Or is it impossible to test a 3 year old?

[whatatool]

4 hours of tears ( mine and theirs) and still can't get a swab anywhere near.
How TF are people doing this?

Could you try getting them to do it themselves, tell them you need them to pick their nose with it and get it super duper extra disgustingly snotty, the more snot the better.

Honestly? I'm not.
Did a few earlier on in the pandemic and they were a waste of time as the only thing they sampled was the snot just inside his nose.

I'd need to put DS under some kind of sedation to swirl it around either the tonsils or the top of the nose for 10 seconds. Very jealous of those with compliant kids...

I think you just need to be really firm, have another adult if possible to help. It literally only takes a few seconds and then plenty of cheers and cuddles after. Four hours and you also crying won’t make the child feel more comfortable about it!

Just hold them down. Wrap them in a towel if you have to, or put their head between your knees and one hand on their forehead and crack on

I had to test DD3 twice and what helped was doing the test on myself to show her what to expect. She had had enough by the time I had to put the swab up her nose so I got her to count down with me and of course she had been promised some sweets. Good luck, it's rubbish.

Wait until they are asleep. Just a swab the nose. Done.

@welshweasel

Just hold them down. Wrap them in a towel if you have to, or put their head between your knees and one hand on their forehead and crack on

She's not worming a cat!

Bribery!! ( Some call it incentive)

DS gives her just 4 year old a lucky dip from a bag of sweets once his is done even of its a struggle.. IF hes really good and does not complain he gets 3 sweets and a sticker on a chart. When he has 3 stickers she takes him somewhere like the pound shop and let's him choose something

It’s a fucking joke. Honestly can’t believe there are accurate readings for thar age group.

It's awful but with my 2 yo it was basically a case of holding her down and doing it, we'd done all the letting her try herself, talking about it being tickly/her having seen us do it etc and she was having none of it, especially because she was unwell at the time.

We were at a drive through test centre, you aren't allowed out the car so dad sat in the back next to her in her car seat, he put his forearm across the chest part of the seat so she couldn't get her hands up to push him away and then the other hand to quickly swab. As soon as it was done, swab to me in the front to deal with and he comforted her.

^ DBIL is very vulnerable so they have to be super careful ^^

We did it when he was strapped into the car seat at the drive in test centre. The restraints really helped. But I doubt there was enough in for a super accurate result.

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

Could you try getting them to do it themselves, tell them you need them to pick their nose with it and get it super duper extra disgustingly snotty, the more snot the better.

Too much snot and it gets voided

It’s a shame there isn’t a finger prick test - so much less unpleasant for all.

Have you tried testing a Teddy bear first with a spare one from an lft test?

I also go with the restrain in carseat - do it quickly - distract with a treat straight after technique with my youngest.

The 5 year old I bribe with letting him choose a small toy on amazon after
(luckily he hardly gets ill compared to the toddler)

Honestly? I don't. Invariably he passes every sniffle to me so I just test myself. Not very scientific, but I'm not putting him through it repeatedly.

I would if he had had confirmed contact, or it was before a hospital appointment or something. But for every snotty nose? No.

I "tickle her nose" and she's fine with it. I do it when she's fastened in the carseat which also helped!

I've had to do it three times. First time she was strapped in the car, and fought so hard. So next time I wrapped her in a towel to keep her arms under control. It worked much better and as soon as the swab was in her nose she went statue still.

I mean, it's physical restraint, so it doesn't feel nice and I don't enjoy doing it but it's better than her hurting herself and me.

Of course it's possible to get a test done on a 3yr old, but it's not easy when they won't comply.

Ultimately, you need to hold them so they feel safe, so on your knee with their back to your chest. Use one arm to hug them securely and the other to hold their head against your chest. Then another adult can perform the swab. Provide reassuring words throughout.

We've got spit tests at home for DS. Nurseries around here tend to use the lollipop ones. He doesn't like the ones where it goes up your nose.

Throat swabs are impossible on that age group so I've never done them. I've managed to tickle the end of their nostril a few times, but nowhere near deep enough for a reliable sample.

If anyone wanted me to show a result, I'd have tested myself instead.

Why is anyone testing a 3 year old?

I have sympathy. My 2 year old is incredibly easy to test. She just sits there and doesn’t resit. My 5yo seems to have some sort of phobia and she’s a complete pain. The only way I’d get it now from her is restraint or trying while she’s asleep. She squirms and screams and it is impossible.

If you’ve been going for 4 hours I’d stop as you’re not getting anywhere. You need everyone to calm down a bit. Don’t try the throat and just do the best you can with the nose.

Nurseries insist