How to Survive the First Year of Daycare when Your Baby is Sick All the Time

Your baby’s first year in daycare can drive you absolutely crazy! Daycare kids get, on average, about 7 colds per year. Since germs are more likely to spread during colder months, it can seem like your baby is sick constantly. 

Of course, parents hate to see their kids feeling sick, but that barely scratches the surface of the problems that are caused by sick kids. If you’re a new mom with a sick baby, you might have to miss work to take care of your child. You might get interrupted during the day with a call from daycare about your kid’s health. And we’ve all had that day where we dropped our kid off at daycare and held our breath all day just waiting for a call.

The worst part about sick kids is that the effects can last for weeks. When my oldest daughter was a baby, she constantly had a cold. When her cold lingered for longer than 5-7 days or so (which was almost always), she would get an ear infection. The fever and pain from the ear infection would keep her out of daycare.  Then she’d have to be put on antibiotics, which caused diarrhea and diaper rash – another daycare sick policy violation. She’d end up out of school for a week sometimes from the effects of that simple cold. 

Oh, and nine times out of ten I would get the cold, too. So I would be stuck managing a sick baby while sick myself and trying to figure out how to work occasionally too. There was one terrible month when she was 11 months old that I missed over two weeks. 

The day my daughter got ear tubes was the happiest day of my life. Since then, she’s barely been sick a day. But for the first year it was tough.

What can new parents do to survive their baby’s first year of daycare?

How do I keep my child from getting sick at daycare?

Many parents wonder if they’re doing something wrong. Is there something you can do to keep your baby from getting sick at daycare?

The short answer is no. You really can’t keep your kid from getting sick. Kids have germs, and they touch things and they’re going to spread germs.

And don’t beat yourself up about germs being worse for babies. Older kids are just as bad. Preschoolers and elementary schoolers wipe their noses, fail to wash their hands, and a host of other unsanitary behaviors. Don’t worry, kids just get sick during their first year of childcare, no matter how old they are when it happens. 

13 Tips for Surviving Sickness During the First Year of Daycare

1. Accept that they will get sick

First, adjust your mindset. Accept and expect that your baby will get sick. Don’t be surprised when that daycare number pops up on your office caller ID. It’s really OK. 

That doesn’t mean it’s fun, but shifting your mindset will at least help you start to roll with the punches. 

2. Abide by the daycare sick child policy

Follow the daycare sick child policy, and no more. Most daycares have guidelines around fevers, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. Some have slightly different policies for infants. Make sure to familiarize yourself with your provider’s policy.

Follow the policy, and only that. If your kid is kind of grumpy and has a slightly runny nose, it’s OK to send him to daycare. Keeping your baby home for every minor illness means that you will never, ever get anything done at work. So don’t feel guilty sending your slightly under the weather baby. 

3. Don’t panic if other kids are sick

Other kids in the room will get sick. Don’t panic. By the time another baby is ill, your child has probably either gotten the illness too or has fought it off. There’s absolutely no need to pull your child out if another kid has a minor illness unless your baby is sick, too. 

Of course, there are exceptions for certain major illnesses. For peace of mind, choose a healthcare provider that requires immunizations. Ask if they grant any exceptions. 

4. Ask the daycare to call only if your baby falls under the sick child policy

Some daycare teachers like to communicate – a lot – and they’ll call you if your baby is fussy. That is crazy-making! I can tell you that for sure. I had one lovely group of women that frequently called with baby updates during her first few weeks. Finally I had to ask them not to call me unless they wanted me to do something. I hated knowing that she was unhappy or fussy but there wasn’t really anything I could do. There was no way I could drop work every time she was grumpy, so I preferred to remain ignorant! 

I was so much happier once I asked them to call me only when my baby needed to go home or when they needed something else from me (out of breastmilk or something). This is a huge sanity-saver!

5. Stock up on supplies at home

Before you baby starts daycare, stock up on sick baby supplies at home. There is absolutely nothing worse than being up with a crying baby at 2 am and realizing you’re out of Vick’s Vaborub or can’t find the nasal aspirator! 

So make a list of your favorite sick baby supplies, and stock up well in advance:

• Vick’s 
• Nasal Aspirator
• Humidifier
• Lysol wipes
• Lots of hand soap
• Pine sol
• Infant Tylenol
• Saline nasal spray

6. Hot shower in a closed small bathroom

If your baby is too stuffed up to sleep, run a super hot shower in a small bathroom. This tip does not work in a large master bathroom. You have to use a small room, preferably a room just the size of the shower. Turn on the shower, close the door, and sit on the toilet. Find a cushion to sit on – toilet seats are hard! As a bonus, I swear that this tip works wonders for your skin! 

7. Vick’s on the feet & chest

Putting Vick’s VapoRub on baby’s chest and feet is a magical tip that works wonders. Dress them in a footed sleeper, apply the VapoRub and then zip them up. Just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face or your baby’s face! 

8. Parents get sick from daycare, too

Arguably the worst part about your baby getting sick from daycare is that you get sick, too. Do your best to stay hydrated and eat healthy foods. Consider taking a multivitamin. I know it’s nearly impossible, but sleep when you can. 

If you feel a cold coming on, try the hot shower trick. Sudafed and other decongestants can affect your milk supply, so use sparingly if you’re breastfeeding. If your child has a stomach bug, try to eat light in case you get it too. Don’t eat pizza. Ask me how I know. 

9. Find late-night entertainment

If you’re up late with a baby, it’s easy to feel resentful. That’s why it really helps to have a show to watch or a podcast to listen to. If you’re looking forward to listening or watching, you won’t feel quite as terrible about being awakened in the middle of the night. 

10. Save sick days if possible

Maternity leave in this country is such a mess. Some women have to use vacation days and sick days to cobble together enough leave to recover from childbirth. However, if you are at all able to save sick days, do so! You will absolutely need them during your child’s first year.

I burned a ton of PTO during my first maternity leave, and then was left with no time off. It was pretty awful. So if you can preserve days off, both from a financial perspective and according to your company’s leave policies, do so. It will be a huge help during the year. 

11. Share duties 

This is a big one. If you have a co-parent, partner, or other local family, enlist them to help take care of the patient. If you don’t have someone who can help easily, look into hiring someone. Some nanny and staffing agencies have lists of caregivers who will take care of sick children. 

12. Find childcare for sick kids in advance in case you need backup

There are some services that provide backup care for sick kids. Many employers partner with Bright Horizons Family Solutions, which provides backup care in centers and in the home for sick children. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a backup care program via your employer, the time to research it is when your child is healthy! Write down the numbers and take them home so you’ll know how to access the benefit when you need it. 

Even if you don’t have employer-offered backup care, you can look into your own options. Consider signing up with a nanny service, which can send vetted and trained childcare providers to your home. You can also check with your existing babysitters to see if any of them are available during the day. 

Does Daycare Build Immunity?

The first year of daycare can feel so overwhelming. Not only are you dealing with the emotions of becoming a mom and the challenges of returning to work, but you’re continually interrupted by sickness. Remember (as tough as it is) that this is not the new normal. The sicknesses typically settle down after the first year of group childcare. A Dutch study showed that kids who are sick early tend to be less sick for the remainder of their preschool years. (Things even out between daycare kids and stay-at-home kids by age 6, which makes sense because they will have been in school.)

You will survive the first year of daycare, even if your child is sick all the time

Try to keep yourself as healthy as possible, share the load with your partners and remember – this won’t last forever. So, mama, hang in there. It will get better and, in the meantime, all you can do is survive (and binge watch Netflix in the middle of the night).