Poorly child

It's standard for childminders to have a policy that states they won't look after sick children. And nurseries too.

Outraged - I think all parents know that childminders are unreliable - they take sick days, they go on holiday (while you are still paying for them) etc. That's why so many parents pay for a day nursery, (although they send poorly children home too.)

I would only have considered a childminder if I had not been able to afford a nursery. Around here it is about £15 a day cheaper to go to a childminder rather than a nursery.

Having taken everything into consideration I actually worked two days a week, got DH to do one, and my mother the other. That way I have never been let down by my childcare, but equally I will probably have to wait years before I can work full time again.

Is it clear to you Reet that I have not commented on whether or not the OP is being 'fair'?

Is it clear to you Reet that my 'argument' on this thread is not about whether or not the OP is being 'fair'?

Meg that sounds sensible. Wonder if op had that in her policy

Yes all mindees should have more then one contact to call wether dad or gp or friend

Reet yes I'm a nanny so agree slightly different - just from going what the op said in first comment - a cold and generally not happy - I wouldn't expect the parent to collect - as ceeveebee agreed with me

Oh for goodness sake why can't you just give calpol? I know you need permission etc but surely this would be set up all ready to do. I think if mums had a day off every time their child had a cold they would be sacked.

Op do you send all your minded children home when you have a cold?

Blondes I think if it was in her policy she would not have any children to look after unless they had a really flexible job.

outraged, once again, no childminder on here has said they demand a child be picked up immediately for a cold. This child is clearly ill. There is a difference.

Hope this makes it a bit clearer

mrsthomson if you'd have picked up your child a few hours ealier, would it have made any difference to the outcome? Would she have not ended up in hospital for three days?

My argument on this thread is; I'm suprised that childminders demand parents pick up immediately when a child has a cold as it makes them quite unreliable childcare. I am suprised about that regardless of their policy. I think it still means it's unreliable childcare, but if that is stated in the policy then at least the parents have the choice of whether or not to use the childminder.

I didn't comment on whether the OP was being fair or not.

The OP has been asked about her policy and has declined to comment.

Well my daughter went off food and drink , was very clingy crying all the time and dry nappies , not really a temp. Turnsed out it was a urine infection and she ended up in hospital for 3 days. So the child may not just have a cold it could be something more serious

well, seeing as you don't know the ops policy on sickness outraged, you can't really say whether she is being fair or not! which makes your argument on this thread a bit pointless really

I think if that's your policy and you make it clear to the parent when they sign up, then that's completely fair.

I was a CM am now a nanny so can see both sides.
I certainly look after my charges while sick now.
But as a CM I had a policy that read

If a child is unwell enough NOT to participate in the usual activities if the day, then the child us not well enough to be in Childcare.

So if crying, clingy and not wanting to do anything, then yes I would have sent home.

We had very full days with groups, music sessions, soft play and two walking school runs a day a child that isn't up to going to the usual things is stopping the other children going too

'Outraged yes....as I said earlier...or another adult. '

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by this?

Outraged yes....as I said earlier...or another adult.

I would hate to think of a child left with a minder who was busy with other charges when they were not well.

Neo anyone with a nanny.

And what's more....I work...but if my DD was not herself with a cold...and crying continuously and not eating...then yes....of COURSE I would expect to be called to collect her....or her Dad to be called. Who the hell wouldn't!?

No-one has said the parent shouldn't be given the choice of whether to collect or not.

Neo maybe your children are different to the ones I look after, but they're 'not themselves' when they're tired or teething or a bit under the weather. Not being themselves is not sufficient to demand the child be picked IMO.

I respect the right of childminders to run their business as they see fit. As I've said twice already.

Outraged, I have an 18 month old mindee who can be incredibly whingy. But I know every well the difference between that and him actually being unwell. So does his mum, thankfully. No way would I just dismiss a child - whatever their age - crying constantly and in a way that was out of character. In fact, the younger the child the more cautious you should be as they can't verbalise what's wrong with them.

Well Outraged a bit of drip feeding does not an argument win....unless we doubt the OP's version completely and assume she exaggerated....then it's STILL fair to say that the baby should be at home. Crying continuously is not a happy child. It's probably a child in pain.

but you know all that now Outraged, so it's not really relevant that the op didn't mention it in her first post

To be fair Neo the OP originally said 'has a cold, just generally not happy'. Only after a couple of posts suggesting she didn't need to call the mother did we learn about the parent's illness, the constant crying, the not eating, the not drinking, the dry nappies etc. In a later post the OP said that she'd managed to deal with it.

No Outraged...the OP said the child "was not herself" that's not "what babies do" at all! As the OP is a CM and therefore experienced I think it is safe to assume she knows what ILL is and what teething is.

but outraged - you are missing the point, again... it is not the cms job to administer cpr - she is a childminder not a casualty doctor or paramedic for goodness sake.

an ill child should be sent home. it is not up to the cm to decide how ill the child is. obviously we use a level of common sense when deciding whether to call a parent but a child who has been upset all day, and has dry nappies and is obviously not doing too well should not be with a childminder. why is that so difficult to understand?

say it turned out the child had something else, dare i say, meningitis, which suddenly developed from the symptoms described to something much more serious, the parent would then be within their rights to say, the cm didn't call me, i wasn't give the choice of whether to take my child to hospital - we just can't win, can we??