Your Child’s Health at Daycare

As a parent, you may be worried because your child keeps falling sick often after starting daycare. This is common occurrence: as long as it is the usual childhood illnesses, there is nothing to be concerned about. Because their immune systems are still developing, children do fall sick frequently at daycare: they are exposed to a variety of germs and bacteria there, which may not be found in their homes.

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 Falling sick is part of normal growing up; studies show that children who suffer normal childhood illnesses when going to daycare are overall healthier and less prone to sickness in later years, as compared to children who did not get this exposure at a young age.

However, you do not want your child to become sick due to lack of hygiene. Taking a few basic precautions will reduce the incidence of sickness and relapses.

Steps to keep sickness at bay

1.      A daycare must have a clearly defined policy for children, who are sick. Find out all about it and check if there are any aspects that could be improved upon. If you find a few issues, talk to the management for remedial measures to plug loopholes. Daycares are required to adhere to licensing regulations; you have every right to ask them set right lapses. Some daycares are also accredited for professional standards, which are even higher than those mandated by the government are.

2.      Cleanliness is critical for good health. The daycare staffs should wash their hands at regular intervals throughout the day. Unclean hands after changing diapers, wiping runny noses, cleaning up spit etc. are sure to spread germs. Spend time at the daycare to observe whether the staffs are sensitive about basic hygiene.

3.      Look for sources of cross contamination, which is the cause of many sicknesses. Children put almost everything into their mouth, and so some amount of contamination cannot be avoided. Nevertheless, actions like using different sinks for washing hands and preparing bottles can help keep contamination under control.

4.      Ensure the most nutritious diet possible for your child. Plenty of vegetables, fruits and food rich in iron will help boost the immune system. If you have doubts about the diet of your child, talk to your pediatrician.

5.      Find out about the vaccination policy. A good daycare will ask for a child immunization record before allowing attendance. However, it should keep track of future vaccinations and booster shots. If a daycare does not ask you for updated records, they will not ask other parents either, and that means your kid is exposed to probable illnesses at daycare. Keep an eye open for signs at daycare of many children with runny noses, coughs and so on. Check if it is normal or not; if not, find out what you can do to protect your kid against the trouble.

Finding the right daycare will ensure that your child remains as healthy as possible. A reliable website that gives you authentic information on daycares in your area will save you a lot of time and hassle.