Day care/preschool builds immune system

[illinoismommy]

This is kind of a rant, but I am also confused. It makes no sense. We have a friend whose child has been in day care from the beginning (baby is now 1 1/2 years) and is literally sick every other week REGULARLY with puking and diarrhea (not to mention colds and the like) Its so abnormal to me. This is a huge institutionalized day care. I finally told the dad he better get that baby in a home day care PRONTO!!! He said, "Its building his immune system." :hunh

Now this is not the only time I have encountered this line of thought..... but let me ask something, in case I am confused, if this baby gets the flu every other week WHEN does his immune system get stronger? When he is 20? It doesn't seem to be happening.... not to mention there's a potential infinite strains of flu to be exposed to :shrug Its not like I am raising David in a sterile environment, I take him out, he's exposed to germs, but he's not getting sick nearly as often-- he's had the flu once since birth (the same week I got it, it was awful!).... please someone fill me in on why everyone says that getting sick all the time is building the immune system if the person never seems to have any stronger of an immune system. It seems to me that a good diet, good sleep, and good exercise does far more for the immune system than trying to put a child in day care or preschool.

[milkmommy]

Its hoggerwash :rolleyes I never seen more kids consistantly sicker (or have been myself) than when I worked in daycare especially ones that rotate kids soo much. DD goes to preschool and stays pretty healthy as do her classmates but they class size is small and the same kids meet (plus strict rules on no sick kids) but even them there are "outreaks" at the start of the year or after breaks. This for me lines up with crying being good for the lungs or building imune systems by introducing food to fast and soon to "get over it". I also strongly believe the over use of bleach in many daycares aids the illiness problem. :shifty

Deanna

[CrunchySeaSalt]

I just read a garbage thread about this on another board...I was so :mad at them for actually talking about *it builds their immmune system. Kids who never go to daycare don't handle illnesses as well"

Hogwash, my brothers and I were never ill. My kids never got ill.... b/c it wasn't a typical DC it was a home based sitter of a couple kids, so poo on that theory of insanity :hunh

[mybodymyself]

:popcorn

[Rabbit]

Here's an article on where some of this thought comes from:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7301

[Linnis]

The doctor on TLC's Baby Block claims that children who are in daycare get sick a lot but once in school it will keep them less sick as they have been exposed already. I don't know if they have any facts to back it up though.

[illinoismommy]

Well, you know, we aren't doing school either ;)

But again, we're not raising children in a sterile environment either....

[Benjaminswife]

My understanding is that the daycare kids get sick younger and then once they are school age they wouldn't be as sick as those who were not in daycare. I just think as long as your kids are around other kids, it would be fine.

[MarynMunchkins]

Getting sick builds immunity. :shrug Whether that's a good reason to have kids in daycare is another story. :rolleyes

I have found with Lillian being the 4th, and my older two being in school, she's sick frequently just from that.

[Soliloquy]

:nak

Yes, the immune system does need to have some full-blown illnesses to be fully functional (one of the many reasons we don't vax
). However, under the age of 2 a child's immune system is immature and was designed to be completed by mother's milk (not daycare). God designed young children to be dependent on mother so they would stay close. Baby would be exposed to whatever mother was exposed and then receive mother's antibodies via milk. Exposure to things separate from mom is not God's design for a child under the age of 2 or 3.

FWIW, I am not knocking daycare or parents who need or choose it. I have met parents who feel the need to justify their choices with statements like this, though, rather than acknowledging that this is one of the downsides of the choice that is best for them.


I also strongly believe the over use of bleach in many daycares aids the illiness problem.

I couldn't agree more. :bheart

[zak]

My mother is ALWAYS sick. Always. She rarely feels "well". She's been working in the same preschool/daycare as a preschool teacher for 15 years (I think). It's awful. I beg her to quit but she "loves the children". I know she's been placed there for a reason, she's the only constant in some of these children's lives, but at what cost to her health? :bheart

I don't know about the whole "building the immune system" thing. It seems that after this many years my mother would be super-woman in regards to warding off virus/infection/illness, but she's not. She ends up in the ER/doc office often each year. She was also not breastfed. :shifty

[illinoismommy]

I was not making a statement about day care, after all you'll notice I said to put the baby in a home day care (meaning a smaller environment) ... it is just not normal to be sick as often as that baby is. I'm not convinced that having a baby and pretoddler throwing up regularly so that they don't school age is a good idea, I'd rather have a school aged kid go through that than a baby

[Iarwain]

I'm not convinced that having a baby and pretoddler throwing up regularly so that they don't school age is a good idea, I'd rather have a school aged kid go through that than a baby
ITA! Building immunity more gradually is certainly better and and older child may cope better.

It's not the illness itself that strengthens the immune system, but rather recovering from it. When a child is sick THAT often I'd really question whether their immune system ever had the chance to get strong enough to get the benefit of it - especially if the child needs antibiotics to get well. ALSO a person can become immune without getting the fullblown illness. If their immune system is strong they can be exposed, fight off the bug, and add that virus to it's repertoire without going through all that.

[illinoismommy]

ALSO a person can become immune without getting the fullblown illness. If their immune system is strong they can be exposed, fight off the bug, and add that virus to it's repertoire without going through all that.


I think that's what happens with David.... he seems like he's about to get sick and gets kind of sick, but then doesn't get worse or as bad as I was expecting. He might sleep for 12+ hours that night though. :)