Your Child's Health

Healthy in Day Care Learn how to reduce the odds of your child becoming ill

Chances are your child will catch a minor illness while in preschool. However, there are things a parent can do to minimize the risks.

A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concluded that children who are placed in day care — and their families — come down with more colds, flu, diarrhea and earaches than children who do not attend day care.

Children in day care may touch or hug each other more than other children, and they like to share their toys with each other.There are a few reasons for this. Infants and young children have not been exposed to as many viruses as adults, so they have not yet developed immunity that comes after infection, says Dr. Jane Siegel, and infectious disease specialist on the medical staff at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

Children in day care may touch or hug each other more than older children, and they like to share their toys with each other. They don’t wash their hands as frequently, don’t always cover their mouths and noses when they cough and sneeze, and they touch their eyes, noses and mouths more often, Dr. Siegel says. So colds and flu almost are inevitable.

However, Dr. Siegel says children in day care are no more susceptible to more serious conditions such as bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis than children who are reared at home.

To lessen your child’s chances of getting sick, check these factors before enrolling your child in a day-care center:
For the lowest risk of infections, find a day care with a stable population. One AAP study showed that children in a center with the same children and day-care employees year-round were sick only a little more than if they had stayed home.
Check to make sure that the center has a license, and that it regularly is inspected by the health department.
Make sure that the center requires children to get their shots, including the new pneumococcal vaccine.
Check that the center enforces proper hand-washing procedures for both adults and children.
Check to be sure that diaper changing is done in an area separate from food preparation and eating.
Find out if there is frequent disinfection of bathrooms, diaper-changing areas and toys.

 

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