You’ll need about 3 weeks of leave. Some of those will be half days when you get a phone call that baby is running a fever and you need to leave early. And then your DC needs to be fever free 24 hours before returning.

I’m one of the PP with kids that rarely get sick. Our kids all take a daily vitamin C in addition to a multivitamin. I think adding the extra vitamin c has been really helpful. In fact our daycare recommended it (in consultation with a child’s dr). I have noticed that there are rarely kids out sick. Only 7 kids so easy to keep track in that specific class.

Anonymous wrote:The first year of daycare dd had some kind of sniffly nose cold twice a month--but really only had to be home from daycare (fever, crankiness, malaise, etc) once a month for maybe 2 days or so. About twice a year she gets something where she's home for a week or close to a week total (HFM, an adenovirus, strep). The other thing is that you are going to get these colds from your kid, so prepare for that. DH and I seemed to get every other cold that she brought home.

It gets better pretty quickly as they get their immune system up to speed, and it's been a ton better during covid because of masking and various protocols for limiting contact outside of the group of kids and teachers in her specific room. I do expect a lot of colds and whatnot next winter as people go back to more normal levels of public contact.

This. I am someone who "never gets sick" and I was on and off sick from November to February during DD's first year in daycare. DD did not get as sick as I did.

The first year of daycare dd had some kind of sniffly nose cold twice a month--but really only had to be home from daycare (fever, crankiness, malaise, etc) once a month for maybe 2 days or so. About twice a year she gets something where she's home for a week or close to a week total (HFM, an adenovirus, strep). The other thing is that you are going to get these colds from your kid, so prepare for that. DH and I seemed to get every other cold that she brought home.

It gets better pretty quickly as they get their immune system up to speed, and it's been a ton better during covid because of masking and various protocols for limiting contact outside of the group of kids and teachers in her specific room. I do expect a lot of colds and whatnot next winter as people go back to more normal levels of public contact.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I have shockingly healthy kids, but my youngest is 2 and maybe missed 3 days in 2 years due to sickness. Her daycare also didn’t close for covid. My oldest is 4 and maybe missed a week as a baby/toddler (HFM and a nasty cold) but hasn’t missed any in the last year. It’s not necessarily all doom and gloom. In fact neither child has ever had an antibiotic.

My kid was only out maybe 3 days the first year. He never ran a fever, the absence was for a mild diarrhea. So the whole "all daycare kids are constantly sick" trope wasn't my experience.

I will say some of the mild runny noses he had might be excluding now with COVID protocols.

My kids were not terribly sick in daycare either. It is very kid dependant.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I have shockingly healthy kids, but my youngest is 2 and maybe missed 3 days in 2 years due to sickness. Her daycare also didn’t close for covid. My oldest is 4 and maybe missed a week as a baby/toddler (HFM and a nasty cold) but hasn’t missed any in the last year. It’s not necessarily all doom and gloom. In fact neither child has ever had an antibiotic.

My kid was only out maybe 3 days the first year. He never ran a fever, the absence was for a mild diarrhea. So the whole "all daycare kids are constantly sick" trope wasn't my experience.

I will say some of the mild runny noses he had might be excluding now with COVID protocols.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I have shockingly healthy kids, but my youngest is 2 and maybe missed 3 days in 2 years due to sickness. Her daycare also didn’t close for covid. My oldest is 4 and maybe missed a week as a baby/toddler (HFM and a nasty cold) but hasn’t missed any in the last year. It’s not necessarily all doom and gloom. In fact neither child has ever had an antibiotic.

I can’t believe it. Certainly not with my kid or anyone I’ve ever known.

DS was out more than he was in daycare last year. It killed us - not just how often (and once seriously) he was sick - but the loss of work. We pulled him out.

Maybe I have shockingly healthy kids, but my youngest is 2 and maybe missed 3 days in 2 years due to sickness. Her daycare also didn’t close for covid. My oldest is 4 and maybe missed a week as a baby/toddler (HFM and a nasty cold) but hasn’t missed any in the last year. It’s not necessarily all doom and gloom. In fact neither child has ever had an antibiotic.

Pre-covid, it was really only dealing with febrile illness. My Ds had to be picked up twice for fever due to ear infection. Now, plan for frequent colds and whatever is circulating in daycare. Since covid, we’ve had to do covid testing almost monthly because of colds. Fortunately, daycare now allows them to return with a negative covid test and a note. So, he is usually back in 1-2 days. Save as much leave as you can, have a plan for family or back up care. In the beginning I had grandparents come for extended exclusions when rules were stricter. There is also FFCRA if DC can’t attend daycare for a covid related reason.

If you are asking because you are hoping to use some of your leave for vacation when your 1yo starts daycare, sorry to disappoint. You will likely use 100% of your available leave (of all categories) when your child needs to stay home from daycare.

I think I first used PTO for vacation when DD was about 18 months, at which point she'd been in daycare for well over a year AND I'd had enough time to bank enough leave to take a vacation.

I had my 18 month old for 6 months first time in daycare and literally every other week he had something and we took off, it sucks so so so so much to see them like that. He stayed home after because of covid but I dread having to start again.

Strep colds fevers flu hand and foot stomach bugs ear infections and then reactions to the antibiotics a complete mess. So take every second you can save.

Anonymous wrote:Stats say 6-8 colds per year. With Covid rules, my kid can be home for a full week with a cold. Save everything you can.

+1. Colds, mild stomach bugs, those weird no symptom but fever things. Save every second you can and it still won’t be enough so have backup care (your parents, friends, in-laws, siblings). You child is at the everything-in-the-mouth stage so he’s going to get everything.

Stats say 6-8 colds per year. With Covid rules, my kid can be home for a full week with a cold. Save everything you can.

We used every minute of sick time, PTO and vacation time when DS started daycare at 18 months. I was in danger of being fired and this was pre-covid and covid protocols.

Save every second you can.

Baby is entering daycare soon. 1 year old and so far no illnesses, not even a cold, so I'm guessing we will be in for all the illnesses once she enters daycare. How are parents managing work and sick leave for actual sicknesses and leave for any required quarantine periods?