Coughing child at gymnastics

[academicallyblonde]

Just picked me DD up from gymnastics. Another child was escorted out by the coach as she said she needed to talk to her mother. The mother straightaway says, “Is is about her cough?”

My DD tells me that the child was coughing the whole time. They apparently tried to call the mother to pick her up but no answer. Sounds like they managed to keep the girl as far away as possible from the others. It sounds as though she spent the whole hour sat on the side watching, which can’t have been very nice for the poor thing.
AIBU to think this mother was totally out of order for knowingly sending a coughing child to a gym class at this time? Not to mention then being uncontactable? (Only saving grace is the child can’t have had a temperature as they checked them all on the way in).

How do you know the child hadn’t already been tested and got a negative result?

YABU

Her cough could have been because of asthma?

Surely everyone is aware of the risks and parents have to be trusted to decide wether or not their child has Covid symptoms!

We had coughs before covid you know!!! We obviously don't know whether the kids had been tested, has allergies, reflux, asthma etc. Don't make assumptions

That said, the poor girl shouldn't have been doing gym with a continuous cough regardless of the cause.

I was thinking the same. Any strenuous exercise with an illness affecting the neck downwards is supposed to be avoided.

I think if your asthma is playing up to the point people can mistake it for COVID, you need a referral to the asthma clinic not an hour of gymnastics.

Oh, for god's sake, of course an unexplained cough is something to be cautious about atm. The fact that there are other causes of coughs doesn't change that, and the fact that the coach sat her to one side and then the mum asked if it was her cough they needed to see her about makes it quite clear that no other reasonable cause (nor a negative test) was explained beforehand. Perfectly sensible, rational public health concerns are obviously the thing for cool MNers to be lofty and superior about, but you're fools to yourselves. Being cool and dismissive doesn't act as a vaccine, as anyone who makes a fetish of being irresponsible around Covid-like symptoms will eventually find.

Coughing doesn't equal covid.

Ugh my Son has a cough which is def not Covid and I got him a test because of small minded people like you who think there is only one reason people cough nowadays! So I needed proof to show to the nutters!

Of course people cough for other reasons, that’s really not the point.

The mother was well aware of the child’s persistent cough but the coach wasn’t. It would have been the absolute right thing to speak with the coach beforehand. Seemingly this was a new cough or the coach would have been aware of asthma/allergies etc.

Secondly, a coughing child who is being affected to the extent this one was just bloody well shouldn’t be at a physically strenuous activity like gymnastics. She had to stay on the sidelines. What was the point?

I don't think it was very considerate of her to send the child, for those people saying that medical issues are nobody's business - of course they're not, but when they affect other people there shouldn't be an element of surprise and outrage when they react.

People are anxious right now, whatever the general opinion on here is of that, and so sending a child who is coughing into a group of others is hugely unfair.

This is just how things are at the minute, everyone is limited on what they can do and although having a persistent cough for other reasons is harmless, the cough won't be so harmless if the child does end up with Covid and coughs and splutters all over other people.

The child shouldn't have been there.

My child has a persistent cough and has now been referred to paediatrics for an asthma assessment (always been too young before). I think it would be grossly unfair to stop her from doing activities she loves . I’m dreading the winter tbh.

Well it’s pretty unfair on everyone else to take a coughing child to activities 🙄

I think it would be grossly unfair to stop her from doing activities she loves .

It’s grossly dangerous to let a child with uncontrolled asthma who cannot stop coughing take part in strenuous activity like gymnastics.

We don’t even know it is asthma, she may just have a cough: my 18 month old has had a cough for ages but is totally well in himself and is happily running around the zoo/park/nursery.

where I am (not uk) instructions are clear.
anyone with any cold symptoms, fever, cough should self isolate and get tested.
here the child sould just be sent home if over 10 years old.

There’s a cough and a cough though isn’t there. My GP has not told us to stop doing anything based on what we’ve discussed and I’m quite happy to take their medical advice. My child has had a cough continuously since she was 2. I’m not going to voluntarily lock her down if she is coughing in a way that is normal for her. I of course would if she has a fever or the cough changes.

@Sailingblue

My child has a persistent cough and has now been referred to paediatrics for an asthma assessment (always been too young before). I think it would be grossly unfair to stop her from doing activities she loves . I’m dreading the winter tbh.

But presumably if you where leaving her at any activities you would be explaining the issue before leaving her and not just leaving a coughing child?

DS has severe asthma ( and will be stopped from doing things even more than normal this year) but for his whole life I have explained to anyone I am leaving him with about his problems and how to help.

I also make sure either me or another point of contact is always contactable.

At the best of times to just drop a coughing child and then leaving uncontactable is wrong. At the moment it’s down right irresponsible and going to cause issues

This is part of the form we have to fill in before leaving dd at gymnastics:-

3.By submitting this form, I confirm I am free from any symptoms related to the Covid-19 virus, I understand the main symptoms include:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

The form later says this:-

Anyone showing symptoms during class will be isolated from their group until they are able to leave

I think they got this from British gymnastics rather than making it up themselves. Therefore if a child has a nasty cough because they have asthma or whatever and have had it for months then it is ok to send the child to gymnastics. However, you need to explain that at the beginning of the session because it is obvious that a cough will worry people.

Regardless of the coughing, if the mother wasn’t able to be contacted during the lesson it’s a good job the child didn’t sustain any injury. I’m as gobsmacked at that as sending a child with a persistent cough to a group activity with no explanation to the coach in the current climate.

@Sailingblue frankly you should save your ire for a medical system that is prepared to leave your child's asthma untreated for so long. A child shouldn't have a permanent cough, it's hardly a sign of healthy lungs.

Porcupineinwaiting I don’t disagree. I’m worried we still won’t get a diagnosis this year to be honest as I’ve already been warned we might not get anywhere until 5.

They should be treating the symptoms anyway. It doesn’t need a formal diagnosis for that. I presume your GP has given preventer and reliever inhalers?

Reading the reply's is exactly why back to school is worrying. Some people will always decide the rules don't apply to them and send their children regardless.

@pinkbalconyrailing

where I am (not uk) instructions are clear. anyone with any cold symptoms, fever, cough should self isolate and get tested. here the child sould just be sent home if over 10 years old.

What if they have a cough and are tested, and the test comes back negative because they have not got Covid? How long is someone with a cough expected to stay at home for under those circumstances? My last cough lasted about four months. I can't see an employer agreeing to a completely well employee having four months off for a lingering cough.

@Nyclair

Coughing doesn't equal covid.

Oh yes it does. So do sneezing, blowing your nose, or just feeling a bit off colour. They all make you a one-person Covid factory. I'm surprised you haven't yet realised this.