'One and done': Mum wants no more kids for unusual reason

But she was told, "Don't deny your child a sibling over this!"

A mum has revealed she doesn’t want to have more children because of the stress caused by daycare.  

The constant cycle of daycare illnesses is a challenge many parents can relate to, but for her, it’s enough to put her off more children entirely. 

“I was wondering if this has tipped anyone else into being one and done?” she asked in an online parenting forum. 

She vented out her frustrations on Mumsnet, writing her two-year-old son has been plagued with different bugs since starting care last October, bringing chaos to their household.  

“I have already had two colds and a flu bug since September. My son has been unable to go into nursery twice due to diarrhea and vomiting, leaving my husband and me to tag team around online meetings and working until the small hours to catch up,” she wrote.   

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"Really wearing me down"

The disruption to the family schedule and unrelenting sickness has left her exhausted.  

“The stress of having to juggle when my son can’t go to nursery, and also being constantly sick myself and falling behind on work due to feeling rough is really wearing me down,” she said. 

Looking for reassurance, she turned to other parents online to validate her feelings about not wanting more children. 

“It is really rough but it does get better. As their immune systems grow, the sickness should subside quite a lot,” one person comforted her.  

“I think it’s valid! As is any reason, especially if you want both parents to continue working,” another wrote.  

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"Don't deny your child a sibling over this"

However, not everyone agreed with the idea. 

“Don't deny your child a sibling over this. It passes, and it is often easier with second children!” one commenter said, for example.

Despite the difference in opinion, the poster remained firm in her stance.  

 “I just don't understand how anyone could possibly hold down a job with more than one child getting sick and passing on viruses to you, as well as having two being frequently sent home from nursery due to illnesses (presumably at different times, and with different bugs),” she said.  

Some suggestions included hiring a nanny to ease the daycare burden, but she shut down the idea. 

“Switching from nursery to a nanny is not an option, because it's not within our budget,” she said.  

Originally published as 'One and done': Mum wants no more kids for unusual reason