Agree that daycare isn’t for all families. My firstborn literally never got sick. My secondborn has gotten sick twice (is 18 months). So for us daycare has been fine. Sounds like it isn’t working for you.

Our daycare was really good about taking toys that kids set down and setting them aside to be washed. In our first year of daycare, both of my kids caught only one minor thing each (one the sniffles and the other hand foot and mouth). We took metro to daycare, too. Now they're in elementary school and sick all the time, though...

Girrrrl, when my baby started daycare, we were both sick for 4 months straight with one thing or another. Now she's one hardy ass little kid loving life. You will all be fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not every daycare kid gets sick all the time.

DD is 3 and has been in daycare since she was 10 months old. She had 2 ear infections the first year, but that was it (aside from a day here and there when she had a low-grade fever). Since then I can count on one hand the number of sick days she's had.

Yep, I had something like 200 extra hours of sick time banked by my first child's second birthday because...he just wasn't sick that much. Never had an ear infection, never had croup, etc.

Same.

It is what it is. Get a nanny or do a home daycare if you can't afford a nanny. They'll nap better as well.

I had both my kids at home until they were about older 3ish and they started preschool and I can also say I don't really think the whole idea that they either get sick constantly as babies or as older kids is really true. I think as babies, they are uniquely shoving everything in their mouths. Yes, they will get sick when they're older, but neither of mine had a constant stream of illnesses when they started group care for the first year or anything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think that what you want is realistic for a daycare, unless the infant room only has pre-crawling babies. Once they crawl, all bets are off.

Maybe you should hire a nanny.

This. Your baby will be better off in many regards.

Stop. Just stop.

+1

My kids both went to daycare. It's part of the deal. FWIW they're now in elementary and NEVER get sick. The oldest is in 3rd grade and has never missed a day of school.

Just deal with it and assume these minor things are good for your child's immune system. In many ways its worse to deal with the constant sickness at 3/4/5 when they are in pre-school for the first time.

Anonymous wrote:Separate toys are a non-starter, but there are some incrementally helpful things that your daycare can do (and may already be doing):

Frequent and regular handwashing of kids
Require parents to wash kids hands upon dropoff
Send email to parents whenever a case of certain illnesses is confirmed in the class. At our daycare this includes flu, HFM, and croup. I don't remember what else.

This is required if they are licensed--there is a list of diseases they must notify about.

Separate toys are a non-starter, but there are some incrementally helpful things that your daycare can do (and may already be doing):

Frequent and regular handwashing of kids
Require parents to wash kids hands upon dropoff
Send email to parents whenever a case of certain illnesses is confirmed in the class. At our daycare this includes flu, HFM, and croup. I don't remember what else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some daycares will take teething toys away once one kid has used them, toss them in a bin, and then wash them at the end of the day.

As some one already said...literally every toy goes in the mouth at young ages.

Not just toys--everything. And your kid will touch any surface and then touch the face or mouth.

Anonymous wrote:Not every daycare kid gets sick all the time.

DD is 3 and has been in daycare since she was 10 months old. She had 2 ear infections the first year, but that was it (aside from a day here and there when she had a low-grade fever). Since then I can count on one hand the number of sick days she's had.

Yep, I had something like 200 extra hours of sick time banked by my first child's second birthday because...he just wasn't sick that much. Never had an ear infection, never had croup, etc.

Not every daycare kid gets sick all the time.

DD is 3 and has been in daycare since she was 10 months old. She had 2 ear infections the first year, but that was it (aside from a day here and there when she had a low-grade fever). Since then I can count on one hand the number of sick days she's had.

Anonymous wrote:You’re going to laugh at this post when you have baby #2 and your toddler wipes his fingers across his snotty nose and then puts his fingers directly into his little sister’s mouth.

This.

And like another PP said, the illness will easy off a bit in about a month or 2, and then your baby will start crawling. They will be licking EVERYTHING and getting sick non-stop. It really just is how it is.

A few things that will help in a minor way:
-bathe nightly, even if it's just a water rinse off. If you can't do this, do a good wipe down of hands, face, head and neck.
-get yourself some zinc.

My kids are 3 and 5 and haven't had a sick day in over 9 months. I don't even know what to do with all my extra PTO! I am not even kidding.

You’re going to laugh at this post when you have baby #2 and your toddler wipes his fingers across his snotty nose and then puts his fingers directly into his little sister’s mouth.

Anonymous wrote:Some daycares will take teething toys away once one kid has used them, toss them in a bin, and then wash them at the end of the day.

As some one already said...literally every toy goes in the mouth at young ages.