AIBU to ask how your nursery care for your children if they're sick

[cretelover]

Evening all. Due to recent circumstances with our DDs nursery I'd like to ask - how does your nursery deal with sickness in children? I'm not talking about things they should be excluded for eg vomiting, but more things like a temperature which comes down with calpol but they're ok in themselves otherwise, or a chesty cough that needs to be kept an eye on. Are they monitored? Temperatures taken? Parents phoned at what stage? Or are they admitted to nursery at all? I ask because I am not happy with some events that have happened and think I will look elsewhere, but maybe all nurseries are run the same. Many thanks for reading.

Temperature of 38 or over
Call to parents, ask if they wamt us to give calpol, but child has to be collected within an hour....

If a child has been given calpol within 8 hours, they aren't allow to attend that day

Rightly so...

Parents who they give calpol to their child to get through the day, they should be ashamed of themselves

You are masking an illness and the nursery aren't aware they are looking out for a potential serious illness in the child. Very irresponsible

I'm not wanting the chat to go either way, I asked for an opinion and am happy to hear both sides. To clarify the child who was in a and e, this was months ago, and they have a wheeze very regularly which has been checked by the doctor. It often gets a little worse which is why it needs to be monitored. If children who had temperatures were kept off there would be no one to look after at the nursery. Both instances the child was running around and playing so it wouldn't have been a case of being cuddled on the sofa or taking all the staffs time. It was merely asking for an eye to be kept on them and parents phoned or medication administered as appropriate. Incidently I've often seen staff provide one on one cuddling there, but that wasn't what the parent was asking for.

I want to add that those who have never given Calpol to help a child feel better and get them through the day must have very flexible workplaces, if I didn't both I and my dp would have been sacked from every job we've ever had.

Interesting to read how different settings have such a wide variety of policies on sickness.

I will administer Calpol with verbal consent but only if I think the condition warrants it. Calpol is used far too much these days as a 'coverall'. I can usually tell when a child has been given it to mask a temperature as by 11 o'clockish, their general demeanour will start to nose dive. (this happens far too often).

Otherwise, I will only given prescription medication with a signature from a parent (this is explained before a parent signs a contract and is laid out in my contract). I've had parents turn up with all manner of OTC potions they'll like me to give to their child!

I'm a childminder so I'd say, without any prejudice to larger settings, I have a much closer relationship with the children in my care and can tell when they are not themselves. I will give an inhaler when needed and if I'm concerned will use an oxymeter to check a child's SATS levels and send them home if low. I also check temperatures with a thermometer like GPs use. My rule of thumb re pick up is if child has temp over 37.5 or cannot join in with our usual activies then they need to be at home with a parent.

When I was a Nursery Nurse ,we could and did take temperatures ,and if high would monitor situation carefully .If child generally unwell then we would phone home for child to be collected .The problem is that although we are trained in childcare we are not Nurses! On one occasion a little boy was running a high temperature and a rash as well ,we phoned home and he was collected lunch time (normal pick up time) The parents were not unduly concerned! My DS Nursery will not accept any unwell children at all ,DS has own business so makes up time she has lost evening /weekend

Thanks John, that all sounds very sensible. Often (regards Calpol ) if a child has a cold they'll feel worse in the morning and will be fine then, but I realise this will not always be the case.

There are degrees of giving calpol to get through the day though. A bit of a sniffle- fine, low fever, teething pain- fine. Ranging fever with parents dosing them up in the morning- not fine in my view.

Mine were always quite distressed with a fever when it hit 39 plus. If you dose up in the morning there’s a good chance you’re child will feel shit when the calpol wears off. I just don’t think that’s fair on the nursery staff, your child or other people’s children.

Our nursery don't look after children who are ill, that isn't why they are there. A temperature over 38 and they are sent home and aren't allowed back for 24 hours. They will only give Calpol once a parent confirms they are on the way to collect. My children are 2 and 4 and have both been going since age 1. They were off a lot to start with but now hardly ever, maybe 3 times in the last year. It isn't normal for children to be ill with a temperature all the time. Maybe if your nursery stopped accepting sick kids then they wouldn't all be ill all the time.

ours wouldn't take a child with a high temp on drop off. some parents would give ibuprofen beforehand so if the nursery noted a high temp later could give consent for Calpol. all this subterfuge.

I found a childminder for dd2 who would take a child with a temp and feeling poorly and treat them with care and cuddles. even chicken pox if feeling better but not scabbed as other children in her care had already had it. the flexibility has been appreciated on the occasional day both me and DH have important work days.

I’ve only been called to collect once in 3 years which is pretty good going and that was for a temperature of 38, they don’t seem to give paracetamol at my nursery but as a paeds nurse i wouldn’t jump in and give it at that point either unless the child was really miserable. When I got there, mine was laying on a mat having a foot massage!! I got him home and no temp and was absolutely fine. But I would rather they call then leave him there feeling grotty.

Our nursery will call every time DS has a temperature and ask for permission to administer Calpol. If the temperature doesn't come down, we need to pick him up.

But if he is really poorly the night before and seems unwell in the morning, I let him have a "day off". If I was feeling unwell, I wouldn't work so why should he go to nursery. cuddles and bed rest are best :)

Yes we are talking about a low grade fever here not a 40c raging temp which would obviously make them feel rotten, even if Calpol worked I wouldnt dream of bringing them in as it could be something serious and it's likely to return. I fully agree that if they stopped accepting sick children they wouldn't be so sick all the time, but that would have to be a blanket rule for everyone! They are sick constantly, every other week running a temp of some sort especially in the younger room.

If DS is unwell or has a temperature, they plonk him on the sofa and give him a cuddle and contact me to pick him up. They would not give Calpol (not available in this country) and only give cough syrup on my direct instruction (signed form). They won't take his temperature. They'll look after him until I can get there to pick him up. Since he's in the same building as me, that's usually pretty pronto.
We are advised to get kids checked when they've bumped their head and to keep them off nursery for 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea.

However, we also have 10 paid child sick days per year, so there's really no reason to drag them into nursery when they are poorly.

If the nursery is strict on not accepting sick children then (in our case) the kids are not sick that often. I am not trying to be smug or anything and I fully understand how difficult is if you don’t have a backup but I am just stating our experience.

It doesn't sound like a great nursery. How long have they been going? Both of mine had 'freshers flu' for about 2 months and were ill a lot but hardly ever after then.

I took my son out of the nursery he was in and put him with a childminder because on three occasions they phoned me to tell me was unwell with a soaring temperature and needed Calpol and I would need to come and collect him.

I work about a 3 minute drive from the nursery and was there probably about 5 minutes after they’d called me and he absolutely did not have a temperature and there was nothing wrong with him.

By the third time I was fed up, having now paid them £50 x3 to find out there was nothing wrong but they insisted I take him home.

Childminder is sensible and doesn’t call unless he’s really unwell. A couple of times she texted (for my other son) to say he’s a bit peaky etc

DS was sick for about 6 weeks continuously when he started nursery. He was 8 months old at the time and I had just gone back to work. It wasn't fun and work were not pleased.
We moved countries when he was 18 months and my new employer is much more family-friendly. I've so far had to pick him up twice from nursery. Once because he jumped off a box and braked with his face and the other because of diarrhoea. He's been in his current nursery for 18 months.

I’m sensible with teething.....I know that a slightly runny nappy may be down to that and use my judgement. Apply no help if needed.

We are not ever allowed to administer calpol though. If they need it they go home.

Bonjela not no help

I work in a preschool (& wrote the medication/illness policy!). We don’t give Calpol, only prescription medication which has to be signed for before & after we give it. We take temp but there isn’t a blanket rule re acceptable temp - it depends how they are in themselves. We know our kids and we know when they’d be better off at home. If they’re feeling a bit rubbish we’ll make them up a cosy bed for a rest, give a cuddle, read a story and see how we go (& keep parents posted). We are lucky though that most of our parents work flexibly/don’t work, so can pick up reasonably easily most of the time.

I think a lot of it is common sense. If a child has a cough or a cold, you wouldn't keep them off. If a high temperature, then there's usually other things going on and if over 38 I'd be advising parents to book a GP appointment just to check for infection.

If I called parents each time a child needed calpol (e.g. for teething) they'd have a very poor employment record.

They don't! They call if he's got a temperature and expect him to be picked up

This is what mine do. I would prefer they asked to give calpol and see how it goes initially though, having to leave work for a barely there temperature and literally no other symptoms is a bit of a pain!

@johnworf

If the childs sats were low you would send them home?
Not get an ambulance?

And 37.5 really isnt a high temperature at all, its barely borderline

I think this is a very poor nursery and I think their hygiene and exclusion standards are too low and this is resulting in an ongoing cycle of illness.

When my dc were at nursery they certainly weren’t sick with fever every other week. Coughs and colds were common yes. But fevers only a couple of times a year. And d & v once a year or so also.

They have never had conjunctivitis or ear infections, hand foot and mouth or slap face. I thought we were just lucky but maybe it was the hygiene standards at their nursery.

I am a child minder and if child is under the weather. I will administer calpol and monitor.
I do think some nurseries do send children home for the slightest thing. X