Rebornne Baby. American Baby
Rebornne Baby. American Baby
child care
features
quizzes experts
Whether
you choose a family day care, a child-care center, a nursery school,
or a babysitter, you'll want the very best. Learn to spot a child-care
situation that you and your baby can really feel good about.
experts
Q: Can you tell
me if all day cares have the same issue with sickness? My 11-month-old
has been sick since the day she started four months ago. Is this to
be expected or should I take her out?
A: First, kids are born with some immunity from their mom, which fades
as the months go by. At the same time, their own immunity is building.
In between--when babies are 6 to 12 months old--they get more infections,
on average, than at any other time. They also get more October through
March. And on average, all kids in day care get more than their peers.
So you've just finished the most vulnerable time of the year at the
most vulnerable age in day care. Infections would be expected, regardless
of their policies.
Kids in day care
tend to get less asthma and other allergies and on average, kids get
the same number of infections by age 6 whether they are in day care
or not--they just cluster differently.
Now, there are
some measures that make a difference. Day cares that have an enforced
policy of washing with instant hand sanitizers after diapering, before
feeding, and before food preparation, and cleaning the mats at least
twice a week have many fewer infections than other day cares.
Also, in an interesting
study, kids in day care got either regular milk or acidophilus milk
(milk with beneficial bacteria in it). No one knew which was which
during the study. It turned out that those with the acidophilus got
many fewer infections.
Kids in day care
who stop their pacifiers often get fewer infections, as well. There
was a study done of kids 9 months and older who used pacifiers and
didn't mouth as many other things and they had about twice as many
ear infections as their peers.
Your
should know:
The
information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes
only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical
advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose
or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your
pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any
questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child's
condition.
