Do I say something to these parents??

[Faloola]

I'm a childminder, I look after two sisters who are 4 and 1. I have two kids of my own (9 and 13) and I sometimes watch friends kids if needed.

On Tuesday, I was watching my mindees and my friends daughter popped in for an hour. She was having problems with her skin and was due to go to the drs which is near mine so waited with me. She's 14. She played with the babies then went off to her appointment.

Today, my mindees dad dropped off the kids, and the 1 year old had a scab on her stomach and neck. He told me it was nothing serious, they'd been to the drs it wasn't infectious, and gave me the cream to put on it. Fine. But later on, my friend who's daughter had popped round came by, and told me her daughter had had impetigo. I showed her the babys scab and the cream, and she confirmed it was the same cream her daughter had.

So the daughter has given the baby impetigo, at the time I had no idea that's what it was, and wouldn't have let her around the babies if I had. Do I mention this to the parents? They've obviously lied to me regardless of the fact that they know me or my kids or anyone else could be infected.

It looks very much like impetigo, and I think it would be a big coincidence if after playing with friends daughter who had impetigo the baby got a skin condition that looked like impetigo and used the same cream but wasn't.

The parents know that people and kids come in and out of my house, it's what my life is like!

I'm curious as to how someone who had significant contact with kids wouldn't be aware of impertigo, where on earth did the girl have it for you not to notice it but be able to have direct contact with babys skin? Hummmm skin issue that needs medical attention should equal avoid children that don't belong to me just incase.
Fess up then call parents on the fib as well

You need to alert parents that a child with impetigo has been in contact with them.
It was v irresponsible to let this girl play with babies knowing her skin complaint was so bad she needed to see gp.
I would be unimpressed to say the least. Are you a registered cm?
You need to deep clean & sterilise,it's highly contagious.

Gosh icelolly patronising much? Yes I'm registered.

I genuinely didn't think it was anything serious as everyone seemed very relaxed and just wanted to get it checked out, she had it quite covered with make up, and I'd never seen impetigo before.

Patronising? No,I don't think so.
Your lack of care or knowledge resulted in a baby getting impetigo whilst in your care. You absolutely shouldn't be showing a friend the child's skin & cream,does that not seem inappropriate to you?
I asked if you are registered as it sounds a fairly casual arrangement for family & friends. Nothing more implied from that.
You need to speak to the parents,be honest & ask if it is impetigo. If they have sent their child in with that,they are irresponsible. There is the possibility that they don't know & it is something else. Impetigo is so infectious,that they will need to be cleaning thoroughly to risk cross contamination along with yourself.

Given that the baby's father specifically told you that the doctor had told them that the baby didn't have impetigo if you question it then it will sound very much as if you are suggesting that they lied to you.

Impetigo is generally treated by a local antibiotic cream, which is also the treatment for other skin infections (including insect bites, allergies, eczema and chicken pox among other things) so it is perfectly possible that the baby does not have impetigo. As you can't yourself take the baby to the doctor I don't know how you could confirm it one way or the other. Sounds like very tricky ground.

I would be livid if a CM allowed a random child with a skin condition serious enough to warrant a trip to a GP to play with my baby.

I would also be slightly about a CM showing a third party medication intended for my child. Sounds fairly unprofessional to me.

Either the baby doesn't have impetigo OR
The child has impetigo and the dr has misdiagnosed OR
The child has impetigo and the parents have lied.

Even if it the latter, you're not really in a position to take the moral high ground.

"The parents know that people and kids come in and out of my house, it's what my life is like" ..........this is why I won't be using a child minder. When you are being paid to mind children you are essentially in the work place so Safeguarding rules should apply. You make it sound like your house is a free-for-all.

Impetigo is very infectious. A child could pick it up anywhere, in their own home, at the childminder's, at a day nursery, at school, music group, ballet lessons, gym, swimming lessons, you name it. You can't stop children picking up infections.

If a 14-year-old's mum mentioned that she was having problems with her skin and going to see the doctor, I'd assume it was acne.

There's a lot of judging going on here. I think Faloola should be straight with the parents, as they should have been with her, but I don't think she was at fault on what she's said in this thread. Some of you are in for a bit of a shock as your little ones grow up and go to school. You can't keep them in a bubble, you know.

... and I forgot to say that one of the advantages of using a childminder rather than a day nursery is that the children are in a more home-like atmosphere, not an institution. That means family, friends, neighbours will be coming and going, just as they may do at the child's home. It's nice for children to be part of somebody else's family.

I too would not be happy if third party medication was being shown to others. As a professional, you just need to have an open and honest conversation. If the baby does have impetigo and the parents knew this, then they are BVVVU, but it isn't 100% guaranteed. I think you made an error of judgement by allowing someone who was just about to go the the GP with a skin complaint come into contact with your mindees but it's just a case of being more cautious in the future.

so are you the same 'poster' as AIBU ...can I be arrested? thread with the 15yr old chucked out son???
what a colourful life and home you have!....

I def think you need to re-think any outside people coming into your home when you are running a very important business caring for other people's children. As a registered childminder you have policies and practices which you should be adhering too more strictly....Nobody should be having 'contact' with your minded children without permissions sought from the parents or governing body you are registered with...and that includes other family members...not just visitors!!...this should not happen...period

LondonMother - well said.

soozeedol - the OP on other thread is using this MN name because she hasn't got her own (or something like that). Somewhere in the thread someone has asked her about it.

likeapairofnunsknickers
My point here still stands the same though
A registered childminder is governed by policies and practices and ONLY permitted person's are allowed any 'contact' with minded children...anyone else coming in should not be.
It's a very important control clause that helps to safeguard the children. When that is breached there has to be very good reason for it.
I don't mean random people passing through...I mean 'contact'...physically.

It's very unfortunate. But your friends' daughter didn't know it was impetigo and incredibly contagious. There are probably more rashes that aren't contagious than those that are, so it is understandable that a 14yo does not immediately think that she could infect someone. Neither did it occur to you that she might have something contagious. There is no need to feel guilty about it, or to be too embarrassed to mention it to the parents. Babies catch all sorts from everywhere, and of course that includes your home.

Londonmother. My child isn't in an ''institution" either. You have explained my point beautifully, I don't want my child coming into contact with other people's friends and family. I don't know who these people are so I can't be expected to trust them.

I don't think you should have allowed the 14 year old to play with the baby, tbh, until you knew that what she had wasn't contagious. It doesn't matter that it is easy to pick up infections, when the baby is in your care, you shouldn't knowingly expose it to illness. I also think you shouldn't have discussed the baby's skin infection with a third party.

The parent's of the baby would have as much cause to be cross with you as you with them.

In this case, I think honesty probably isn't the best policy and least said, soonest mended might apply more!

Have I got it right that your friends daughter was around at your place on the Tuesday afternoon and then on the Friday the mindee was bought in by the father with the cream so presume they went to the Doctors on the Thursday about the

I know that impetigo is quite infectious but the time scale is far too short for the little one to have been infected by your friend's daughter and then it to have come out and been noticed by the parents. As others have said there are creams that can be prescribed for a variety of skin problems.

I wouldn't say anything to the parents just see how quickly the scabs clear up and see if the other child gets it. My friends DS had it twice and she was told by her GP that if her other DS got it would be at least 10 days before it would come out in him and luckily he didn't get it either time.

@Kitty: I don't know what, if any, your own childcare arrangements are, but it seems to me that in general if you go for a childminder rather than employing a nanny or finding a nursery place for your child, you surely have to expect that your child is going to come into contact with the childminder's own children, partner, their friends, their neighbours etc. OK, the childminder should ensure that there is no unsupervised contact between the child and anyone else, but what a world we are creating for ourselves if we are honestly saying that our starting position is that we don't trust anybody else with our children unless we know them very well indeed.

So do childminders who take the mindees to playgroups or to play in the park have to ensure that they have no contact with other children? And how on earth do they manage that? "No come away from that swing, you mustn't speak to X, yes I know she is your bf but you mustn't have any contact with other people while you're minded by me?" I thought the whole point of opting for a childminder was that you wanted your child to have a home experience.

Very well put cory

Fav I feel for you as the world seems to have gorn slightly OTT mad. Unfortunatly some infections are highly contageous - you are right to ask if it's impetigo because I believe theres an exclusion period for it?
What is the world coming to when someone has to be to blame? However the baby got it it's dealing with it correctly that counts.

Erm....not to derail the thread or anything, but I have chronic eczema that on more than one occasion has meant I needed urgent GP care so I could get cream. It has been red, weeping and bleeding on occasion - but it's not catching.

I don't look after other children for a living, but surely I shouldn't be kept away because of a visible skin complaint, especially if like in this instance the OP didn't immediately know what it was?

(BTW, I always mention what it is, partly to head off the thoughts like icelolly clearly has about dirty infections, and partly because it can look really inflamed and sore and I have to wear cotton gloves.)

I have experience of an employee coming to work with impetigo. I am not in a childcare role but the type of environment where had clients caught it,we would have been in v hot water.
Would you not recommend a deep clean then?
Psoriasis & eczema came be very painful,you have my sympathies for that whackamole