Runny Nose to Runny Butt

For the first time in her 2 year-old life, Olivia is now going halftime to an International daycare, with main language in Italian. She loves it after getting use to the new people and little friends. But my gosh, where does all these "bugs" come from? She is constantly having something with her back home...fever and from runny nose to runny butt....and those germs are also "in love" with me. Holly Cow, I have never ever had so many infections, and poor Max ( in my belly) is having a hard time sleeping with all my coughing. Most of all, I feel so bad for Olivia, and many times helpless.

But in another way I am very happy and lucky that I have been able to stay home with Olivia-- these 2 years--. Sometimes I think of these mothers and fathers who cannot stay home with their child(ren) for different reasons. In Sweden we are very lucky that the mother can stay home 1 1/2 year with a good paycheck, and I think the father can stay home 4 months with a good paycheck. In US a lot of mothers can just stay home 6 weeks!!!

I talked to a day-caretaker in North Carolina who reported she had to make the phone calls to children’s parent(s) to come and pick up their sick child. The next day the child was back, still sick. Some parent didn’t answer their cell phone the whole day. They told they had been in meetings, or the connection was really bad in the office. [Her request for a work number was met with evasion, no number]. It is a rule in all these centers that sick children should not be brought in until well. Shouldn’t be a rule, but common sense!

A professor at the Karolinska Hospital in Sweden stated that children under two-years old shouldn’t go to day-care centers at all. Only when they reach the age three and four that they are more resistant to infections that run rampant in day-care centers.
In fact, research indicates that for those toddlers under one year of age who regularly attend a day care center, they face a 69 percent higher risk of being hospitalized, compared to children that are kept at home. Between 1 and 2 years old, 47 percent higher risk, 2-3 years old: 41 percent higher risk. And over 3 years old, 8 percent higher risk.

To be sure, children will (and should) get infections as they grow. The Professor said that 6 infections a year/per child is “normal”. But being at a day-care center gave the young toddlers double amount of infections.

It is a hard balance.