This is a request and I hope no one will get angry or offended in turn.
Appreciate if mummies stop to consider the feelings of other mums who send their child or children to childcare. I, for one, not sure if I'm the only one, get quite tired to hearing (and having to defend our decision) cos the FIRST reaction from 'well-meaning' people always seems to be "OH POOR BOY/GIRL ... Will get sick more often right!!? " After all, we dont keep shoving the many reported and unreported incidences of maid abuse or nanny abuse or abuses by uncontrolled visits of relatives/'friends'/'uncles' to the nannys' homes down your throats right. And unlike a regulated childcare, you only have the word of your sweet talking maid or nanny to rely on right. And let's not even bring up the topic of hygiene of some of these "grandma" nannies...
I wish more parents could have the same attitude like the Japanese mums in the CNA article I posted earlier. Getting sick may not be a bad thing FOR THE CHILD in the long run (although parents are probably inconvenienced in the short term). Getting sick strengthens the child's immune system. Your child's immune system will mature but will not strengthen if he or she is kept at home with no/little contact with other people. If a child has been kept sorta 'in isolation' then suddenly let loose with lots of other children every day, of course the immune system which has never had a chance to be challenged will be severely challenged by the new environment. Even if your child never goes to childcare and only starts mixing with other kids in primary school, that child's immune system will be tested then. If however, a child has a lot of siblings or cousins and neighbourhood friends and has been playing very often with these friends, you will find that putting that child in childcare will prbably not make so much difference to his/her immune system. It's not the childcare or the school, it's the fact that the immune system has never been challenged before.
I acknowledge that I have generalised a lot and there are probably a lot of counterarguments which can be made. I will in fact probably agree with all the mums who say that putting your child in childcare only when they are older is better (from a falling sick less perspective)
This diatribe was more a plea to please stop reciting "they will get sick more often right" like its some kind of chant or slogan whenever the subject of childcare centres come up.
On the subject of putting your child in childcare when they are between 2-3yrs old. I note from my observations that 2-3 year old age group is not necessarily the best age to put a child in childcare cos that's usually when the child is just starting to be fully aware of mum and dad's presence/absence and when separation anxiety is highest. Not true for all cases obviously. Sorry for this long long email and thank you to everyone who bothered to read to the end.
Appreciate if mummies stop to consider the feelings of other mums who send their child or children to childcare. I, for one, not sure if I'm the only one, get quite tired to hearing (and having to defend our decision) cos the FIRST reaction from 'well-meaning' people always seems to be "OH POOR BOY/GIRL ... Will get sick more often right!!? " After all, we dont keep shoving the many reported and unreported incidences of maid abuse or nanny abuse or abuses by uncontrolled visits of relatives/'friends'/'uncles' to the nannys' homes down your throats right. And unlike a regulated childcare, you only have the word of your sweet talking maid or nanny to rely on right. And let's not even bring up the topic of hygiene of some of these "grandma" nannies...
I wish more parents could have the same attitude like the Japanese mums in the CNA article I posted earlier. Getting sick may not be a bad thing FOR THE CHILD in the long run (although parents are probably inconvenienced in the short term). Getting sick strengthens the child's immune system. Your child's immune system will mature but will not strengthen if he or she is kept at home with no/little contact with other people. If a child has been kept sorta 'in isolation' then suddenly let loose with lots of other children every day, of course the immune system which has never had a chance to be challenged will be severely challenged by the new environment. Even if your child never goes to childcare and only starts mixing with other kids in primary school, that child's immune system will be tested then. If however, a child has a lot of siblings or cousins and neighbourhood friends and has been playing very often with these friends, you will find that putting that child in childcare will prbably not make so much difference to his/her immune system. It's not the childcare or the school, it's the fact that the immune system has never been challenged before.
I acknowledge that I have generalised a lot and there are probably a lot of counterarguments which can be made. I will in fact probably agree with all the mums who say that putting your child in childcare only when they are older is better (from a falling sick less perspective)
This diatribe was more a plea to please stop reciting "they will get sick more often right" like its some kind of chant or slogan whenever the subject of childcare centres come up.
On the subject of putting your child in childcare when they are between 2-3yrs old. I note from my observations that 2-3 year old age group is not necessarily the best age to put a child in childcare cos that's usually when the child is just starting to be fully aware of mum and dad's presence/absence and when separation anxiety is highest. Not true for all cases obviously. Sorry for this long long email and thank you to everyone who bothered to read to the end.
