Any parent is familiar with the relentless cycle of nursery bugs, but there is a silver lining to coping with the sniffles early on.

The "nursery plague" is a full-time job for parents and any parent will know the horrors of sheer amount of illnesses their little ones can pick up. Research found that toddlers contract an average of 15 illnesses in their first year of childcare, leading to roughly 13 days of absence and experts suggest this early exposure actually builds a "pathway to immunity."

They will come down with a significant number of illnesses compared to those who stay at home until school, and due to the number of illnesses, the authors of the study say employers should have "realistic expectations" over how many days a parent and carer will need, according to Clinical Microbiology Reviews.

Nurseries can become a breeding ground for bugs and illnesses(Image: Brizmaker/Getty Images)

Experts from UCL as well as researchers from the University of Cambridge, Cornell University and North Middlesex University Hospital examined immunology, infectious disease genomics, and epidemiology data.

They found that nurseries can become a "boot camp" for toddler's immune systems, as it help prepare them for bugs in schools. According to Sky News: "During their first year of formal childcare, babies and children are expected to have 12 respiratory illnesses, such as coughs and colds, the study found."

They also found there would be two episodes of diarrhoea and/or vomiting illness, and at least one illnesses of a rash including scarlet fever, chicken pox, slapped cheek or hand, foot and mouth.

The authors of the study urged parents to get their children vaccinated, as it's one of the "most effective" things parents can do to protect their children. They added that the early exposure in nurseries help to provide "some protection" for early school years to common infections.

Co-author Dr Leo Swadling, from the UCL Institute of Infection, Immunity and Transplantation, said: "Newborns have some protection against infection thanks to antibodies passed from the mother, but this wanes in their first year, leaving infants - especially those starting childcare - more vulnerable to infections.

"It's normal for children to get sick a lot because their immune systems have never seen these bugs before - but then nursery serves as a 'boot camp' for their immune systems, building up resilience for the years ahead. Vaccines are a key way to protect children from serious infections in childcare, so we encourage parents to keep their children up to date with all available vaccines."

Dr Adrian Das a Doctify-rated consultant paediatrician said these illnesses are common in children, and stressed importance of hygiene: "Good hand hygiene is the most effective measure to prevent lot of these infections because they spread via droplets and touch. So, teaching children to wash their hands and to cover their mouth and nose when they're coughing and sneezing is really important," as reported by The Telegraph.

The NHS advises ensuring children drink plenty of fluids and suggests saline nose drops to alleviate stuffy noses. But for parents worried about whether to send their child to nursery with an illness, Dr Das advised that the standard guidelines for vomiting and diarrhoea is to not send their child for 48 hours until after the symptoms have stopped.

If they are actively coughing and sneezing, they should also stay at home to prevent wider transmittion and for their own wellbeing, while the NHS also recommends to keep children with a high temperature off school too.

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