Covid test on children

[LG101]

Nursery have various people with Covid, DC have to isolate for 14 days. DC is coughing but no other symptoms and could be teething

We can both work from home and have food shops booked.

Would you get them tested? It’s not going to benefit anyone right other than adding to the statistics. If we show symptoms we will get tested just now sure why go put a baby through it? Any benefits we aren’t seeing?

If you’ve never done a swab for your little one before I would give it a go if I was you. Some children are easier to do than others. For a child young enough to be able to just hold them and do it quickly it’s a brief trauma soon forgotten and you might find it reassuring to get a negative result. Otherwise the whole family needs to isolate 14 days from your child’s first symptom rather it just being your child needing to isolate for the 14 days from exposure at nursery.

We have been allowed out of the car to do our children’s swabs before. It’s much easier that way. We just asked and they found us a place to park away from everyone.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with just choosing to isolate instead though.

The instructions say if you can't do the throat for a young child (spoiler: you can't) then you can do both nostrils instead. That's not a recent change.

I'd just try and do the test. The baby probably won't be bothered, mine wasn't. My three year old on the other hand...

Thanks everyone think we will wait to see if little one gets any more symptoms they are under 1. Currently only occasionally coughing but I think it’s due to their runny nose and teething. Not sure if we are being paranoid and if there hadn’t been a positive case at nursery I wouldn’t have even considered getting them tested as it’s seems very normal for a baby.

We can 100% isolate and we haven’t seen anyone for 2 weeks prior as it’s lockdown and we both work from home. Only interaction has been nursery, everyone knows and is isolating from that setting anyway.

Just to answer someone’s questions why wouldn’t you? Well because if I get them tested and it’s positive what’s the benefit other than knowing? We don’t see anyone else so we aren’t a risk as a family to anyone else. I’ve heard it’s horrible and why would I put my kid through that if we can use logic not too?

When my daughter had to have hers it was only a nose swab and she was fine! We're in the uk x

If you're concerned about your DC being distressed by the test, and you are able to isolate for the full period, I wouldn't bother with the test. Remember at the start of the pandemic when tests were for key workers only? It's what everyone had to do if someone had symptoms in their household then, and it worked fine.

The only benefit is 'knowing' for sure that they've had it, but now that it's clear you can get it again as immunity may only last a few months, knowing you've had it isn't enough to give you any peace of mind about future infection anyway, so there's not much point.

I was isolating completely back in April, and DP brought it home from work. He tested, and a few days after his positive test I came down with symptoms. I never got tested, however I do say I've had it because I wasn't leaving the house at all, only had contact with him, and he tested positive. It's almost impossible for me to have got anything else. My parents were pushing for me to get a test (as his partner I could have got one) but I said no because I knew people were struggling for tests and there was no benefit to me getting one as I was already confident of the outcome, and was happy to isolate for the full period. 'Knowing' wasn't enough of a reason to take up a test slot, IMO.

The leaflets when I've had to take mine say nose and tonsils but if you're not going to be able to do tonsils - do both nostrils.

We've done both nostrils with them both times and had clear test results come back - so not "inconclusive" ones

Both of mine had several tests by now (we are in one of the studies). they are 3 and 7, and its no issue at all. its only the nostrils for little ones.

Nose only but my LO was completely distressed by the whole thing. I don't think we'd put her through it again and just deal with the 2 week isolation instead.

I did both throat & nose with my 3yr old but that was before I found out you could just do both nostrils. My poor child! (Also in UK)

I personally wouldn’t if you are isolating anyway. If an adult in the house shows symptoms then I would get a test.

I'd do it as you'll have to isolate for 14 days from symptoms starting rather than when they were last at nursery. My children (4 and 6) have both been tested - one three times, nose only, and were totally fine. It wasn't bad at all.