Nursery dilema..do the benefits outweigh the illnesses? Please advice.x.

[Truly Blessed]

Hi Everyone,

Our DS has just turned 2 on Sunday    . We have a lot of fun at home but he spends 6 out of 7 days with me and is very dependant and quite clingy for me at times. I have a friend with a 2 year old in a super nursery we have close by. It is reasonably priced and has a great Offsted (government) report. I have recently secured a place for Sam 2 mornings a week (it's 2 minimum). I would really like him to go so he can build his autonomy and independence, plus have all of the educational fun nursery can bring whilst mixing with other children. I'm pretty sure that he would love it as he is an 'Angel' and takes to new situations very well and enjoys life in general.

So here's my sticking point..all of my friends LO who are at nursery are ill so so much with all kinds of bugs and virus'. I am feeling unsure because I am not going back to work so it is our choice and I don't know if the benefits will outweigh the sickness. I know that LO's must build their immunity at some point it's just a matter of when, but when they're still Toddlers it can be harder and quite upsetting don't you think 

I would appreciate all of your experience and wisdom on this subject very much. We are supposed to have our visit tomorrow so I need to make a decision.

Thanks in Advance

Vicki.x.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

My kids were in daycare from about 8 months olds, and honestly, they haven't been that sick overall...colds, tummy bugs, pink eye once or twice...and now that they are older they might get one really bad cold a year or gastro but overall not too bad.  It was out of necessity that they went as I was working though!  Do they have a decent sick policy?  Ours kind of silly in that you have to pay if you call in sick, but if you drop your child off and they send them home you don't pay...which leads to alot of people dropping off sick kids.

[15milner]

My boys barely missed any from the day that they started (both around he 9months age). 

[koe2moe]

My DS was sick all the time for the first 6 months and so were we!!  My GP, pediatrician, the daycare workers and friends with kids all told us that there would be 6-12 months of illnesses.  It was really tough but he is hardly ever sick now.  So it can happen to Sam, too.  His immunity will build up and it is better now than when he starts school when he is older, imo.

I cannot count the benefits of learning to be with other kids, to get along with them, to interact with kids and adults, the life skills, such as, putting on jacket, tidying up toys, etc.  I couldnt have done it myself!   HTH

[Lolly]

My two both had to go to a creche when I went back to work, he was 6 months and she was 9 months. Neither have been that bad really, the worst was chicken pox and DS brought that home from school and passed it to DD. They have both had colds, viruses but nothing bad enough to be kept at home for more than a handful of times.

Since starting his current school last September DS has actually not had any days of ill yet, some of his friends who didn't go to a creche or daycare have been off quite a few times. It may be coincidence but exposure does help to build their immune system.

Laura

[Buntybear]

Olly also was sick for the first 6 months - I had a lot of time off work! Now it has settled down. From the pps it sounds like it depends on your LO. Yes, they will be exposed to bugs there but if they pick them up or not is a different matter.

As to the benefits of nursery, we always said that we wanted Olly to go to nursery even if I didn't go back to work for the reasons you give - foster independence, mis with other chldren. He LOVES it 

Plus they do learn things that I wouldn't think of teaching or doing with Olly. They have far better skills at developing children than I do.

Do you take Sam to playgroups etc already?

[*Becky*]

I started Henry at nursery 2 mornings a week when he was 2 so same as you. This week is the first week he has missed anything (now 3 and 3 months) so IMO the pros far outweigh the cons. xx

[Truly Blessed]

Thank you all Ladies, it's quite a topic isn't it  .

Buntybear: Yes Sam has been going to 2 playgroups a week since 6 months old and also to soft play and other public places. So far he as had 2 ear infections, 3 colds, a very bad stomach virus and Hand, Foot and Mouth disease, so all in all I wouldn't say he was a particularly sickly child, I don't think that's excessive for 2 years old do you  I have been giving him Abidec multivitamin drops with Omega 3 since he was around 7 months so hopefully his immune system is in good form.

Here's the ironic thing. We were supposed to go for our nursery visit this afternoon but Sam is really poorly with a severe cold virus, we were up every 30 mins in he night  . I think he caught it from his little cousin who goes to nursery  .

I have decided to have him go and if he does get ill too much then I can always pull him out if it's too much for him.

Thanks again  .

(X)

[nona]

i think it may depend on the kid. my DS is rarely sick and he has been going to preschool for 3 years 2-3 days a week.

we did playgroups before hand and still do

[Buntybear]

If he has had that already then I wouldn't worry too much. I think that is about as much as Olly as had from nursery - though he has had a mild case of the pox too

[Roseii]

I think it depends on the kid, dd1 seems to be rather hardy and I don't think she's ever brought anything back from nursery or preschool, she's been in one or both for 2 years xx

[Lemonthyme]

I think it depends on the child and depends on the nursery.   My son was in a different nursery until recently (which was very good but we moved).  When he was at his old nursery he used to get loads of colds, eye infections and had a horrendous ear infection where his temperature really spiked.  Bizarrely that nursery was the one with the really strict illness policy too.

His new nursery is smaller, less strict on illnesses and he's barely had anything since he started.  He's had one cold which he caught off me so I suspect it has more to do with the fact at the other nursery it was so much bigger that he came into contact with loads more people.  I also suspect a super strict illness policy discourages people from admitting their child is a little off colour.

[Shdef]

You really can't know until you try it out.