Healthy 6 month old RSV worries

[Anonymous]

OP has got to be a troll, no one is making their two year old wear a mask at home.

[Anonymous]

I’d take precautions right now. I would mask my older two kids at school as best as I could, and if they come down with cold like symptoms separate them from the baby until you test for rsv. I had a 6.5 month baby hospitalized for RSV for almost a week. It was terrifying, and full recovery took awhile.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d take precautions right now. I would mask my older two kids at school as best as I could, and if they come down with cold like symptoms separate them from the baby until you test for rsv. I had a 6.5 month baby hospitalized for RSV for almost a week. It was terrifying, and full recovery took awhile.

You can't enforce masking at school and none of the other kids will be masked, so your kids will feel and look different -- and if they don't get RSV you will set them up to feel like they did something wrong. This is not a good idea. If your younger child doesn't get RSV this winter she'll get it next winter and she could still get really sick. Please get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d take precautions right now. I would mask my older two kids at school as best as I could, and if they come down with cold like symptoms separate them from the baby until you test for rsv. I had a 6.5 month baby hospitalized for RSV for almost a week. It was terrifying, and full recovery took awhile.

You can't enforce masking at school and none of the other kids will be masked, so your kids will feel and look different -- and if they don't get RSV you will set them up to feel like they did something wrong. This is not a good idea. If your younger child doesn't get RSV this winter she'll get it next winter and she could still get really sick. Please get over yourself.

*if they do get RSV - not don't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

There’s no reason to believe making your older kid wear a mask would help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

I personally know three people whose kids were in the hospital in the last month with RSV, and not babies either. Plus the random celebrities who are talking about their experiences. I don't believe that 1% stat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

I personally know three people whose kids were in the hospital in the last month with RSV, and not babies either. Plus the random celebrities who are talking about their experiences. I don't believe that 1% stat.

I am not trying to be snarky but why would your personal experience be better for us to go off of than the CDC stats?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

It's not just the ICU. The whole hospital is backed up. Antibiotics are in short supply. Anyways, I was googling the immunity issue and apparently getting RSV from 6-12 months can increase the risk of asthma.

It is a grey area and I wouldn't look down on somebody who chose to socialize. I am just a little selfish and don't want to do the ER experience.

[Anonymous]

I know many children recently or currently in the hospital with RSV - it’s scary but every single one leaves healthy. Hopefully that is reassuring. There are NO deaths or serious after-effects IME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

I personally know three people whose kids were in the hospital in the last month with RSV, and not babies either. Plus the random celebrities who are talking about their experiences. I don't believe that 1% stat.

I am not trying to be snarky but why would your personal experience be better for us to go off of than the CDC stats?

Because those CDC stats are for normal years, not this year when rates are much, much higher. Have you not been following the news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

I personally know three people whose kids were in the hospital in the last month with RSV, and not babies either. Plus the random celebrities who are talking about their experiences. I don't believe that 1% stat.

I am not trying to be snarky but why would your personal experience be better for us to go off of than the CDC stats?

Because those CDC stats are for normal years, not this year when rates are much, much higher. Have you not been following the news?

Yes. It is an above average year for cases. However, the percentages do not change. An individual kid still has a low likelihood of hospitalization.

3 out of 4 people in my house had RSV last month as well as 3 cases in my 1 year old’s class (all fine). So yes, it’s definitely going around and our area is in a surge. Surges last 6 to 8 weeks and this one is now on the way down, fortunately.

And yes, I have certainly seen news articles but they do a pretty bad job of providing any useful stats. Most seem to just cite anecdotal reports from doctors and hospitals.

RSV is bad in a small percentage of cases. This has always been true and always a little scary when you have a newborn. I just don’t think it is healthy to over-mitigate after a certain age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much every child gets RSV by 2. What is the reason to take precautions after the first couple months? If you are past the high risk period of the first three months and your kid WILL get it eventually, then there is not much point in taking extreme precautions.

It is really extreme to mask a healthy older kid just to calm your own anxieties. It also makes older kids hyper aware of germs when they are constantly told to not touch baby, etc, which can lead to their own health anxieties at a pretty young age.

Because hospitals are running at 150% pediatric ICU capacity. It would be a nightmare this particular winter to do the RSV experience.

A kid over 3 months has a less than 1 percent chance of being hospitalized for RSV. And less than 2 percent of those hospitalized will end up in an ICU. So it is a lot of time and energy preventing something that’s quite unlikely. Yes it would be awful to go through it, but the vast majority of parents in this area will not be going through it.

I personally know three people whose kids were in the hospital in the last month with RSV, and not babies either. Plus the random celebrities who are talking about their experiences. I don't believe that 1% stat.

I am not trying to be snarky but why would your personal experience be better for us to go off of than the CDC stats?

There are a couple of facts about rsv that I haven’t seen mentioned broadly. One is that the first rsv infection typically causes the most severe illness and subsequent reinfections are less severe. So that explains why it seems like more older kids are being hospitalized for rsv - more of them haven’t been exposed yet. Another is that kids can be infected with multiple viruses at once, so a kid can have covid, human metapneumovirus and rsv, and be naive to all three. The low percentage of hospitalizations is probably still within the same range, it’s just that the pool of infections, and especially first time infections is much bigger. To keep the same percentage, as the denominator gets bigger, the numerator gets bigger as well.