everybody tested negative for Covid.

But no, I haven't noticed more illness than usual on top of everybody getting Covid twice.