To take my toddler to the doctors in his pjs?

[FuckyDuzz]

My 2 year old is unwell so I took him to the doctors this morning

He was sat in his pram in his pyjamas with fluffy bed socks on, a hoody, a hat and a blanket and was dosing in and out of sleep
After I’d checked in and sat down the receptionist came over and asked me if he was wearing pyjamas, I said yes, so she pointed to a sign on the wall saying ‘no pyjamas’ and told me he couldn’t wear them in the surgery
I said ‘he’s a baby in a pram, surely that sign is talking about adults that come in in their dressing gown and slippers?!’
She just repeated ‘no pyjamas sorry’ I told her I wasn’t leaving if that’s what she was saying and I didn’t
A guy behind me leant over afterwards and said ‘good on you love he’s a bloody baby who cares what he’s wearing’

WIBU to take him in his pyjamas?
I know rules are rules but he’s a poorly baby for goodness sake - what about all the younger babies who wear sleepsuits all day, should she ask them to leave too?!

I kind of want to complain to the practise manager but I am prepared to accept that I’m being U so need to check first

It's a Drs. If someone been really poorly all night and is too weak to get dressed and you have to practically carry them into the Drs they'd cancel the appointment

Also, if that surgery has had so many sick people turn up in pyjamas that they have felt the need to put a sign up, I would suggest they are not doing enough home visits.

I think its an awful rule full stop. Stopping people seeing a doctor because they are not well enough to get dress/getting dress will cause them pain and discomfort is ridiculous and frankly could cause either (a) them to need to go via another means e.g. ambulance/A&E putting more pressure on those services or (b) make them even more unwell because you didnt see them needing more treatment, or more likely (a) and (b)

So yes complain to the Practice Manager

I would also take this up with the local health authority, I can't believe a doctor can refuse to see a patient because they are wearing pyjamas, that cannot be legal. Refusing to see a sick toddler is very serious.

This is totally bonkers! He's two years old and unwell. The receptionist should be more bloody concerned about his health than whether he's wearing pyjamas. He's in his bloody pram anyway, not running about flaunting his pyjama-clad state in front of shocked and delicate patients who have never seen a child in pyjamas before.

This has really ticked me off on your behalf! What a farce.

Also I've never seen a sign like this in any medical practice I've been to. If people are coming in their pyjamas, it's probably because they've had to wait a month for an appointment and are at death's bloody door by the time it rolls around. If someone is so unwell they can't face/manage to get dressed, do they just get sent home to rot?!

Of course it is ridiculous - but as with everything you have to look at where it has come from.

I imagine that more than a few people have turned up in the surgery in pjs or with older kids inappropriately dressed for the weather and the public nature of the space. They may have been asked not to and the "I can do what I want" belligerent attitude has kicked in. So they had to make a rule and have a sign.

No one just says "Sorry, I'll know for next time" any more.

FFS! I'd take a child up to about 10 in pjs if they were too poorly to get dressed.

I'd take an elderly person in the same situation.

Heck, if someone was too poorly to get dressed, forcing them to do so just to see a GP would be the LAST thing on my mind.

The world has gone mad!

Could you imagine if a toddler was turned away and their condition deteriorated quickly? The trouble the practice would be in, it's neither fair nor worth it.

I can't believe there are people willing to cause distress and possibly pain to an unwell child for the need to meet the approval of strangers.

Id make a quick call to the c.q.c.

Never in my life have I seen a sign that says "no pyjamas". I'm genuinely gobsmacked!

YANBU OP, I certainly wouldn't try to wrestle a poorly baby into outdoor clothes when I didn't need to. And I've taken both of my kids to the Dr in PJs

Complain. Ridiculous jobsworth

Please put in a complaint to protect other mothers of young children and babies that may not be as assertive as you were, and their babies could miss a much needed important appointment.

What a jobsworth for coming over to you with such a petty request, clearly you are there because your baby is ill, so the last thing you need is someone bothering you.

I hope your LO gets well soon, and the notice is amended or taken down

YWNBU the poor lamb should be comfy as possible if under the weather!

I'm a GP and I would really want to know if a receptionist at our practice had said that. Please complain. I think they are on shaky legal ground with the sign in the first place.

PS It would be a rare (and lucky) parent indeed who hasn't had to do this once or twice before.

Please put in a complaint to protect other mothers of young children and babies that may not be as assertive as you were, and their babies could miss a much needed important appointment

And not forgetting the old and frail people too. If you are weak and/or dizzy and you had to practically crawl to the door and into a taxi getting Dresses in itself could just he too much. Especially if they have had a stroke and are weak on one side or had a fall

I've took my two year old to our emergency walk in centre in PJs a few months ago. The triage nurse commented they were cute.

This receptionist sounds crazy. I'd send a polite email to the Practice Manager requesting clarification. Hopefully they'll have some common sense and tell the receptionist not go be so stupid!

That’s absolutely ridiculous! What a mean, heartless jobsworth!

Why would you wrestle getting a little two-year-old toddler dressed when they’re not feeling well?! It’s cruel and unnecessary.

Surely this rule should apply to adults only.

I’d definitely raise this with the practice manager. This cowbag might pick on someone too tired or ill to argue back one day and this could have tragic consequences.

Thankyou for all the responses

I hadn’t thought about the fact that someone else may have took their baby home and them get much worse because of this rule so I will definitely be sending an e-mail
I agree it’s a stupid rule, I’ve been too sick to get properly dressed before and had to put leggings on and a hoody to cover my pyjama top otherwise I’d have been turned away - fwiw this sign is a fairly new thing and even before that I’ve never seen anyone in the surgery in pyjamas 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm pretty sure it's not legal to withhold medical care on the basis of dress code!

I hope your DS feels better soon.

I'm a fully grown adult and I've gone to the GP in pyjamas once or twice - once when catheterised in an emergency) and too sore to wear tight trousers (GP advised loose pyjamas and a long top and helped me put them on) ... once after major surgery after a couple of home visits, I was well enough to climb in car but still had 40 odd stitches and couldn't wear proper clothes on my bottom half. Staggered into GP surgery in battered Disney pyjamas.. no one batted an eyelid. Considering both times I had a nurse helping me walk I presume people realised I was poorly!!

It's bad enough if you feel really ill having to get changed and go to the doctor, so why would you put a little one through it - better to keep them settled and relaxed. We're going back a few years, but I took DD to the hospital in her pjs when she was eight, worked out well as she ended up staying in four days.

DS has a lot of leggings from Lilly and Sid that look like pjs! For that reason I don’t take him out in them (too many comments) but I would if he were I’ll and had to get to the docs.

I’ve never seen No pjs sign anywhere either. I did see a woman in pyjamas and dressing gown in the street once. She was confused and obviously unwell. She had wandered out of the nearby hospital apparently, people helped her find her way back.