Always Sick at Daycare? Germs, Handwashing and When to Stay Home

What's normal

• In the first year of group care, it's common to catch as many as 8 to 12 colds, plus a stomach bug or two. It feels endless, but most kids get sick less often in the second and third years.
• Kids at home get many of the same viruses later, often when they start preschool or school.
• Fevers and runny noses that come one after another are usually separate viruses, not a weak immune system.

Handwashing that works

1. Wet hands with clean running water.
2. Lather with soap, including backs, between fingers and under nails.
3. Scrub for 20 seconds: about two rounds of a short song.
4. Rinse and dry with a clean towel.
5. Key times: after the toilet or diaper change, before eating or cooking, after outdoor play, after touching animals, after nose wiping, and as soon as you get home from childcare.
6. Use a step stool and make it a game. For babies, wipe hands with a clean damp cloth.
7. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol works when soap isn't handy, but not well on visibly dirty hands. Keep it out of reach; an adult should apply it and let it dry.

Lowering spread at home

• Teach coughing into an elbow, and toss tissues right away.
• Don't share cups, utensils or toothbrushes.
• Clean high-touch surfaces and shared toys when someone is sick.
• Keep vaccines up to date for everyone in the house, including yearly flu shots, and COVID and RSV protection for babies and pregnancy as your pediatrician or provider recommends. See the childhood vaccines guide.

When to keep your child home

• Most programs have their own rules, so read your handbook. Common reasons:
• A fever; most programs want a child fever-free for 24 hours without fever medicine.
• Vomiting or diarrhea that can't be contained in the toilet or diaper, often until 24 hours after the last episode.
• Too tired or uncomfortable to join in, or needing more care than staff can give.
• A rash with fever, or specific illnesses such as strep throat until treatment has started.
• Many common conditions, like a runny nose, head lice or mild pink eye, often don't require staying home under AAP guidance, though centers vary.

For working parents

• Line up backup care before the season starts: a relative, a neighbor, a sick-care service, or trading days with another family.
• Split sick days with a partner, co-parent or grandparent where you can, and know your workplace's leave rules.

What doesn't help much

• Antibiotics for colds, cough and cold medicines for young kids, and most immune-boosting supplements.

When to check in

• Bring up frequent ear infections, pneumonia, or illnesses that need antibiotics often at a checkup.
• Ask about poor weight gain alongside frequent illness.
• If your child is struggling to breathe or is very hard to wake, call 911.