When your child starts daycare, you worry about a thing or two. You may worry about them missing you too much, or not making friends. You worry they will have a hard time making the transition and wonder if they are in the right care. It is most likely that you are more worried than they are.
Your child will most likely miss you the first few days, but once they get to know the teachers and start making friends. They will enjoy coming to daycare and participating in all of the fun activities, and at Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center, your child will learn and grow with fun activities. However, with all the fun they will have and kids they will see there is one thing you should worry about when it comes to daycare and even the school year starting—keeping your kid healthy.
According to The Washington Post, a study has shown that kids who attend daycare do not get sick more often than those who stay home, opposing what parents often believe. Kids who attend daycare are more likely to get common illnesses sooner rather than later, and children who don’t attend daycare get them later on. But the amount of these different groups of children is virtually the same.
Even though your kiddos are likely to get ill from time to time, there are things that can be done to ensure that they get sick as little as possible. Kids will come in contact with illnesses that they have never had before, meaning they are not yet immune. This is why children who attend daycare often get sick early on.
If and when you children come home with illnesses, don’t be too concerned. Take care of them and help them feel better but there is no need to rush to the doctor at the sound of a sneeze. With that being said, you obviously want your children healthy as often as possible. In this blog, we will go over some tips you can use to make sure your child does not catch every cold going around the daycare.
Washing Hands
You aren’t always going to be there with your child to help them wash their hands and stay clean. Teaching your kiddos how to properly wash their hands can help them keep from spreading germs. Obviously your infants and young toddlers are not going to be able to wash their hands, but once you begin potty training with your kids, also begin teaching them to wash their hands.
Getting a stool for your child can help make the learning process easier and allow them to be more willing to wash their hands. Teach them to use soap, warm water, and wash their hands for more than a few seconds. Teaching your child how to wash their hands properly at home can help them when they go to daycare or a friends house.
Build Their Immune System
If your child has a weak immune system, they will be more likely to get sick. Helping your child build up their immunity can help them stay healthier when exposed to infections and illnesses. There are many different ways you can help boost your kid’s immune system. In a Parents article, they mention different way to help you child’s immunity grow stronger. Some of these include:
- Boosting sleep time
- Serving more veggies and fruit
- Exercising as a family (getting physical activity with them can demonstrate good habits)
- Don’t demand prescriptions for everything
These are a few of the things you can do to make sure your child’s immunity is strong. A Fox News Health article also suggests iron-rich foods to help with your child’s immune system. The stronger your kiddo’s immunity is, the less likely they are to get sick as often.
Getting enough sleep each night is also important to keeping your child’s immune system strong. If your child didn’t or couldn’t nap during daycare you should make sure they get to bed early that night. Sleep deprivation can make anyone more susceptible to illness. You should also know how much your child should sleep based on their age.
Don’t Spread Illness
One child can get every other child sick. Parents often send their children to school or daycare with a cold thinking it is nothing. But there are more contagious illnesses than you may think. Don’t be the parent that allows your child to get all the other sick. If you child is sick make sure they are not contagious before sending them to daycare. Kids can be contagious before and after a fever, so don’t assume that is a sign they are good to go.
Figuring out when your child is contagious is not an easy task, but there are certain illnesses that you should know whether or not they will spread or not. Another Parents article discusses common illnesses and whether they are contagious or not.
One example they cover is an upper respiratory infection, also known as a cold. A cold is contagious when your child is feeling their worst, which is generally around three to five days. A child will be contagious as long as they are sick.
Strep throat is also a contagious illness and is spread by coughs, sneezes, and sharing cups. With strep, a child is sick before they have symptoms, meaning they are more likely to spread it unknowingly.
They also talk about ear infections. While antibiotics are often needed to treat ear infections, they are not contagious! So while your child may experience some pain for a while, they will not spread it to others. However, be aware that, many times ear infections come with a cold that is contagious.
This article also covers illnesses like pneumonia, pink eye, chickenpox, croup, and so many more! Make sure you figure out if your child is contagious before they head off to be surrounded by other kids. This article also covers the treatments that each of these illnesses requires. Learn whether your child will spread their illness and how to treat it!
Keeping your child healthy may be difficult, especially when they first start at a daycare. Being exposed to new illnesses will more than likely affect them. While there is no avoiding your child getting sick, you can help them not get sick as often. Remember, kids who stay home are just as likely to get sick as kids who attend daycare, so keeping them home will not save them from illnesses.
These tips can help you keep your child healthy, allowing them to get sick less often and help to build their immune system. No parent wants to see their kiddos sick, but by keeping these things in mind, you will see them sick less often!
You also want to ensure that you choose a daycare that is clean, works hard to reduce the transfer of germs, and make sure kids are in a healthy environment. This includes washing hands, cleaning toys, and disinfecting objects in the rooms. Yellow Brick Road can help make sure your child stays as healthy as possible while enjoying group activities and learning new things. Learn more about our childhood development center and contact us with any questions you may have.