Coping with Preschool Sickness

Our recent life changes haven’t come without their due amount of frustration. I’m working, my wife’s working, and our son is in daycare for the first time in his life. Naturally, there was a lot of adjusting to do for all of us. Probably the worst of it, however, was the cold my son brought home in his second week.

It started slow at first. Our son started sniffling, then my wife. By the third or fourth day, they both had runny noses and deep coughs. I fully expected to be stricken with it next, all the while hoping I’d somehow avoid it. A week rolled by with nary a symptom and, with the two of them already recovering, I figured I was in the clear.

It finally struck me a few night’s ago harder than it had either of them. In the course of one afternoon, I went from perfectly fine to lying on the couch, clutching at a blanket for relief from my chills, and running a high fever. That’s what I get for hoping I’d avoid it, I suppose.

The whole ordeal got me to thinking about how many parents suffer through preschool illnesses on a regular basis. Our son’s preschool is a fastidiously clean environment, but I have no illusions that this will be the last illness he brings home. Bearing that in mind, I went out looking for advice on how to minimize our exposure. Most of this is common sense, but I think some parents (especially those whose children go to our son’s daycare ) could stand to give it a quick review.

Tips for Avoiding Preschool Sickness

• Wash everyone’s hands thoroughly and frequently. This is a good health guideline for everyone in general, but it should be a common practice in any household with a preschool child.
   
• Teach your child to cover his or her mouth when coughing or sneezing. This really only works if everyone does it, so make sure you’re doing your part. It’s a necessary life skill anyway, so why not start early?
   
• Rest, exercise, eat a good diet, etc. Good health practices lead to better immune function overall.
   
• Immunize your child. Yeah, I know this is a moot point, especially considering how most daycares require updated immunizations prior to enrollment anyway. Still, it’s worth mentioning since contracting one of the immunized illnesses can be life-threatening.
   
• Get flu shots for everyone. Those who know me know that I’m not a fan of flu shots. Households with preschool children, however, are especially susceptible to every illness, including the flu. Just ask yourself, is it worth your time and money if it keeps you all from suffering through the flu?
   
• Breastfeed. Okay, so it’s probably too late by the time your child is in preschool, but it’s something to think about when preparing your baby for years to come. Among its other benefits, breastfeeding tends to improve your child’s immune system.
   
• Accept that not all illnesses are preventable. No matter how much you try, there’s no avoiding the fact that your child is outside of your care for part of the day. You can talk to your preschool’s caregivers, but there’s no guaranteeing that good hygiene practices will be followed. Your child will more than likely get sick no matter how hard you try. All you can do is try to affect how often, for how long, and how severely you’ll all suffer as a result.
   

In the end, chronic illness is an unavoidable reality of preschool, one that all parents should consider when enrolling their children in daycare programs. I don’t think parents who do so are necessarily bad parents (otherwise I’d be criticizing myself ). Those who do without adopting healthier habits, though, are inevitably causing themselves and their children to suffer more than necessary.

The list above is sort of an ongoing compilation, so if you have something worth adding, please share it with the comment form below.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 13th, 2007 at 4:04 am and is filed under Family Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.