[sqawk]

Hi

I'm trying to decide on care options for my DS for next year. he will be 22mo in Feb. I work 3 days/week.
I'm currently tossing up between:
1) all 3 days with relative/DH/nanny (which is what I have done this year)
2) 1/2-1 day at day care or occasional care, with rest of the time at home with carers.

I dont think he absolutely needs to go to daycare but do wonder whether 1/2-1 day might have some benefit.
My big concern is illness.
Do you think children who start daycare sl older ( ie >18mo) have fewer probs with catching lots of infections over that first 6 myths or so, and do you think it's " worth" going for just the 1 day. Ie will he catch every virus going round, even though he's only there for a small percentage of the week. ( his older sister will start 3 days of preschool in feb, she hasn't prev been to daycare). He would def start at preschool/ daycare the next feb when he'll be turning 3.

What r ur experiences?

[Gembac8019]

no matter what age they start they will still catch everything. even if they don't go anywhere and start kindy/prep/preschool they will still catch everything. you can't really avoid it.

[lozoodle]

Yep its pretty bad. Since my kids started in january this year 2x a week we have had two cases of gastro lasting a week, 2 ear infections for dd1 and 1 for dd2, 1 hideous virus that i suspect was the flu (all of us were in bed a week), 1 case of croup, 4 febrile convulsions die to viruses formdd2 (resulting in three hospital trips), and around 10 colds each (which have all been passed to me). The longest we have gone between illnesses is 2 weeks.

Its the sickest weve ever been, and i can safely say its by far the worst year ive ever had. Im only 11 weeks pregnant and have already been sick four times since i found out. Its constant. Ive pulled dd2 out next year when im on maternity leave as its just not worth it, and after that im dropping work days so i wont need to use daycare.

This post has been edited by lozoodle: 12/08/2012, 08:18 PM

[Blueskydreaming]

no matter what age they start they will still catch everything. even if they don't go anywhere and start kindy/prep/preschool they will still catch everything. you can't really avoid it.

Agree

[Pompol]

DS started just shy of 2 and had been around other kids (at Mums with his cousins) since he was 12 weeks old, he STILL spent the first 6 months at daycare bouncing from illness to illness. Sorry OP

[sqawk]

? Anyone who can comment specifically on a child who has attended just 1/2-1 day/week? (I'm considering 3-4 hrs at occasional care/ week) or am I just crazy?

[libbylu]

If you have the option I would keep him at home for one more year and send him to daycare once he is almost 3. I don't think there is any benefit for day care for the under 3s, especially boys. He will be just as happy with the one on one care he is getting. There is usually no harm in it either, though, so best to do what suits your family best. And yes, even if he goes one or two days a week he will still catch everything that is going around. I also don't think it matters what age they start, they will catch it anyway.
ETA our first winter in daycare comprised of 4 solid months of snotty nose - one cold or virus after another, slap cheek fever and a bout of gastro. We did escape the hand foot and mouth disease that was going around though.

ETA - this was going one day per week, but a full day 9-5pm.
Occasional care may be different as parents may be less inclined to send their kids snotty etc. as they don't have to be at work.

This post has been edited by libbylu: 12/08/2012, 08:34 PM

[lozoodle]

? Anyone who can comment specifically on a child who has attended just 1/2-1 day/week? (I'm considering 3-4 hrs at occasional care/ week) or am I just crazy?

Yes dd2 was just one day a week until july when she started a second day. Its been terrible. Dd1 goes three days and far less sick than dd2. I think being older helps. Im so over it, im sick of being sick as a result of it.

This post has been edited by lozoodle: 12/08/2012, 08:29 PM

[JBaby]

? Anyone who can comment specifically on a child who has attended just 1/2-1 day/week? (I'm considering 3-4 hrs at occasional care/ week) or am I just crazy?

Just my experience:

DD is 15 months and just started 1 day per week. She has always been ridiculously healthy (would never catch anything when all the mothers groups babies were sick), worst she'd ever had was a two day cold after eating a bunch of dirt off a shopping centre playstop.

Anyway, went for her first Friday was sick on the Sunday for two weeks, by far worst she's ever been. The next time she went for a day, again got sick on the Sunday but this time only the sniffles.

Could be a coincidence but I doubt it.

Anyways, as PP said, I figure she's going to catch it all now or she's going to catch it all later. I expect my work will be more understanding about my baby being sick than a school kids being sick...

This post has been edited by JBaby: 12/08/2012, 08:39 PM

[BornToLove]

DD started care at 18 months, she’s almost finished her first year in care and they say the first year is the worst for illness. She attends fulltime and has been kept home 3 or 4 times due to fever, but in good health otherwise. I think her lack of being sick has more due to good genes and a good immune system.

However, I wouldn’t be bothered to send a child that young to day care one day a week. I think it’s adding too much to the mix at a time when he probably needs stability in care providers the most. DD thrived on routine and consistency at that age (and still does) and bouncing her around to a new care provider each day would have been too much for her.

I would wait until he can start a kinder program and sign him up for that if you don’t
want/need him in child care every day that you work at this point.