Advice Needed Day Care Concern

[gingergrltea]

I live in a mixed family.I have two boy's and my SO has two boys,and I am pregnant.His kids I adore.I just have one concern.His kids started going to daycare.Well they are seriously sick ALL THE TIME NO JOKE.I am really having a hard time dealing with my LO getting sick from my SO kids.Plus I am always sick,not fun while pregnant.

I know that this is building the immune system but gee do they really need to be sick this much?What I don't get is that the mother works at night as a bartender,and puts her kids in daycare during the day.Her ex my SO works at home plus has money from a settlment so he can watch the kids during the day until his older one is old enough for school.But she says they need to learn sign language and such.I have yet to see them doing sign language.

I might just be over reacting but,its really under my skin.I was told by there mom not to give them CLO or SA.She went to school and is a RN but not working in that yet so she is very mainstream! There kids are on antibiotics all the time,or having ear infections to the point the little one had to get tubes.Yet they still give these kids milk out of bottles,and they were fed soy formula.

Now onto the new baby I will have it in the fall,and I will for sure be breastfeeding as I did my LO.But I don't want to worry about a new baby being sick all the time,and getting RSV.

[aricha]

First, handwashing, handwashing, handwashing. Have the kids wash their hands every time they come in the front door (and you guys should too). This will help minimize the germs they are bringing into the house and passing on to the rest of the family. I'm a mental health consultant and go in and out of childcare programs multiple times a day, but I am diligent about washing on my way in and out as well as when I get back to my office and when I get home, and my kids rarely get whatever is going around at the programs I visit (and neither do I). 

You (or your SO) could talk to the teachers/director and express your concern that with you being sick/having a little one at home that everyone is washing hands as appropriate, toys that have been in mouths are getting taken out of circulation until they are washed, etc. 

As far as medication, diet, etc that could be effecting their health, the best you can do is talk to your SO about the situation and do what you feel you should do to help the children you are allowed to make those decisions for. And, unfortunately, that is it. It took me a long time to make my peace with that, but I just have to believe that my husband is doing what is best for his daughter and advocating for the type of care he believes is best. It can still be REALLY hard sometimes to accept that, because I love her and want what I believe is best for her... but I just don't get to make that call, and I had to find a way to accept that or else I'd be upset all the time.