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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm here to tell you that daycare is a sh*tshow of constant viral illness. I mean constant. My kid has been in daycare for about 7 months now, and he has been sick - no joke - 13 times. I'm not talking runny nose/sniffles (although there's been plenty of that too). I'm talking days of fever that won't break, ER visits, chest X-rays, antibiotics, vomiting, pinkeye - the works. And he was 2.5 when he started, so his immune system was relatively more developed than an infant. Especially post-COVID, kids' immune systems are wrecked and they pick up EVERYTHING. We're lucky enough to have backup childcare in the form of a part-time nanny and willing grandparents, but if we didn't, I'd probably be fired by now. Like, I'd have to be taking time off work every other week. And of course, I'm paying $$$ for daycare that I've only used ~60% of the time.

I just can't fathom why someone would expose their kid to all this during a crucial developmental stage if they have the option not to. This is when their brains are doing a huge amount of growing, and if they're constantly sick and miserable, all their energy is devoted to healing (slash basically all they can do is veg out in front of cartoons). When my kid was home with nanny, he got sick maybe twice a year? If that. And he was way verbally advanced for his age by the time he started daycare. Whatever nominal socialization he's getting is completely not worth it. He was a happy, social, well-adjusted kid before daycare.

1000% go with a nanny if you have the option.  [/quote]

Daycare illness is absolutely a thing and it is hard to deal with. However, every child is affected differently. Ours thankfully has been healthy enough to attend 90-95% of the time. Rarely has a fever. Did have a verbal delay when home during a five month pandemic closure that resolved quite quickly soon after the center reopened. Therapist said being inna group setting is helpful for speech delays.

Everyone's family situation is different. For us a nanny was not an option for various reasons but we do know people who affirmatively chose daycare, including people who tried nannies and did not like it. Either option can be the best option for any given family, regardless of what other people can "fathom".

One thing I strongly believe is that nobody should go to extreme lengths just to avoid daycare. By extreme lengths I mean trying to work full time while caring for a baby, or living paycheck to paycheck to afford a nanny.[/quote]

I'd say your child is a major outlier then. [b]90-95% attendance means that your kid has only been sick one time the entire year [/b](I literally don't know a single daycare or even school-age child for whom that's remotely true - average is 10-12 respiratory illnesses a year for kids in daycare, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics), or you're sending them to daycare sick.

Re: verbal delays, I don't doubt that was the case for your child (and maybe for others with diagnosed verbal delays), but there's just no data to back up the idea that group settings enhance language/cognitive skills generally. See https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/documents/seccyd_06.pdf ("most children in exclusive maternal care at just older than 1 year and at 2 and 3 years of age had cognitive, language, and achievement scores similar to those of children in child care.") Our kid's verbal skills were vastly more advanced than his same-age peers who started in daycare much earlier, for instance.

I do agree with you that no one should go to extreme lengths to avoid daycare, or that daycare is horrible for all kids/you should feel guilty for sending your kid. It is the only option for many, many parents, and I get that. However, for OP and others who do have other options, it's important to have an accurate picture of the pros (which are often oversold by parents who are trying to rationalize their own choices) and cons (which are not talked about NEARLY enough). I've experienced both.[/quote]

No, it means she has attended 9 out of 10 to 19 out of 20 days.

There are typically 250 working days in a year. 10% of that is 25 days. That works out to 5 bad illnesses. Now that I break it down like this, I'd say my child has definitely been closer to 95% attendance.

We've gone through periods when she was sick more often, and periods when she has not gotten sick at all. It's not easy during the fall/winter months, but it is not remotely every other week either.[/quote]

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