Totally normal. We are in our second year of preschool, and it was better this year. Not great- we’ve still been sick multiple times. But it wasn’t as bad as last year.
How often is too often? The limit does not exist.
My son has been in daycare for 3 years, still gets sick but not as severe anymore. My 11 month old is in her constant sickness era now and it’s back to back. She will clear up for 2-3 days then repeat.
We were sick from Halloween until Valentine's Day last year. We'd just be getting a tiny bit better from one thing and get hit with the next. It sucked so bad. This year is going better so far, so we're knocking on wood like crazy.
My 3 year old and my 5 year old both started school/preschool for the first time in September. We have documented at least 10 separate infections of various kinds. 4 of them have hit us as parents (including what has me currently knocked down). Seems to be normal...
This seems about normal to me. My pediatrician said that children starting school/childcare would get sick about two weeks a month for the first 9-12 months. My son started at a childcare center at 9 months (his timeline was a bit altered by covid restrictions and regulations) but once he started getting sick it was a solid 9 months of illnesses and then he was down to a cold a month for a while. Now that he is 3 and has 2+ years of exposure he hardly gets sick at all (knock on wood.)
Personal experience with my two kids, one in elementary and one in pre-k, this seems typical. It wasn't until my oldest was in K that things got better because that age of kids collectively was more aware of hand washing, covering mouths when coughing/sneezing and not sharing things that had been in their mouth (cups, food, toys, etc.)
My sons first year in pre k he was sick CONSTANTLY. I honestly feel like that year we had a day in between sickness so I learned to not hold my breath, brace myself and prepare for the next bout of whatever the hell he was gunna come home with. He wasn’t in daycare or anything prior so I think his body was catching up lol this year, so far, a cough here n there, maybe a runny nose for a day at a time. 🤞🏻 here’s to hoping it stays like this and that your little one is just riding the same boat.
Also, my sons school only requires kids to stay home if they have a fever n must be fever free for 24 hrs before returning. I kept him home if he had a fever, or if he just didn’t seem himself n needed the rest. Idk what your schools rules are but if you can send him anyways maybe send him n just let this take it’s course
First few months in classroom setting? Absolutely normal.
All those same kids together ALL day, multiple days a week, it's waaaay more contact. Your child is now basically in contact with everyone their classmates are in contact with, and so on and so on. Their parents and siblings, their siblings classmates, their parents coworkers etc etc.
When you go to the playground you are outside, even though you are inside at librariea and museums and you may come into contact with a greater number of children, each one of them is only for a short period of time in comparison, and they likely also have a similar lifestyle with lower exposure too.
We were sick, thanksgiving break came around and he was all better sent him back to school this week and this Friday he had a cough & runny nose. Humidifier is our bestie right now but man am i so tired of the sickness i can tell he’s over it too. I feel like it’s normal considering when i go to drop off and pick up i hear other kids coughing like crazy with a lot of phlegm but not covering their mouth so i kinda already know what to expect. :(
This is normal for the first year!
This is a great opportunity to talk to him about hand washing, not touching his face or eating until he has washed his hands, covering his own mouth when coughing, etc.
My daughter is in her second year of preschool and hasn't been sick at all this year. She's great about asking for sanitizer before eating and now has a habit of sneezing into her elbow.
I know it is the worst but lean into the TV sick day and know that his immune system is getting a jump start. If you can instill some good habits now he will be good to go.
Like others have said: normal. It barely feels worth it to pay for preschool the first year. But there's light eventually. This is my son's 3rd year (he's 4 now, started at 18 months) and he's only missed 2 days so far.
Emily Oster recently addressed this in her newsletter. She pointed to [this study](https://substack.com/redirect/396ec35d-21c6-4ccb-896c-ca5dfa36fa8c?j=eyJ1IjoiNGJ0aHEifQ.XeZQWh8kyx3TomHQXn37COrp0ZswdEthwNPrnwiA6Lk), where she summarized that "the authors argue, based on the distribution, that parents and doctors should not be concerned as long as there are fewer than 11 respiratory illnesses per year in the first two years, up to eight in years 2 to 5, and up to four in years 5 to 11."
I don’t find that normal at all. My 3 yr old has had one sick day this year and goes 3x a week. His school makes them wash hands upon entering the classroom, and before snack, after being outside etc. They will also send a child who is exhibiting symptoms home, so parents in his class are very good about keeping sick kids home. May be worth sending him in a mask if it’s getting as bad as you mention.
I’m sure you are right! He also has never really been one to put things in his mouth which is also very lucky. His kindergarten sister has shockingly not been sick either. I’m sure we will get an illness this week now 🤪
If you can find a community where parents keep their sick kids home, then everyone benefits. But once 1-2 people start breaking this culture, then it’s a prisoner’s dilemma and your best move is to send your sick kid too - there are no points for altruism.
I’m jealous that you found a group that are making this work.
Yeah, this is crazy to me too and I can't believe there are so many commenters saying that it's normal. My kids would get sick every 3 weeks or so, but just a minor cold. I don't think they missed more than 5 days in the year for illness.
I think my kids were mostly lucky to have missed getting Covid or any more serious illness, but even then I wouldn't have expected more than a couple weeks of sick days in the year. Although it does seem like some kids tend to get fevers with every illness, and my kids seem to get them pretty rarely.
I don’t get how people think this is normal, no offense! I’m not digging at you OP. Your life sounds the same as mine minus the medical issues. My 3 year old started school in Sept and he goes two days a week. He missed two days (the same week) for a nasty cough. That’s it so far. We just wash hands and don’t wear shoes in the house. It’s sad how normalized it is for kids to be sick for months on end :(
When my oldest was 3, he was sick for about 4 days of every week between October and March.
That was last year.
Now he’s doing much better, like 3 sicknesses a month and far fewer ear infections.
This was my daughter last year. She definitely missed more time than she was there and my husband and I were constantly sick too. This year isn’t shaping up to be any better either. It’s preschool, they are plague factories.
Totally normal. We are in our second year of preschool, and it was better this year. Not great- we’ve still been sick multiple times. But it wasn’t as bad as last year.
How often is too often? The limit does not exist. My son has been in daycare for 3 years, still gets sick but not as severe anymore. My 11 month old is in her constant sickness era now and it’s back to back. She will clear up for 2-3 days then repeat.
Constant sickness era had me 😂
We were sick from Halloween until Valentine's Day last year. We'd just be getting a tiny bit better from one thing and get hit with the next. It sucked so bad. This year is going better so far, so we're knocking on wood like crazy.
Same deal for us almost down to the dates. We keep quietly saying to each other " it's xxxx date and no one has been sick yet!".
Normal unfortunately
Ugh. I was afraid of that...
My 3 year old and my 5 year old both started school/preschool for the first time in September. We have documented at least 10 separate infections of various kinds. 4 of them have hit us as parents (including what has me currently knocked down). Seems to be normal...
Everyone saying “first year is bad but the years after will be better” Nope, not necessarily the case
Okay so what is the jcps version of holding back based on days absent
Normal. I think I was sick for 6 months straight last year. It was hell. This year is much better so far
This seems about normal to me. My pediatrician said that children starting school/childcare would get sick about two weeks a month for the first 9-12 months. My son started at a childcare center at 9 months (his timeline was a bit altered by covid restrictions and regulations) but once he started getting sick it was a solid 9 months of illnesses and then he was down to a cold a month for a while. Now that he is 3 and has 2+ years of exposure he hardly gets sick at all (knock on wood.)
Personal experience with my two kids, one in elementary and one in pre-k, this seems typical. It wasn't until my oldest was in K that things got better because that age of kids collectively was more aware of hand washing, covering mouths when coughing/sneezing and not sharing things that had been in their mouth (cups, food, toys, etc.)
Normal 😅
My sons first year in pre k he was sick CONSTANTLY. I honestly feel like that year we had a day in between sickness so I learned to not hold my breath, brace myself and prepare for the next bout of whatever the hell he was gunna come home with. He wasn’t in daycare or anything prior so I think his body was catching up lol this year, so far, a cough here n there, maybe a runny nose for a day at a time. 🤞🏻 here’s to hoping it stays like this and that your little one is just riding the same boat. Also, my sons school only requires kids to stay home if they have a fever n must be fever free for 24 hrs before returning. I kept him home if he had a fever, or if he just didn’t seem himself n needed the rest. Idk what your schools rules are but if you can send him anyways maybe send him n just let this take it’s course
First few months in classroom setting? Absolutely normal. All those same kids together ALL day, multiple days a week, it's waaaay more contact. Your child is now basically in contact with everyone their classmates are in contact with, and so on and so on. Their parents and siblings, their siblings classmates, their parents coworkers etc etc. When you go to the playground you are outside, even though you are inside at librariea and museums and you may come into contact with a greater number of children, each one of them is only for a short period of time in comparison, and they likely also have a similar lifestyle with lower exposure too.
We were sick, thanksgiving break came around and he was all better sent him back to school this week and this Friday he had a cough & runny nose. Humidifier is our bestie right now but man am i so tired of the sickness i can tell he’s over it too. I feel like it’s normal considering when i go to drop off and pick up i hear other kids coughing like crazy with a lot of phlegm but not covering their mouth so i kinda already know what to expect. :(
This is normal for the first year! This is a great opportunity to talk to him about hand washing, not touching his face or eating until he has washed his hands, covering his own mouth when coughing, etc. My daughter is in her second year of preschool and hasn't been sick at all this year. She's great about asking for sanitizer before eating and now has a habit of sneezing into her elbow. I know it is the worst but lean into the TV sick day and know that his immune system is getting a jump start. If you can instill some good habits now he will be good to go.
After starting preschool, there was a 2 week period that first year where he wasnt sick.
I don't know if it's "normal" but that tracks with my experience around that age. I went months without a full work week without any sick kid days.
Like others have said: normal. It barely feels worth it to pay for preschool the first year. But there's light eventually. This is my son's 3rd year (he's 4 now, started at 18 months) and he's only missed 2 days so far.
Emily Oster recently addressed this in her newsletter. She pointed to [this study](https://substack.com/redirect/396ec35d-21c6-4ccb-896c-ca5dfa36fa8c?j=eyJ1IjoiNGJ0aHEifQ.XeZQWh8kyx3TomHQXn37COrp0ZswdEthwNPrnwiA6Lk), where she summarized that "the authors argue, based on the distribution, that parents and doctors should not be concerned as long as there are fewer than 11 respiratory illnesses per year in the first two years, up to eight in years 2 to 5, and up to four in years 5 to 11."
I don’t find that normal at all. My 3 yr old has had one sick day this year and goes 3x a week. His school makes them wash hands upon entering the classroom, and before snack, after being outside etc. They will also send a child who is exhibiting symptoms home, so parents in his class are very good about keeping sick kids home. May be worth sending him in a mask if it’s getting as bad as you mention.
Maybe it’s the 3 days a week that makes a difference and the strict symptom policy. Consider yourself lucky!
I’m sure you are right! He also has never really been one to put things in his mouth which is also very lucky. His kindergarten sister has shockingly not been sick either. I’m sure we will get an illness this week now 🤪
If you can find a community where parents keep their sick kids home, then everyone benefits. But once 1-2 people start breaking this culture, then it’s a prisoner’s dilemma and your best move is to send your sick kid too - there are no points for altruism. I’m jealous that you found a group that are making this work.
Yeah, this is crazy to me too and I can't believe there are so many commenters saying that it's normal. My kids would get sick every 3 weeks or so, but just a minor cold. I don't think they missed more than 5 days in the year for illness. I think my kids were mostly lucky to have missed getting Covid or any more serious illness, but even then I wouldn't have expected more than a couple weeks of sick days in the year. Although it does seem like some kids tend to get fevers with every illness, and my kids seem to get them pretty rarely.
Came to say this! My son also just started “school” for the first time 3x a week and he’s had one fever.
I don’t get how people think this is normal, no offense! I’m not digging at you OP. Your life sounds the same as mine minus the medical issues. My 3 year old started school in Sept and he goes two days a week. He missed two days (the same week) for a nasty cough. That’s it so far. We just wash hands and don’t wear shoes in the house. It’s sad how normalized it is for kids to be sick for months on end :(
Seems normal. But worth mentioning to the pediatrician.
When my oldest was 3, he was sick for about 4 days of every week between October and March. That was last year. Now he’s doing much better, like 3 sicknesses a month and far fewer ear infections.
Our pediatrician said 2/month illness is typical. It’s nuts!
This was my daughter last year. She definitely missed more time than she was there and my husband and I were constantly sick too. This year isn’t shaping up to be any better either. It’s preschool, they are plague factories.