Re: Daycare illnesses (how often does a child get sick?
Lockdown kids got sick 22 times in 3 years, costing 16% work time
A parent tracked their first child's daycare illnesses after a 1.5-year COVID lockdown, finding 22 sickness episodes by age 3. Each lasted 4.4 days on average, costing 16% of work time (37 hours/week). The survival curve showed three phases: 0-30 days between illness (2.4% daily hazard), 30-55 days (1% daily), and 55-100 days (<0.1% daily, mainly summer). This suggests seasonal infection rates drive sickness, not immunity buildup.
For the second child, who had pre-daycare exposure, illness frequency was higher, not lower. The log-odds difference was 0.27 with a standard error of 0.40, so not significant. If real, it would mean individual variation (genetics/environment) causes a 16-day/year difference in sick days. The data challenges the idea that early exposure builds lasting immunity, but n=2 limits conclusions. Parents should expect frequent illness in daycare, regardless of prior exposure.
- One child had 22 illnesses by age 3, averaging 4.4 days each
- 16% of work time lost (37 hours/week) due to childcare
- Second child with pre-daycare exposure got sick more often, not less
Why It Matters
Challenges immunity buildup assumption; parents should plan for frequent daycare illness regardless of prior exposure.