Nursery/Pre-school temperature - illness policy?

Yes a temperature is normal but it can also cause convulsions if it gets too high. And that would result in an ambulance and imagine if they had to administer medicine to bring it down and a child had too much because the nursery hadn’t been told the truth. It’s so selfish and unfair on your child. It’s puts them and others in danger. If you can’t take time off work to look after your sick child then don’t have them. I’m pleased you have your phone with you and I hope you answer it when the nursery rings. Sometimes other parents don’t answer for ages and you’re straight out here suggesting parents send their child in dosed up.

The point is if your child has a temp they could be infectious and make others ill. Parents need to stop sending their children into nurseries with temps.

Yeah don’t do that it’s extremely selfish. Your child will be distressed and wil not have a good day. It’s extremely unfair on them. And you risk getting other children and members of staff sick. Then they have to miss out on work and pay because you were selfish. Don’t be a see you next Tuesday. Do not send your child in dosed up on calpol especially without telling the nursery. Imagine when the medication runs out and your child’s temperature spikes and staff are not aware. Over 40 could result in your child having a seizure and ending up in hospital.

We had a few issues with our eldest at nursery as he (like me) runs a high base temperature. There could be nothing wrong with him, and he will be 37.3/37.4. Again, same for me. Neither of us would start feeling unwell with a temperature until at least 38.5, and even then we might be fine.

This caused us a few problems until the nursery got used to him, as they would call me to pick him up if he was 37.8/37.9/38, but with him, he often just needed to take his jumper off and he would cool right down.

Eventually after the first handful of calls we mutually agreed that he had to be over 38 degrees AND looking unwell or had other symptoms. If he was just hot, they would just remove a layer.

Now he's at school we never hear from them, and he's the kid going wearing shorts in winter haha! My point is - you can't always just have a cut-off temperature at which you send them home, as sometimes they may be absolutely fine.

Over 39 they send home.

38-39 with no other symptoms, they'll call and ask if they can give calpol, and then if the temp comes down they can stay.

38-39 with other symptoms (tired, upset, not eating etc) then generally sent home but obviously that's less cut and dry than a thermometer reading so it's a subjective judgement of the staff on the day.

Our nursery will send the child home if they have a high temperature that isn't managed by Calpol, so that 38 or above. They give 1 dose and wait 30 min to measure the effect.

However, they will also send them home if they are not well within themselves and have a fever, so above 37.5.
If they have a mild fever (above 37.5) but are generally happy, they will usually tell us and ask if we want them to give Calpol, but won't sent them home.

In my experience though, when my kids have a fever around 37.8ish, they will start feeling unwell, refuse to eat or play and want to cuddle, so they will generally ask us to collect if Calpol doesn't bring it down.

Great thanks for spreading illnesses to vulnerable children. My child is immunocompromised and has just spent time in hospital with the flu... Which she picked up at preschool. Cheers

Then be the first to complain if your child can't attend due to lack of staff because they are all ill. So so selfish.

And that ensures everyone else, including staff, catches it too.

@jannier I'm not confused about anything. I was just pointing out the irony of the fact the day she was fine, they thought she was ill. But the day she was under the weather, it was barely mentioned. Why are you spoiling for an argument?

And hopefully let your child pass their illness on to all the other children and staff.

So why would they say anything about a cold if she was fine you seemed confused about why they watch out if a child is out of character clingy and red faced they watch but a normally playing snotty child is fine.

😂😂😂 amazingly I've been teething 30 years...the list of symptoms is growing too.

@jannier I didn't say they were.

I catch teething most weekends, from children who definitely are fine in themselves and haven’t had calpol.

Ours say can’t attend if temp over 38. They’re very realistic and take mild lurgies. The not spreading germs idea is a lovely concept, but realistically by the time the symptoms are showing the spreading has happened. So on that front it really makes no difference.

No calpol if going to nursery, unless it’s for teething pain and they’re pretty fussy on that (fair).

Any other medication needs to have going for at least 24 hours before return to nursery and child well in themselves.

2 loose nappies and they’re off for 48 hours.

Unfortunately they mask the temperature with Calpol leaving the child to get ill around 11 by which time the bug has been passed to all the others and the staff. The parents then typically take an hour or two to arrive leaving lo suffering.

Nobody is suggesting a child with a cold can't go to nursery.

Ours send the kids home if temp is over 38. If they're even slightly out of sorts they're hovering with the thermometer. I do understand infection control, but they were adamant DD was poorly the Friday before last because she was a bit clingy and had red cheeks. There were different staff in the room, a new child, and the recent cold weather has made her skin sore. She was fine. This Friday, when she was actually coming down with a cold (which was not at all apparent on Friday morning) nothing was mentioned 🤷‍♀️ she's snotty, but no temp and eating and drinking fine, so she'll be off to nursery in the morning.

11am Itis ...so common

So you now take your child to A&E not nursery.

You can always tell the children who had calpol at 8am because they usually start to wilt in nursery around about 11-11.30am.

we phone for a child to be collected if their temperature is 38, this has been the procedure in all 3 nurseries I’ve worked in.

we also phone home to make parents aware if their child doesn’t have a temperature but isn’t their usual self. Eg lethargic, emotional, not joining in usual activities, not eating.

We usually call a parent if a temp is over 38C. We will give calpol with parent permission at this temp upwards to help keep child stabilised and reduce any risk of convulsions etc while waiting for parent to arrive. At this temp most children are showing signs they’re not right.

We say that if a child needs calpol then they should be home unless it’s to help the tail end of a known illness that’s being treated with antibiotics such as an ear infection. Lots of parents ignore this and the whole roomful of children and staff get poorly.