i would like to no something how often do they get gastro?????????????????????

i also agree it builds up their immune system. my sons had all the immunisations went to day care full time while hubby and i worked. both boys were fine as far as colds go you can pick that up anywhere from public transport if you use it with your toddler or from shopping anywhere anytime.

my boys got chicken pox at the same time from a christening we had gone to. at the time my oldest was 13 and youngest 11 . it was bad especially for the oldest left a few scars luckily nothing too bad

but when it comes to chickenpox lots of mothers told me that they deliberately expose their children to someone with chicken pox so as they can overcome them when they are young.

apparently its worse when they are older. i know my oldest was covered in them from top to toe including inside his mouth. i had them both in a darkened room and gave them calomine baths to soothe away the itching

getting back to day care i think  the socialising factor is the best. my children were more alert and more confident than children that didnt attend day care .

also in your case if its 2 or 3 days there is a great balance there and even if they were t get sick at the earliest sign you can nurse back quicker than if they were at day care  all the 5 days

cheers annie

My daughter was about 16mo when we started sending her 2 days a week, and I was also worried about her getting sick, and the ironic thing, is she has only picked up the odd cold which she would have gotten from mothers group anyway! I think it really depends on the centre and how strict they are with sickness, as a friend of mines boy has caught EVERYTHING, even things I had never heard of like hand foot and mouth. He also goes 2 days a week.
If you are ready for it I say go for it! My daughter has grown so much since starting day care, she has learnt so much that its amazing. After all, if you or your daugther really dont like it and cant handle it, then you can always try again later, nothing lost! Have a good look around and ask about their sickness policies and explain you are worried about her catching everything at the start and see what they say!
Good luck, I am sure she will love it!

it was on the News here yesterday that catching plenty of infections at Nursery or Playgroup reduces instances of Childhood Leukemia, probably by kick-starting the immune system. My DD1 didnt go to Nursery but she caught plenty of colds etc through playgroup and general socialising. Now she's at school its a big bonus as she shrugs off any colds & coughs pretty quickly and isnt missing much. So I wouldnt worry about her catching infections there - it will give her immune system something productive to do, and IMO it's better to get these colds out of the way while they're young, as missing school is a bigger deal. And all that socialising is great for them!

All of my kids went to daycare & didn't get sick a lot. They caught the odd cold, but they would do if they weren't in care. Being around other kids who get sick does raise the risk, but, really, you have to look at it this way - should we wrap our kids in cotton wool?

Daycare is great for kids, & for parents. I'm sure you would be like any normal mother who needs a break now & then. For the child, they learn so much, including social skills, which helps them to gain independence & confidence. This helps a lot when they start school. They also have a lot of fun!

As you're anon I don't know what country you are in, but if in Australia I know that the Daycares are very strict with sick children. If a child has a runny nose, especially green, they cannot attend. If a child becomes sick the parent is called to pick the child up immediately. This is to help stop other children getting sick.

Short term, you will probably find that your child comes home with a new bug every week (or so it will seem) long term, your little girl will end up with a stronger immune system from the exposure to bugs etc.

The benefits far out way the negatives, so go for it!  You will get some time without your daughter around, she will get social contact with other children and will be better prepared for school.  It will also build her character more, though for a while, might be clingy when you leave.  To avoid that, you stand at the door and wave goodbye, ignoring the screams and keeping a big smile on your face.  Separation anxiety is to be expected, but the shorter the goodbye the better.

In no time at all, you will drop her off and it will be 'bye bye mummy' and she will be gone off to play!  That is probably even harder to handle! lol.

We are going to be putting our girls into daycare soon, just had to wait for our 4 year old to stop wearing nappies all the time!  Stubborn little monkey! lol.

Hi There

My son has been in daycare since I started back at work for about two years now, at first it was hard with separation anxiety etc, but now he just loves it. He has Asthma and the carers take good care of him, they also report any outbreaks in the centre and the infected child is usually kept at bay until well again, the only problems I had with my son is the odd cold. He attends Monday to Thursday. I suggest you have a look through the centre, ask questions on their sanitation and what methods do they have in place for ill children, if not satisfied look for another centre until you are comfortable with the service.

I was never going to send my eldest to daycare however I have a friend who is the Director of a daycare and she pointed out that it is a way to start them the socialise with other kids their age.  As my daughter was an only child then, she needed to mingle with other kids her age.  I noticed changes within the first two weeks, she was expressing herself better and she literally grew up to a little girl.  She did come down with colds etc however it just boosted her immune system to deal with the things she will catch when she started school.  She only attended daycare 2 days a week.

I think it is worth it.

I put Harrison in daycare for 1 day a week at about 18mo.  Going only 1 day a week made it harder for him to get used to it but it was simply for socialization and I didn't want him in any more than that. 

He got everything while in daycare, slap cheek, hand foot and mouth, any cold that was going around.  Would he have gotten them anyway, who knows.  But I agree with Liz that exposure to disease boosts your bodies immune system's ability to fight off disease.  So it is either now or later (when they start school).

personally i think there is nothing wrong with day care. all kids will get sick if they are around each other as the sneese on each other and touch and all that stuff.

i have been told that kids getting sick when they are younger builds up their immune system and they have less time off school later in life.

so far this is true with my kids. Alex has has 2 days off school this last 3 years.