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hances
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.
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:
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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. |
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Check
to make sure that the center has a license, and that it regularly
is inspected by the health department. |
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Make
sure that the center requires children to get their shots, including
the new pneumococcal vaccine. |
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Check
that the center enforces proper hand-washing procedures for both
adults and children. |
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Check
to be sure that diaper changing is done in an area separate from
food preparation and eating. |
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Find
out if there is frequent disinfection of bathrooms, diaper-changing
areas and toys. |
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