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| Are children really sicker in childcare? | ||||
| Recent study says germs are actually good | ||||
Recent research claims to show that kids in preschool and childcare are sick more often than children who don't attend childcare. But that sickness in preschool and child care strengthens the immune system so that kids will be less sick as adults.More than likely no matter what the environment, it will also be down to the individual child: Their genetic make up; their inner sickness defenses. Some kids can be in child care from a very young age and rarely have a serious virus or infection. Some kids are just more susceptible to illness than others, full stop. You could drill down right back to what you ate when you were pregnant, what you fed them as babies, if they breast fed and for how long, whether their parents are often sick, how well nourished in terms of vitamins they are. However Fiona Baker, writing for Body + Soul summarised the theories from the study: The results of a study published in the Archives Of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine supports the idea that children in day care get sicker than those who do not attend it. But they were less sick as they got older. For eight years, this Canadian study kept tabs on the illnesses suffered by more than 1200 children who were all born in 1998. The kids went to either a large childcare centre, a small, home-based centre or were cared for at home. Compared with children who were cared for at home, those who began going to a large childcare facility before they were two-and-a-half had higher rates of respiratory and ear infections during early childhood, the same risk of infection during preschool and lower rates once they hit primary school. The study also surmised that kids in childcare get sick more often but over a shorter period. The much-discussed "hygiene hypothesis" – which suggests our clean and sanitised lives are making us sicker – also buys into the theory, suggesting that kids who get certain gastrointestinal bugs and viruses may be less likely to develop asthma, allergies and inflammatory illnesses. The jury is still out on whether respiratory illnesses have the same impact on immunity. Are we all getting a bit obsessed about sickness in child care anyway? It's as inevitable as lice. It's a right pain when you're a working parent, but it's just one of those things you have to deal with being a parent. Kids get sick. More than adults. And worse than adults quite often. That's just them evolving. It doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things. It simply gives you a taste of what's to come when they get to school! Child care centres are generally much cleaner than most of our own kitchens and living rooms, I would suspect. They are scrubbed and cleaned on a daily basis, gloves are worn when changing nappies (when was the last time you did that?) and wipes are used once and thrown directly in the bin. However many parents think that child care is worse than any other environment. It's probably no worse than working in an office, except that generally people in an office are vaguely aware of the importance of covering their mouth when they cough and washing their hands…or at least they should be! In fact you could say that an office environment is worse because people "soldier on" or think they are indispensable even when ill and come in any way to infect everyone else. Whereas generally speaking if a kids really in the throes of a cold or flu they are more often than not kept at home. It's just that we worry about them more. And it's a big inconvenience to have a child in child care sick, both financially given you don't get refunded sick day fees and in terms of work. Sick child means sick day off your work too. So perhaps this is also why desperate parents cling to the belief that antibiotics will save the day and give their child the shot it needs to get better and get back to child care… Antibiotics should definitely be used in many cases, but are also often not necessary and / or won't actually do anything except give a false sense of security. Doctors don't like prescribing them without due cause but often feel pressured by parents who demand them. But Antibiotics can sometimes actually be harmful. Do you know when Antibiotics might help? People often think that infections should be treated by antibiotics, but viruses not. Infections can be caused by either a virus or bacteria. Bacteria is what antibiotics fight. Antibiotics don't treat viruses. The Group Health website has some useful explanations and advice on when to Use Antibiotics. The most important thing is always consult a doctor if you are worried about your child's illness: If it lingers longer than the usual term for a cold or flu (5-10 days) or if they have any extreme reactions or symptoms or develop breathing difficulty. |
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