Childminders not taking children with runny nose

[MaMaD1990]

This isn't me but a friends childminder has said since COVID she won't take her 18 month old if he has a runny nose. My childcare still takes my baby girl if she has a runny nose and was just wondering what other childminders are doing? She's having a bit of a nightmare where she's had to take the last week off work because he can't go to the childminder. Other than a runny nose he is absolutely fine. Just interested in others experiences.

Bit pathetic on the part of the childminder I'd say. Does she still have to pay?

Runny nose isn’t a symptom of CV so yes she’s being unreasonable. She’ll end up out of a job because they’ll be times when all the children she minds have runny noses

@Graciebobcat Yes she still has to pay as though he's there (not even a discounted rate!). She had to settle him into childcare just as lockdown happened and the childminder wrote into the contract that she wouldn't take children with a runny nose anymore.

@pinkstripeyhat my thoughts exactly and also what my childcare provider told me when I asked about it. I feel so awful for her because it seems an added stress for no reason.

I would be moving him.

She needs to find somewhere else, especially if the child only started this year - my twins had a constant runny nose and constant colds for their first autumn and winter (and spring!) at nursery, I don’t think there was a single week where one of us wasn’t ill on some level but even when well they were permanently snotty.

I'd definitely be finding another childminder

Definitely need to find another setting. Kids that age have a runny nose more often than not. Would be an absolute nightmare and waste of money. Our nursery are only turning away based on cough (unless you have an negative test result for that episode of coughing), temperature and D&V.

Thanks everyone, I cam already see this isn't the norm so appreciate it. I'll be passing her the details of my child care provider...cannot believe the ridiculousness of it!

Ours would take DS with a runny nose, just covid symptoms and the usual sickness/diarrhea 48 hour rule.

That doesn't sound right. She must be closed from September to April!

Is there a qualifier, or is it any runny nose of any description? I've heard of the occasional childminder who excludes for an excessively green snotty nose, but that's all.

If it really is any runny nose at all, then I think your friend needs to renegotiate the contract or find someone else.
When lockdown first happened, there was so much we didn't know about this virus. I can understand that the childminder may have panicked when she wrote this rule, but there's no reason why it can't be revised now that we know so much more about the symptoms.

I look after my nephew my DS the same age and he has a runny nose 24/7! He also had a little cough that's been there for weeks. He was tested for COVID and was negative. Childminder needs to get a grip the robbing bastard.

@Tanith is is literally any runny nose regardless of whether is teething or just a little cold. You're right about her putting it in when we didn't know a lot about the virus and I think that's why it seemed reasonable (and sensible) to have that added to the contract at the time. Obviously lots has changed and we know much more about the symptoms. It would be worth her having a crack at renegotiating the contract!

Gosh DD started childcare two weeks ago and already has her first nursery cold with runny nose and now residual cough. She has also given it to me. It's clearly a cold and the cough is driven by the cold as it mostly happens at night or nap time when she is lying down. Nursery and I laughed about how she had her first nursery cold - no mention of sending her home. We would be self isolating until March if she couldn't go with a runny nose because it seems they all have them all the time now.

But runny nose is one of the COVID symptoms that GOSH list, and many childminders are going by that. It’s to protect the whole setting. My CM
has had to close down 3 times since September because of ‘oh it’s just a runny nose’ that turned out to be more so not having kids when they’re ill at the moment is essentially asking parents to take one for the team otherwise there will be even more CMs having to close down for good.

But then my CM is also not charging parents in this situation and everyone was on board with the plan when we signed back up.

But then my CM is also not charging parents in this situation and everyone was on board with the plan when we signed back up.

That's the crux of it, reasonably if covid symptoms or when we had to isolate due to being a contact we obviously kept paying as the setting was open- if we couldn't go everytime she had a runny nose like hell would I be paying. Our CM has 2 children, I would look for a nursery if runny nose was not allowed as I'm all for protecting the setting, but I would lose my job if I kept being off what can seem continuously this time of year, especially mixed in with when her setting is closed due to isolating etc. If it's agreed then they can propose and people can accept whatever really, but if it wasn't specifically stated that it would prohibit someone from being able to go then I'd be miffed if all of a sudden it became a thing.

A runny nose isn't necessarily a symptom of illness. It can be due to an allergy or cold weather.

The Government guidelines are the ones we should be following and they don't list a runny nose.
GOSH deals with some very sick children, many of whom are immune-suppressed. They also test before admitting children.

@Tanith

That doesn't sound right. She must be closed from September to April!

Is there a qualifier, or is it any runny nose of any description? I've heard of the occasional childminder who excludes for an excessively green snotty nose, but that's all.

If it really is any runny nose at all, then I think your friend needs to renegotiate the contract or find someone else.
When lockdown first happened, there was so much we didn't know about this virus. I can understand that the childminder may have panicked when she wrote this rule, but there's no reason why it can't be revised now that we know so much more about the symptoms.

And shut the remaining months due to hay fever!

I am a childminder (currently closed as have Covid in my house) I take children with a runny nose so long as the snot is clear. Thick green snot or child unable to join in with the activities due to feeling unwell is a definite no as thick green snot is a sign of infection. At the moment I am also not willing to take a child who has had calpol before they arrive, however I am willing to give it to the child once I have taken their temperature myself...some childminders have a blanket calpol ban at the moment!

My son’s at nursery, but they are taking children with runny noses. I wouldn’t have been able to work for the last two months otherwise.

Zero tolerance policy on Calpol at the moment and they’re being pretty vigilant about coughs (which has been a bit tricky but is fair enough) but no problem with a bit of snot. No Covid cases yet, that I know of.

My OH had covid and had no symptoms all he had was a runny nose!

I am a childminder. Runny nose is not a symptom of covid. I would move my kid if these were the terms. My own 3 year old constantly has a runny nose! He would never be there. It's completely unreasonable.

I can’t believe she wrote runny nose into the contract.

Given how often kids have runny noses, there’s an argument that this is an unfair contract term.