To think there needs to be a different way to test young kids

[Fifimoomon]

DS (2.5) has a cough, again. So got a PCR test booked, again. It's the third one in the last four months. He's at nursery so is constantly picking up bugs and getting temperatures and coughs. He absolutely hates it, we have to pin him down and swab his nostrils while he cries his eyes out. The poor sod now cries whenever we even walk past the test centre.

I have tried and tried with him this evening with a swab, trying to get him to do it himself or let me do it, but he grabs it, licks it, will stick it up his nose but only for a second (and then grabs it again anyway). So pinning him down is the only way.

Surely we can come up with something better for young kids? Salvia tests? My poor kid is going to be permanently traumatised if we have to do this once a month forever!

Definitely. Surely there must be loads of positive results missed using this method. All feels pretty pointless.

There’s no way the last couple of PCRs done on my toddler could have been anything other than useless.

I’m not doing them again unless I REALLY have to. The result comes back negative after it’s barely been near his nostril so what’s the point? He was so distressed despite all my best efforts.

I’ve also seen an HCP in hospital do one on a low-risk adult patient and it was frankly equally shit. Not sure if it was lack of care/lack of training or what but I’d be very surprised if it was enough to detect anything but the most virulent case.

Have commented on previous threads and absolutely agree. My four, almost five year old daughter is now petrified of "that stick thing" and I have also had to restrain her to test her. She screams and cries and no amount of bribery of chocolate or time in the ipad makes any difference. It's barbaric and I dread her going to school and having to do it more frequently.

Also massively disagree with suggestions up thread of testing while asleep. I have never and won't ever try this. Simply as I think the shock of waking up with "that stick thing" up her nose and her privacy, safe sleep space broken, would result in screams that could be heard worldwide.

Yes, I completely agree there needs to be an easier method to test young children. Maybe when Boris has to do a PCR on his son he'll realise what a challenge it is to test young children and the government will order some of the lolly tests!!

My son hates it too. He's older so I have explained and he goes along with it (with a bribe)
If he didn't and I was able to I'd just isolate because it's awful. It's like you say, its not a short term thing and it's too often for them to not get worried about.
He's always been fine with blood tests and things and we've never been a family to let him opt out but yeah, it's still not nice.

I parked my car on a fairly empty car park, just to go to the shops and my 4 year old DS looked out of the window and started crying that he didn't want a nose test!!! He clearly thought we were at a drive in test centre (again) all the tests have definitely traumatised him.

I think isolating would be as horrible for him as the test. We live just me and him in a small top floor flat, he would hate being stuck inside for ten days. If we did isolate instead of test, we would have spent 30 days at home in the last four months.

Plus, I have to work!

Completely agree. Took dd this afternoon- prepped her in advance (shes had one before and was ok, unpleasant but okay). Problem is shes not well (obviously!) So is hysterical anyway and she just lost it, screaming, shouting, pushing me away. Ive swabbed something, no idea if it was what they wanted. If this is something we need to live with then agree this needs to change.

@Fifimoomon

DS (2.5) has a cough, again. So got a PCR test booked, again. It's the third one in the last four months. He's at nursery so is constantly picking up bugs and getting temperatures and coughs. He absolutely hates it, we have to pin him down and swab his nostrils while he cries his eyes out. The poor sod now cries whenever we even walk past the test centre.

I have tried and tried with him this evening with a swab, trying to get him to do it himself or let me do it, but he grabs it, licks it, will stick it up his nose but only for a second (and then grabs it again anyway). So pinning him down is the only way.

Surely we can come up with something better for young kids? Salvia tests? My poor kid is going to be permanently traumatised if we have to do this once a month forever!

Drives me nuts, in some European countries they test school kids two or three times a week and the kids do their own tests before handing it back to the teacher to be analysed/checked/whatever. I read somewhere kids as young as 5. They're different tests too, doesn't have to be PCR. Probably a combination of Brexit and an incompetent govt have left our poor kids with the short straw.

Same here, 2yr old DD I think we just did test 7 or 8 yesterday in the last year. I have made it into a game to tickle her throat and let her do it on me too, then I get one sweep up the nose which she hates. But she now finds it funny and will ask to 'do testing do testing' how sad.

My main concern is quality of the swab as her nursery closed last week due to an outbreak, she spent at least one day with the kid who had it, in nappies putting paint over each other, and on day 5 she came down ill, temp, cough, complaining of 'taste' and now snotty nose (she's not very verbal yet) and off her food etc but both PCR and lateral flow are negative. I'm struggling to make sense of that given the apparent ease of transmission and the proximity and duration she was exposed. Kid was symptomatic on the day too, sent home with a cough.

They have to find a different way.

I’d hope they could make it easier. My 5yo is somewhat traumatised but my toddler has been ok thus far. But, trying to shove a stick down a child’s nose in a car when everyone is stressed and there is no space doesn’t make for a good experience.

Last time I had to do the toddler, my eldest was screaming at me not to hurt her sister. Last time I had to do the eldest it was a bloody nightmare. I think the thinner tests are worse. With the thick ones you could shove it up the nostril and it would at least get some snot. The thin ones seem to be harder work and more liable to be tickly/go wrong.