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What are risks of sending CF kids to Day Care?
- Thread starter harvey
- Start date
kids - healthy kids with no health issues - get more drug resistant bacterial infections (reference is Infectious Disease Dr. Isaak Brook of Georgetown University).
With limited antibiotics that treat bacteria for CF patients, I would avoid daycare for a CF patient at all costs!!!!!!
With limited antibiotics that treat bacteria for CF patients, I would avoid daycare for a CF patient at all costs!!!!!!
I
IG
Guest
Eh, kids are going to pick up germs in their life one way or another.
Can't protect them from that no matter how hard you try.
The opinion on daycare is varied here on the boards, and I'm sure you'll hear a variety of them.
General opinion seems to be that if you do send them to day care make sure that the person knows that your child has CF, make sure he/she (child) washes her hands frequently, avoid sick kids as much as possible, take enzymes when eating, and who to contact when need to.
Can't protect them from that no matter how hard you try.
The opinion on daycare is varied here on the boards, and I'm sure you'll hear a variety of them.
General opinion seems to be that if you do send them to day care make sure that the person knows that your child has CF, make sure he/she (child) washes her hands frequently, avoid sick kids as much as possible, take enzymes when eating, and who to contact when need to.
Our CF doc encouraged us to send Abby to daycare. She's done very well there and only picked up a few colds from the other kids. Nothing she wouldn't have gotten off the shopping cart at the grocery store (which I personally think has more germs than most kids at daycare).
Her daycare providers were informed of the cf and they called me right away if another child had come down with an infectious bug other than the common cold.
Other than that, they gave her enzymes with meals/snacks and let her be a kid just having fun like the others.
Her daycare providers were informed of the cf and they called me right away if another child had come down with an infectious bug other than the common cold.
Other than that, they gave her enzymes with meals/snacks and let her be a kid just having fun like the others.
I
IG
Guest
While that may be true sometimes the good outweighs the bad for some people.
'Because preschool-aged children spend increasing time in structured day-care settings, the risk for some infectious diseases has increased. At the same time, child day-care settings present opportunities for ensuring healthier children through enhanced development, safer environments, better nutrition, increased vaccination coverage, and health promotion.'
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1527882&dopt=Abstract
">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en...1527882&dopt=Abstract
</a>
Then again as I've heard said, it's easy to prove something is wrong, it's d*mn hard to prove something right.
For every article that you find that says it's nothing but bad, you will find an article that says it has merit and does a service to the community.
But quite honestly I don't care either way I'm not ever going to have children and while they are cute I have no personal attachment to anybody under the age of 11 so I'm just presenting information.
'Because preschool-aged children spend increasing time in structured day-care settings, the risk for some infectious diseases has increased. At the same time, child day-care settings present opportunities for ensuring healthier children through enhanced development, safer environments, better nutrition, increased vaccination coverage, and health promotion.'
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1527882&dopt=Abstract
">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en...1527882&dopt=Abstract
</a>
Then again as I've heard said, it's easy to prove something is wrong, it's d*mn hard to prove something right.
For every article that you find that says it's nothing but bad, you will find an article that says it has merit and does a service to the community.
But quite honestly I don't care either way I'm not ever going to have children and while they are cute I have no personal attachment to anybody under the age of 11 so I'm just presenting information.
I
IG
Guest
double post... stupid internet *grumbles*
Harvey,
As you can already see, there are MANY different views on this.
Here's mine.
Unless you are planning on having your kids be homeschooled, home-colleged and live at home for the rest of their lives, daycare is really a good idea for a number of reasons.
and my disclaimer before I go any further... if a CF child is really really really sick a lot and very badly, then it might be a good idea to keep them at home.
Daycare requires a child to use their social skills and learn to interact with other children. It is important to have good communication about the CF with the daycare and find a dacycare that is willing to communicate with you when other kids are sick. If you are planning on sending your child with CF to kindergarden, you might as well do daycare and get them exposed to the germs at a time in their life when missing some daycare isn't going to hold them back a year.
They are going to be exposed at some time, whether they pick up a resistant bug at daycare or in kindergarden, IT WILL HAPPEN and there is no preventing or shielding it.
Plus, studies show (and I'm going to try and research some right now If I don't forget and fall asleep first) that kids who are exposed earlier, build stronger immunities to various bugs than when exposed later in life. The EARLIER the better!!! Chicken pox is one example. Many kids get them, and aside from being uncomfortable they aren't a problem. Adults who are exposed to chicken pox for the first time can have deadly reactions.
My husband was put in daycare right away, his mom simply didn't have a choice. Here's a picture of him now <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.cysticfibrosis.com/julies_corner.cfm">http://www.cysticfibrosis.com/julies_corner.cfm</a> He didn't have any problems resulting from daycare, and it helped him to become more social with other children and exposed him to bugs at a young age.
That being said, if one chooses to stay home with their children, they ought to get involved in mommy/daddy play groups with other kids so they get exposure. I for one would love to be a stay at home mom, but would only want to do it for about 12-18 months and would do mommy play groups so my kids could be around other kids, learn how to interact with others and YES, BE EXPOSED TO BUGS!!!
So theres my opinion. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
As you can already see, there are MANY different views on this.
Here's mine.
Unless you are planning on having your kids be homeschooled, home-colleged and live at home for the rest of their lives, daycare is really a good idea for a number of reasons.
and my disclaimer before I go any further... if a CF child is really really really sick a lot and very badly, then it might be a good idea to keep them at home.
Daycare requires a child to use their social skills and learn to interact with other children. It is important to have good communication about the CF with the daycare and find a dacycare that is willing to communicate with you when other kids are sick. If you are planning on sending your child with CF to kindergarden, you might as well do daycare and get them exposed to the germs at a time in their life when missing some daycare isn't going to hold them back a year.
They are going to be exposed at some time, whether they pick up a resistant bug at daycare or in kindergarden, IT WILL HAPPEN and there is no preventing or shielding it.
Plus, studies show (and I'm going to try and research some right now If I don't forget and fall asleep first) that kids who are exposed earlier, build stronger immunities to various bugs than when exposed later in life. The EARLIER the better!!! Chicken pox is one example. Many kids get them, and aside from being uncomfortable they aren't a problem. Adults who are exposed to chicken pox for the first time can have deadly reactions.
My husband was put in daycare right away, his mom simply didn't have a choice. Here's a picture of him now <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.cysticfibrosis.com/julies_corner.cfm">http://www.cysticfibrosis.com/julies_corner.cfm</a> He didn't have any problems resulting from daycare, and it helped him to become more social with other children and exposed him to bugs at a young age.
That being said, if one chooses to stay home with their children, they ought to get involved in mommy/daddy play groups with other kids so they get exposure. I for one would love to be a stay at home mom, but would only want to do it for about 12-18 months and would do mommy play groups so my kids could be around other kids, learn how to interact with others and YES, BE EXPOSED TO BUGS!!!
So theres my opinion. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I agree with going to daycare. I went to daycare/public school/college. I taught in a daycare for 3 years, and now I teach in the public schools. I have been around germy children all my life. I actually think it may have helped me build an immune system. I am rarely on antibiotics. I may get sick once a year. I am also about to head toward getting my PharmD degree. I've been around all those sick people at the drugstore for about 9 years and have never gotten sick from them. But then again everybody is different.....
There is always homeschooling if you keep your child out of daycare. That way they won't get hit with all those germs their first day of kindergarten. I am not a fan of homeschooling. Mainly because ( I am a teacher), and we have parents that keep their kids home for several years. Then in the fourth -sixth grade they tend to enroll their child in school, because the work gets to hard to 'teach' if you don't know the subject matter well enough to get it across, and because the child wants to play football, band etc... I would say this wouldn't be a problem. But, we usually spend the year trying to catch them up for the state tests and socially. I haven't seen to many positives that come out of keeping them at home and then enrolling in junior high or high school. But, that is what happens in my district anyway.
So, either way it is your choice. Sending your child to school can be great. Homeschooling can be great,--just make sure you are willing to go all the way, and teach AP calculus if that is what they want to take for college.
Take a tour of the daycare or school. Then make a list with the pros and cons for you. Either way they will eventually end up exposed to the same germs...
Good luck with your decision!
<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
There is always homeschooling if you keep your child out of daycare. That way they won't get hit with all those germs their first day of kindergarten. I am not a fan of homeschooling. Mainly because ( I am a teacher), and we have parents that keep their kids home for several years. Then in the fourth -sixth grade they tend to enroll their child in school, because the work gets to hard to 'teach' if you don't know the subject matter well enough to get it across, and because the child wants to play football, band etc... I would say this wouldn't be a problem. But, we usually spend the year trying to catch them up for the state tests and socially. I haven't seen to many positives that come out of keeping them at home and then enrolling in junior high or high school. But, that is what happens in my district anyway.
So, either way it is your choice. Sending your child to school can be great. Homeschooling can be great,--just make sure you are willing to go all the way, and teach AP calculus if that is what they want to take for college.
Take a tour of the daycare or school. Then make a list with the pros and cons for you. Either way they will eventually end up exposed to the same germs...
Good luck with your decision!
<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
concernedmom
New member
Harvey,<br>
I think it depends on the age of the child and his/her health
condition. Children under the age of 2 really don't play
together anyway (parallel play mostly). For that age group,
if you don't have to/want to work and you can stay home with the
child, <b>in my opinion</b>, it's best for the child. I agree
that around age 2-3 it's better for the child to have lots of
exposure/interaction with other children. If you're a stay at
home parent, this can be accomplished easily with playgroups,
classes (tumbling, music, swim, art, etc.) and preschool.
Again, in my opinion, I think 3-5 year olds need a good
preschool class to prepare them for kindergarten. If you have
to or want to work and need to send your child to daycare, then
just choose wisely, especially in the under 2 crowd. There
are a lot of healthy cf children on this site but there are also a
lot of not healthy cf children, too. Generally speaking, for
the under 2 crowd, I think the smaller the daycare, the healthier
the child. Again, these are just my opinions, do your
research and do what's best for your family<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I think it depends on the age of the child and his/her health
condition. Children under the age of 2 really don't play
together anyway (parallel play mostly). For that age group,
if you don't have to/want to work and you can stay home with the
child, <b>in my opinion</b>, it's best for the child. I agree
that around age 2-3 it's better for the child to have lots of
exposure/interaction with other children. If you're a stay at
home parent, this can be accomplished easily with playgroups,
classes (tumbling, music, swim, art, etc.) and preschool.
Again, in my opinion, I think 3-5 year olds need a good
preschool class to prepare them for kindergarten. If you have
to or want to work and need to send your child to daycare, then
just choose wisely, especially in the under 2 crowd. There
are a lot of healthy cf children on this site but there are also a
lot of not healthy cf children, too. Generally speaking, for
the under 2 crowd, I think the smaller the daycare, the healthier
the child. Again, these are just my opinions, do your
research and do what's best for your family<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
i have to say i am agreeing more with amy on this one. i can't see that developing social skills can be a significant plus for daycare. if you and your kids lead normal, active lives then the children should be coming into plenty of contact with other kids (when they get a bit older that is, 2-3 or so). this is SO much better because in these situations you know who the kids and their parents are, you have some idea of their hygeine/and/or germ awareness, AND you are able to keep your eye on them. of course there will come a time when you can't keep your eye on them but when they are little, i think this is best.
that said, if you HAVE to go to a daycare, i would choose one of the smaller ones--like the moms who take on several peoples' kids along with their own--because again you are able to know more and to an extent control more about the environment there. and by all means, train them from an EARLY age to wash their hands and to stay away from others who have colds etc.
you could look into hiring a nanny. depending on how many kids you have (figure roughly $10/hr for one kid, then about $2 more per hour per kid) and how much time you will need them (daycares will charge flat fees whereas if you can make it so you only need a nanny 20-30 hours a week, you might be spending about the same amount) it might be a good choice that would also save you money or at least be the same amount.
i know that doctors want kids with cf to lead as normal of a life as possible. and i agree! have them play sports, and be in band and whatever. but i honestly don't think daycare is the best idea even for healthy children.
in my personal experience, my mom waited until the latest time to enroll me in kindergarden. she wanted me to have as much time to 'be a kid' as i could. as far as i know it didn't have anything to do with me having CF. but i also found as i grew older that i was catching more bugs from being at school. still, if you look at my entire life, my times after college and before kindergarten have been my healthiet!
and as for staying healthy, i eat well and exercise and that helps me a lot. i don't get sick from every sick person i am around.
it is sad that our world is like it is. families are forced to have both parents work so that they can make enough money, but in the meantime something is lost for the children who used to have their (traditionally) mom stay home with them. i'm not reminiscing about old times, but i think a lot of parents who do have their kids in daycare would choose not to any day if they could afford not to work. and that's sad, i wish it didn't have to be that way.
laura, 27
that said, if you HAVE to go to a daycare, i would choose one of the smaller ones--like the moms who take on several peoples' kids along with their own--because again you are able to know more and to an extent control more about the environment there. and by all means, train them from an EARLY age to wash their hands and to stay away from others who have colds etc.
you could look into hiring a nanny. depending on how many kids you have (figure roughly $10/hr for one kid, then about $2 more per hour per kid) and how much time you will need them (daycares will charge flat fees whereas if you can make it so you only need a nanny 20-30 hours a week, you might be spending about the same amount) it might be a good choice that would also save you money or at least be the same amount.
i know that doctors want kids with cf to lead as normal of a life as possible. and i agree! have them play sports, and be in band and whatever. but i honestly don't think daycare is the best idea even for healthy children.
in my personal experience, my mom waited until the latest time to enroll me in kindergarden. she wanted me to have as much time to 'be a kid' as i could. as far as i know it didn't have anything to do with me having CF. but i also found as i grew older that i was catching more bugs from being at school. still, if you look at my entire life, my times after college and before kindergarten have been my healthiet!
and as for staying healthy, i eat well and exercise and that helps me a lot. i don't get sick from every sick person i am around.
it is sad that our world is like it is. families are forced to have both parents work so that they can make enough money, but in the meantime something is lost for the children who used to have their (traditionally) mom stay home with them. i'm not reminiscing about old times, but i think a lot of parents who do have their kids in daycare would choose not to any day if they could afford not to work. and that's sad, i wish it didn't have to be that way.
laura, 27
concernedmom
New member
Very well said, Laura. I agree totally. I think one
mistake we often make is confusing daycare with preschool. I
do think in almost all cases, preschool is necessary because it
teaches the child how to interact in a school type setting and
enhances social skills/school readiness. But, I also don't
think parents should be made to feel selfish if they <b>have to</b>
work, or if they really need to work and the child has to attend
daycare. I fall in that category. Two of my children
attended daycare, one did not. The one who didn't still had
lots of illnesses but they were significantly less severe than the
ones who did. The mistake I made with him is only sending him
to one year of preschool instead of two. For myself, the
ideal situation would be work 2 days per week (I need the adult
interaction and need to keep up on my skills), leave the kids with
a nanny those two days and be home 5 days per week. But, we
can't afford medical care if I don't work full time. Instead,
we just work our schedules so the children spend the least possible
time away from us. Just my thoughts.
mistake we often make is confusing daycare with preschool. I
do think in almost all cases, preschool is necessary because it
teaches the child how to interact in a school type setting and
enhances social skills/school readiness. But, I also don't
think parents should be made to feel selfish if they <b>have to</b>
work, or if they really need to work and the child has to attend
daycare. I fall in that category. Two of my children
attended daycare, one did not. The one who didn't still had
lots of illnesses but they were significantly less severe than the
ones who did. The mistake I made with him is only sending him
to one year of preschool instead of two. For myself, the
ideal situation would be work 2 days per week (I need the adult
interaction and need to keep up on my skills), leave the kids with
a nanny those two days and be home 5 days per week. But, we
can't afford medical care if I don't work full time. Instead,
we just work our schedules so the children spend the least possible
time away from us. Just my thoughts.
thelizardqueen
New member
The way I see it, is that you can just as easily catch a cold from someone at school, staying over at a friends, etc. I view daycare the same way I view school - both have kids running around, and I think the chances of catching a cold or something are pretty much the same. If you don't want your kids going to daycare (and this is just my opinion), then you may as well home school your kids as well.
Harvey, when our son was diagnosed shortly after he was born we struggled with this issue. Should I quit work, get a nanny (very spendy), send DS to the daycare center that I'd reserved a slot in MONTHS in advance... I asked his primary CF doctor whose board certified in infectious disease and he said as long as the kids are separated -- babies away from germy toddlers, school aged children in separate classes -- it should be fine. DS was one of 6 babies in his room. He also prescribed synagis shots for rsv, flu shots... One of our doctors is the other extreme -- DS should stay inside all summer long. Avoid swimming, dirt, being out in public, playing outdoors... When dealing with him we always ask --- so what do we do when he's school age -- if we keep him isolated for 5 years and suddenly toss him in a school environment with lots of other kids, wouldn't that be detrimental.
Our decision to send DS to daycare wasn't easy. We figured we'd give it a try and rethink our options should it not work out. He's thrived. He's very social, they have preschool in the morning, they're outside playing all year round -- even in the winter he's out playing in the snow, getting fresh air, does arts and crafts, goes on field trips...
Our decision to send DS to daycare wasn't easy. We figured we'd give it a try and rethink our options should it not work out. He's thrived. He's very social, they have preschool in the morning, they're outside playing all year round -- even in the winter he's out playing in the snow, getting fresh air, does arts and crafts, goes on field trips...
My opinion: If I had a kid, I wouldn't send them to daycare
unless it was totally necessary. Kids (especially very young
ones) are walking germ-fests. The concept of hygiene usually
hasn't sunken in yet. Preschool, however, is a different
matter. Why? Younger children (according to what I've
read) are more prone to illness than older ones, simply because
their immune system hasn't developed enough yet. At least in
preschool, the children are a bit older, and usually better about
hygiene (assuming their parents have been teaching them right).
I was in preschool for two years, never went to daycare, and
I developed just fine socially. I suppose my opinion is the
minority on this, but unless you're an oddball and keep your kids
inside 24/7, they don't need daycare to learn good social
skills.<br>
<br>
I was lucky enough that my mother worked days and my father worked
at night, so someone was always at home with me and I never needed
outside supervision. But if you must send you child to
daycare, make sure that they practice good hygiene and STAY FAR
AWAY from other sick kids! CF is bad enough on its own, let
alone picking up a nasty resistant bug from a peer.
unless it was totally necessary. Kids (especially very young
ones) are walking germ-fests. The concept of hygiene usually
hasn't sunken in yet. Preschool, however, is a different
matter. Why? Younger children (according to what I've
read) are more prone to illness than older ones, simply because
their immune system hasn't developed enough yet. At least in
preschool, the children are a bit older, and usually better about
hygiene (assuming their parents have been teaching them right).
I was in preschool for two years, never went to daycare, and
I developed just fine socially. I suppose my opinion is the
minority on this, but unless you're an oddball and keep your kids
inside 24/7, they don't need daycare to learn good social
skills.<br>
<br>
I was lucky enough that my mother worked days and my father worked
at night, so someone was always at home with me and I never needed
outside supervision. But if you must send you child to
daycare, make sure that they practice good hygiene and STAY FAR
AWAY from other sick kids! CF is bad enough on its own, let
alone picking up a nasty resistant bug from a peer.
Harvey,<br>
<br>
I have 8 children, have home schooled them all. Only our youngest,
Zoe, has CF. My oldest is 22, then 19 ...etc... My children are
extremely social, well adjusted people. They can carry on
conversations with an 85 year old then turn around and play with a
baby. Every person that has met the kids, has loved them for the
way they act, respect their elders, are extremely helpful, out
going and still even in their teen years love and want to hang out
with their parents. They all are on a swim team where they get team
competition, single competition, exercise, socialization, etc... I
love having the opportunity to be able to stay home with my
children and wouldn't trade it for anything. The older children are
very involved in taking care of Zoe, doing fund raising events for
CFF and even coming up with their own ways to raise money for
research. I wanted to post a positive aspect of home schooling for
you to read. As far as the older grades of education, there are
soooo many curriculum choices now, many on computer or dvd's. They
can even go to local community colleges while in high school level
if they want to. There are many options. I'm sure whatever your
family decides, it will be the right one for your family. That is
what is great about America, we can choose what we feel is right
for our own families.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> <br>
Jada<br>
Zoe's mom
<br>
I have 8 children, have home schooled them all. Only our youngest,
Zoe, has CF. My oldest is 22, then 19 ...etc... My children are
extremely social, well adjusted people. They can carry on
conversations with an 85 year old then turn around and play with a
baby. Every person that has met the kids, has loved them for the
way they act, respect their elders, are extremely helpful, out
going and still even in their teen years love and want to hang out
with their parents. They all are on a swim team where they get team
competition, single competition, exercise, socialization, etc... I
love having the opportunity to be able to stay home with my
children and wouldn't trade it for anything. The older children are
very involved in taking care of Zoe, doing fund raising events for
CFF and even coming up with their own ways to raise money for
research. I wanted to post a positive aspect of home schooling for
you to read. As far as the older grades of education, there are
soooo many curriculum choices now, many on computer or dvd's. They
can even go to local community colleges while in high school level
if they want to. There are many options. I'm sure whatever your
family decides, it will be the right one for your family. That is
what is great about America, we can choose what we feel is right
for our own families.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> <br>
Jada<br>
Zoe's mom