To expect to be able to leave dry skin cream at school for my daughters hands?

[BollyGood]

I don't usually post in here but am so surprised by school this morning. My daughters hands sometimes get very sore and dry in the winter,I use Oilatum cream for her to soothe it. The soap at school really irritates her poor hands too. Usually she has a little tin of Vaseline lip balm to put on it in her book bag but this week as its been so cold the Vaseline didn't help.

Instead of hiding the oilatum in her bag,I took it to the office with her name and class on asked if her hands were cracking and painful could she come and put her cream on, she can do it herself. Same as with the sun cream policy. But no apparently not. It has to be prescribed cream with the child's prescription sticker on it. We have had it prescribed and do for the baby but I buy it when haven't had time or been able to get a docs appointment and it lasts forever. Dd's soreness is seasonal so sometimes she only needs to out the cream on for a few days and we do not need to bother the doctor. Haven't had a bottle with her name on for ages.

I have now had to ring for an appointment which I couldn't get but the receptionist kindly offered to see if she could get another presciption for dd with her name on even though we have just had a big bottle for the baby and do not need it. I know schools have policies but honestly what's the difference between a day or two of hand cream to stop a little one feeling distressed and sore and sun cream which is not prescribed? I didn't need to call the docs or make an extra trip for cream I don't need and dd could not have anything on her hands today as they wouldn't let me leave the cream nor would the school let her stay in at playtime( she does wear thick gloves but still seems to happen)so when her hands are sore no-one can help her.

I have even got the lovely teaching assistant in trouble who helped her put Vaseline on yesterday as I said dd was so upset it was hurting and she couldn't manage, the secretary said ' oh we have Vaseline in school do we?' So now the helper will be asked why she helped my child who shouldn't have had Vaseline. I feel terrible! I will not have this problem again as will pick up the new bottle tomorrow, but seriously WIBU? Has the world of school gone mad??? You don't always need a prescription for something do you? And if I signed a form which said I am happy for my daughter to use her cream surely that's ok? If she had a reaction it would be my responsibility and she still could react even if it was prescribed. I know it isn't the secretary's fault and I did ask to see the head or deputy head but they are both out today and tomorrow. Massive post over cream sorry! When dd1 was at primary school 16 years ago life was so much easier for these things. Go on tell me I am naive and should have known better...

You asked Aibu? Sorry but I think you were.In the space of a busy school day, applying hand cream would come pretty low down in my list of priorities. She should be at the doctors if its sore and painful and then the prescribed cream dilemma would be solved. I am sorry that the doctors trip will inconvenience you....but that's my opinion, which you asked for, in posting here. Others may disagree. I hope your daughters hands heal soon

I have chronic psoriasis which is always sore and painful. I am 52 years old now and have had it since I was 6 months old. If I had to have a Drs appointment everytime i was in pain over the years I would never have attended school at all - or work come to that. If a child has a medical condition that needs to be managed on a daily basis then it should be included in the schools daily routine.

Or would you prefer that every child who has a painful condition just be educated at home?

bollygood world gone mad. You did absolutely right, you and the dr know what works for your dc. All these creams are OTC no need to have loads of bottles in the house. With a child's name on very considerate to a cash strapped NHS .

This is child cruelty on the schools part.

catchafallingstar rubbish. op was right child does NOT need to see Dr unless usual creams do not work. There is no need for them to be prescribed if family are happy and knows what works and it sounds like they do. What a waste of an appointment and time

For goodness sake...this is why I hardly ever reply to these posts. I happen to disagree with the poster and those who agree attack and make assumptions about me.

They really need to rename this thread ' back me up because I know I'm right'.

I gave my opinion..you gave yours.

YANBU, OP. The school is being very silly.

I've had severe eczema all my life and had to carry creams to school. This child is clearly in need of her relief cream and she is smart enough to administer it mostly without help.

The school are being completely unreasonable and actually nearly discriminatory towards your child's condition. Ridiculous!

Catch I am giving a medical opinion not backing the op but in this instance she is right the school has gone mad. It is cruelty and cream should be accessible for use after at least every hand wash BUT it does not need prescribing.

I agree they were not helpful.

But if your dds hands are still so painfully sore, then it does sound like the oilatum is not helping much.

My ds had terrible dry and chipped skin on his hands and around his mouth, he got something to put 10 minutes before the emolient each evening, and it cleared up in days, and he was then back to just normal cream now and then.

Could you buy a little bottle from the pound shop, the sort you take on to planes, and decant the oilatum into it? That way she could keep it in her book bag like the vaseline.

Thanks for the sensible replies. I know it's always a risk posting in here but I did it to see if I am ignorant of policy changes in schools, I can't believe everything has to be prescribed at all times. If I did expect the teacher to be putting cream on my daughters hands every hour and checking on her all the time then yes I would be unreasonable but just to leave something at school which is easier for my daughter to use that's surely not unreasonable! But I don't know all about school medication policies.I just thought I was missing something!!

I'm afraid it doesn't sound that unreasonable to me - schools have to have a rule that they will only store/apply prescribed things otherwise they'd be inundated with parents popping cough mixture in "just in case he needs it" or all the Y5 girls suddenly deciding that they absolutely NEED handcream to be stored in the school office.

Our GP was very happy to prescribe a small tube of diprobase over the phone for storage and use in school. Hopefully yours will too.

Yanbu. Annoying of the school.
I hate it when schools hide behind these rules for their own convenience at the expense of the children ( and parents).

diprobase! That was the name of the miracle cure for my son! (think it was hydrocortison he got to put underneath)

"schools have to have a rule that they will only store/apply prescribed things"

NO, THEY DON'T! Parents' permission is enough!

Sorry for shouting but this is a myth! See the Ofsted link above!

Op YANBU it seems like deliberate thick headednes.
I can see no issue with your little dd applying her own hand cream at break time. I would still speak to the hoy, dht or ht; it would be horrible for dd to be stopped/told of by admin staff after this seems to have been sorted which is what happened to ds.

catchafallingstar RTFT properly.

The oilatum seems to clear it up really quickly once used a few times a day for a short while then we stop using it. The soreness tends to flare up in cold weather. Vaseline as a preventative works well it's just sometimes it's very cracked and oilatum soothes it. Thankfully dd does not have it as bad as some posters and their children which must be awful and I feel for you! That was why I just assumed we could sort it out the way we usually do. Last year it was during the Xmas hols when her hands cracked so I used the cream for a few days and it healed. On occasion I have put the cream on morning and evening and she has been ok with the Vaseline to protect it at school,while healing. Yesterday was worse than usual.

Catch- I wasn't looking for back up and I do know what you mean actually believe it or not! But you missed my point entirely. I wanted to leave the cream with the pump at school for dd to put on when needed as it is easy for her to use. The treatment works and we do not need to see a doctor. If I had expected school to do everything then yes you were right. Not in this instance.

Get one tub of prescribed stuff with the label and just fill it up with over-the-counter cream as necessary. But I agree that it's ridiculous.

Inhalers and other emergency meds should be on the child not in a cupboard in an office somewhere madness.

If the school was sensible the cream could be in her bag and no impact to them at all.

My ds' school will administer paracetamol (not prescribed) as long as you fill out a form with the instructions for use on it. I can not see why your dd's school can not do the same with the cream. It would be far better for them to have the cream in their possession so that it is out of the way of other children than risk parents sneakin the stuff on bags which are easily accessible to other children. I do not think YABU. I think the school needs to look at its policies.

Bartlet - does that Ofsted ruling cover all the schools in the Uk?

That's ridiculous!!! Ur poor dd. id personally just put it in her bag it's not like u can overdose on hand cream. What a joke.

Good idea tolliver. Oh well if it flares up next year I know to bring in the stickered bottle. I am surprised that the rules are rigid and not allowing for individual cases. I understand the point made about if one has something then all parents expect it. Surely cough medicine is different to hand cream for a visible sore? You can see a child put a bit of cream on but the little ones can't administer their own oral meds can they. If a cough is that bad I would assume the child should be at home. And how many people are going to actually insist their children bring this and that in? I am surprised the school cannot exercise discretion in certain situations. I suppose that's where life has changed very much since Dd1 was at school. Hence my ignorance to a degree over this issue.

Just read our school policy regarding medication and the only meds allowed in school are 'generally' those prescribed by a doctor which need to be administered four times a day. Asthma inhalers are kept in the medical room for lower school pupils and for upper school the teacher will look after it.

bollywood I think part of the reason why a lot of schools will administer medicines, as I said ds' school will (and I think that includes cough mixture), is because they do not want children having 'unnecessary' time off, so no a bad cough would not warrant time off, well at least not as far as ds' school is concerned.

Just chance it in her bag bolly decant it into a smaller bottle that she can easily do herself. I bet all the female reaches have hand cream in their desk or bag!!