Tell parents to not bring sick children into playgroup

[Motherofking]

My toddler was born during lockdown so we never went to playgroups. We have started going to this playgroup on Thursdays. First time we went there a day after my son was sick with a viral infection for nearly 2 weeks with constant fever and diarrhoea. The gp told me he likely caught it from another child who had the same infection. I brushed it off afterwards as one of those odd infections that toddlers get. Next time I went to the playgroup when my son recovered, I saw a the playgroup leaders son covered in little rashes and spots and he had a snotty nose. The week after when I went there again I overheard the group leader talking to the mum next to me saying ‘ ive had such a rough week, we have just recovered from hand , foot and mouth disease’. That very same day my toddler became ill and got the same rash the little boy had, I went to the gp said he has hand , foot and mouth disease too. I added one and one and realised that my son caught it off her son in .
Is there some kind of playgroup policy whereby parents shouldn’t bring in sick children . I am not talking about a little cold , I am talking about the viral infections and contagious infections. I don’t want to confront the playgroup leader, but would it be wrong of me to message the playgroup as they have a playgroup WhatsApp chat and ask what is the policy with bringing in sick children who have viral infections into the playgroup. Also would I be wrong to suggest without insulting anyone that children who are ill should not be brought in .
Again i am not talking about a minor cough or cold, im talking about viral infections and contagious diseases

Should i message the group saying this or should i just leave it and stop my son from going there

It’s actually really good for your child to be mixing with others and picking up infections. It stimulates and strengthens their immune system.

Unfortunately NHS advice is that children can attend nursery/school if feeling well enough with hand foot and mouth. You can be contagious for weeks after recovering, so you can’t really expect people to keep their children isolated for all that time. Norovirus type bugs people should be very strict about 48 hours after symptoms have stopped, before they return to mixing with others though.

Also coughs and colds are both viral and contagious diseases.

@PeachesPumpkin

It’s actually really good for your child to be mixing with others and picking up infections. It stimulates and strengthens their immune system.

I agree, although it rarely feels like it at the time in my experience.

@PeachesPumpkin I know that i do expect my toddler to be ill occasionally but not every time he goes in he needs to catch a virus . It causes us lack of sleep for two weeks and he goes two weeks without eating which isnt good for him either

It doesn't matter where you go, children spread germs. You can certainly ask what their policy is but children are often infectious days, or weeks, before they get symptoms.

@SnugKnights but a playgroup isnt a nursery or school . Parents dont have to bring in their children if they are unwell to a playgroup. With nursery or school i understand that it is not practical for parents to take time of work but with a playgroup that is not the case

All playgroups and nurseries have policies where children shouldn't be brought in if they have temperatures or diarrhoea/vomiting but it will always be the case that any early years setting will be a constant merry go round of kids passing things on to one another. It's just the way it is even if those rules are in place and stuck to. It's not unique to your playgroup!

Don’t go then!
As soon as he mixes with others he’ll get exposed to different germs.it’s part of developing a robust immune system.

I think as much as you want to you can't and shouldn't protect a toddler from germs too much especially given their immune system probably hasn't been challenged much.

Hand foot and mouth is horrible but as PP said NHS advice isn't to isolate. I caught it as an adult but nobody else did.

I think if they have a fever then yes stay home or if they have d&v in last 48h but honestly you're fighting a battle you won't win.

This is life with kids , some people will ignore any rules anyways and the people who won't will employ common sense without the rules. So really I wouldn't message the group.

Germs are good for children and build an immune system. Covid has mean many children are older getting these illnesses but I don't think it's terrible they get them.

It is hard going when they first start mixing and seem to get every bug going but it does get better. You may as well keep going for now given you've already started. You can message and ask about the policy if you like, but really the only failsafe option for you is to stop going and the go through it when she's old enough to start pre school.

its playgroup not school

When my DD were little there was a Montessori nursery near us that wouldn’t take them with a runny nose. All the mothers used to dose the kids up with Medised before sending them in.
Whatever happened to Medised?

@Muchtoomuchtodo My question was not addressing germs. I am well aware of that .

@SeasonalNamechange thats my point . Its a playgroup not school so its not mandatory to go in

Kids are germy bastards, toddler groups are a pond of snot wiping, viral shedding, germ spreading wee bastards all sharing and licking the same things. If your kid is a Covid babe it's about time he got his immune system updated. Not fun for you or him but perfectly normal and healthy in the end.

You can choose not to go but at some point your dc will mix with other children and catch these bugs. My eldest went to private nursery and so by the time he went to school nursery he had a solid immune system and didnt need lots of time off. Youngest dc (twins) didn't and they hated playgroups so when they went to school nursery we'd be off a day every week to shake off whatever bug they'd dragged home.

Best just to accept that children are germ factories and try and minimise symptoms as and when they arrive.

I've been really surprised at how apparently acceptable it is to take one's child to playgroup with HFaM, bronchiolitis and chickenpox. I am on a what's app group and there are toddler parents as well as parents of babies and loads are going about as usual, spreading disease. Personally I wouldn't dream of taking my child somewhere this was accepted, nor would I take my child if knowingly infected!

[quote Motherofking]@SeasonalNamechange thats my point . Its a playgroup not school so its not mandatory to go in[/quote]
yes, so you can leave

Look on the bright side he won’t get hand foot and mouth again so it’s done with.

Small children are germ magnets. He won’t come to any harm.

Honestly, if you stop taking him places, you’re just delaying him catching everything until you do go. It’s part and parcel with kids. I know someone that didn’t take their child anywhere for this reason, then when she sent her to school she was ill permanently as she just had no immune system

With nurseries and schools there are rules about children not attending with certain illnesses. Playgroups are usually community/volunteer led and won't have any such rules. How would they enforce them?
If your son was ill one day after playgroup then he easily could have been incubating the first virus when he attended - and possibly passed it onto other kids.
The first couple of winters with a baby / toddler are illness after illness. It's just how it is.

@Flittingaboutagain I agree too.

@LittleBearPad Thanks i guess thats a positive way of looking at it