Any chance kindergarten will be a bit easier in terms of illness?

[Anonymous]

My 4 year old was in daycare last year and started PreK in September.

He was sick 16 times in 2023: colds, flu, stomach virus, ear infection.

We practice hand washing when he walks in the door and usually change his clothes and take a bath after school.

Is kindergarten going to be any better in terms of absences and illness? He’s on his second cold of the year now. He’s missed more school than he’s attended.

[Anonymous]

I do think it decreases a bit compared to daycare. But! In my experience (3 kids under 11), the stomach bugs are more acute. Like, more repeated vomiting for a few hours versus a couple. We typically only get 1-2 of those a year. Make sure you're keeping up with any asthma concerns (which in our care always make the SLIGHTEST runny nose a 3-week cough fest) and good hygiene at home.

I'm going get hammered for this but I also think the threshold for keeping kids home is higher for elementary school versus daycare. My kids go to school through anything other than fever, stomach/gastro issues, lethargy and non-stop coughing. It's really important for them to stay on schedule and not miss class, especially if their symptoms are annoying but not enough to impact their mood/energy levels.

[Anonymous]

**which in our case***

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think it decreases a bit compared to daycare. But! In my experience (3 kids under 11), the stomach bugs are more acute. Like, more repeated vomiting for a few hours versus a couple. We typically only get 1-2 of those a year. Make sure you're keeping up with any asthma concerns (which in our care always make the SLIGHTEST runny nose a 3-week cough fest) and good hygiene at home.

I'm going get hammered for this but I also think the threshold for keeping kids home is higher for elementary school versus daycare. My kids go to school through anything other than fever, stomach/gastro issues, lethargy and non-stop coughing. It's really important for them to stay on schedule and not miss class, especially if their symptoms are annoying but not enough to impact their mood/energy levels.

Are teachers willing to send work home when there’s an absence?

I wish there was more support for kids with repeated illness due to absences. I work from home and have a pretty flexible job, I could easily help my kiddo with home school tasks rather than sending him to school sick for fear of missing out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think it decreases a bit compared to daycare. But! In my experience (3 kids under 11), the stomach bugs are more acute. Like, more repeated vomiting for a few hours versus a couple. We typically only get 1-2 of those a year. Make sure you're keeping up with any asthma concerns (which in our care always make the SLIGHTEST runny nose a 3-week cough fest) and good hygiene at home.

I'm going get hammered for this but I also think the threshold for keeping kids home is higher for elementary school versus daycare. My kids go to school through anything other than fever, stomach/gastro issues, lethargy and non-stop coughing. It's really important for them to stay on schedule and not miss class, especially if their symptoms are annoying but not enough to impact their mood/energy levels.

Are teachers willing to send work home when there’s an absence?

I wish there was more support for kids with repeated illness due to absences. I work from home and have a pretty flexible job, I could easily help my kiddo with home school tasks rather than sending him to school sick for fear of missing out.

Do not worry about teachers sending work home for a sick Kindergartner. And yes, we saw an uptick in stomach bugs and random 24 hour viruses in ES with our oldest.

[Anonymous]

I have a 3rd grader here who has been sick more this school year than any other including the preschool years.

It’s all a crapshoot

[Anonymous]

My youngest is in K now and has been sick at least every two weeks. And he’s not alone because his teacher is always saying in emails that 4-5 friends are missing and talking about increased handwashing and disinfecting she’s doing in the classroom. I don’t think any prior illnesses have helped his immunity at all. I do think my older kids have stopped getting sick as much but not sure if that’s immunity or just because older kids aren’t in their classmates faces as much.

[Anonymous]

It will not get better. Only worse! My K kid seems to be sick every week since school started. It makes its rounds through almost our entire family. I hate it so much!

[Anonymous]

Things are really bad because kids are catching up on the 2 years of missed colds from covid. I think it will mellow out (gulp)

[Anonymous]

I thought illnesses got better (less frequent) in kindergarten

[Anonymous]

My kindergartner has gotten step and the flu this year which have kept him out of school for a few days but nowhere near as many colds as with daycare.

[Anonymous]

Make sure to eat LOTS of fruit and veggies, cut processed foods, it will help a lot! Also lower dairy when they have sinus congestion. Yes it will get better in K.

[Anonymous]

Ours was in FT daycare then all-day preschool and so on. It definitely got better (fewer illnesses, shorter duration, and/or milder symptoms) as DC got older - mostly because exposure to new germs is what builds up the immune system. There always will be some illness, but it should get better with exposure for most people.

I still get a cold once in a while even as an adult, but as we are gradually exposed to more germs, our immune systems get better and there are fewer illnesses.

[Anonymous]

In our case elementary school was way worse. Sick kids are never sent home, schools don’t clean with bleach like daycares do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things are really bad because kids are catching up on the 2 years of missed colds from covid. I think it will mellow out (gulp)

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/is-the-hygiene-hypothesis-true