To give DS calpol before nursery?

[CalpolDilemma]

Our nursery has a policy that children can’t be given calpol before or at nursery in case it masks illness. They also send home any child who has a temperature over 37.5 degrees.

DS is teething. He could be unwell but he has all the classic signs of teething. His temperature is 37.6. He’s well in himself and happy and playing, but is slightly warm. WWYD?

He’s 18 months.

@Fleur405

The problem is what if he had a bug. Which he probably caught at nursery. Because someone else sent their child in when they had a bug (after giving them calpol to mask their temperature…)

I never understand this argument. If he caught the bug at nursery, then he was probably spreading it around yesterday before symptoms started. Other children will be spreading it around today, with or without symptoms. Every child in the room and indeed the adults will be exposed regardless, that's just the nature of the beast and if you can't accept that then don't use nursery.

Everyone does it. If DS was a bit under the weather he got paracetamol and ibuprofen before nursery. Ours always asked if you said they had a cold so they knew when they could think about the next dose

@Staryflight445

There’s absolutely no scientific evidence either that teething causes pain.

By the time mine had red cheeks their tooth had already erupted and both of them were fine.

How do they scientifically test for this on babies and toddlers? I'm intrigued.

Pain is quite subjective really, so one child may teethe without issues and others have a difficult time with it. Bit like birthing babies really. We have different pain thresholds and ways of managing pain.

YABU.

If he's well he doesn't need calpol.

If he's unwell you should keep him home.

I’m with nursery on this, especially given the current ongoing covid situation. My first thought would be to also swab his nose, it would literally take you a second. Furthermore, if it isn’t teething and I worked in the nursery you’d be risking my chances of going to my niece’s wedding this weekend. Yes that sounds harsh but I’m really really peeved taking my kid to school this week with the amount of kids there with “just a sore throat”. That sore throat could risk so much more than just someone’s wedding plans.

Having said that, the situation is ridiculous in that schools fine you if your absence is too high, so it’s a catch 22. If I wasn’t home my husband would lose his job over the amount of absence we’ve had lately.
I do understand the other side of it.

The last two years have turned everyone into raging hypochondriacs IMO. My daughter just got sent home from nursery with a temperature of 37.4. They’ve advised we get a PCR test, which considering we are in England now would cost £60+. We are relatively comfortable financially but there’s no way on earth I can spend that every time she has a normal temperature. And I’ll be much more up shit creek if I lose my job with frequent absences, which I will if they send her home every time she has a temperature starting with ‘37 point whatever’. And that’s assuming DH and I (who earn exactly the same and split childcare 50/50) take exactly half the absences each.

Toddlers spend the first couple of their lives with snotty noses, ‘‘twas ever thus. And she doesn’t even have a snotty nose for christs sake! She’s perfectly fine…

Every single childcare provider has caught 'teething' at least once

No, but I get full pay if I'm off, and am in a role that seems to have a lot of pointless busy work

Yawn my DS in nursery is ill at least once a month sometimes twice, just dose them up with calpol and send him in.
You'll only be shooting yourself in the foot as everyone else does it and realistically taking time off for every runny nose is impossible.

If you hadn't taken the temperature would you say that your child is unwell?

I would and have given my child calpol if they've been a bit whingy and I've determined that they need it.

To the posters saying if they're I'll enough for calpol then they should stay home - do you take a sick day when you take a paracetamol?

@Staryflight445

Lipsandlashes

Staryflight445
@Lipsandlashes everyone else at the nursery pays exactly the same as you do, why do you feel more entitled to take a poorly child there because you pay for the privilege of the service?
The service can’t run properly whilst parents behave like this, surely that’s understandable?

A bug for one child can land another in hospital, why is that fair? those parents pay the same.
I’m not talking about taking a poorly child in to nursery. I’m talking about giving pain relief to a child who is teething - as per the OP’s original point. HTH

Lol, the HTH is so patronising. If a child needs calpol they shouldn’t be at nursery.

Absolute rubbish and you know it. Do you call in sick to work after you’ve taken a couple of paracetamol? If not, why not? You’re obviously I’ll and could be passing your (completely non contagious) symptoms (pain!) on to someone else. Such double standards. HTH!

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

Every single childcare provider has caught 'teething' at least once

This made me chuckle because it's so true.

As someone who had to hold down a job and paid an exorbitant amount in nursery fees, it’s frustrating when nurseries make up ridiculous rules. What happened to common sense?

They’re not making it up though, 37.5 was the number picked by the GOV when they devised the action for covid info. You don’t just get to ignore the info even if you want to.

@feministqueen

If you hadn't taken the temperature would you say that your child is unwell?

I would and have given my child calpol if they've been a bit whingy and I've determined that they need it.

To the posters saying if they're I'll enough for calpol then they should stay home - do you take a sick day when you take a paracetamol?

Judging by this thread calpol is being misused by the majority anyway. Do you take paracetamol for every raised temperature you have ? I certainly do not but will do other things to try and reduce my temperature if it's slightly raised. I also do not administer calpol to children in my care with a raised temperature immediately instead I try other methods but would obviously administer if a child was clearly unwell or in pain.

@Lipsandlashes

‘
Absolute rubbish and you know it. Do you call in sick to work after you’ve taken a couple of paracetamol? If not, why not? You’re obviously I’ll and could be passing your (completely non contagious) symptoms (pain!) on to someone else. Such double standards.
HTH!‘

Still being patronising I see.
Would I call in sick if I needed paracetamol? It depends I suppose, I’m an adult, can understand my body and communicate to myself how I feel. I’m not a child who cannot communicate that, and an adults work environment isn’t a germ breeding ground, I also have a fully developed immune system and can take measures to protect others such as not sneezing/coughing into mid air, clean my hands properly and travel home in the event I need to. I don’t spend all day touching everything other people touch as well.

Why are you even trying to compare the 2? HTH. 🙄

Yup, they always say treat the child not the fever @glitterelf

Which is why a child shouldn’t be at nursery if they need it, because it already means they’re not behaving normally.

@Staryflight445

Yup, they always say treat the child not the fever *@glitterelf*

Which is why a child shouldn’t be at nursery if they need it, because it already means they’re not behaving normally.

Exactly over the years of being a childminder I've had an array of children arrive literally bouncing off the walls because parents have given them a special treat so they'd take their magic medicine only for children to be upchucking hours later or become lethargic within hours of the magic medicine wearing off. In the last month alone I've had Norovirus and covid close my setting because apparently the children were fine before drop off yet I'm the parent who's getting attendance letters because I point blank refuse to send my sick child into school where she has CEV peers.

The piousness on this thread is ridiculous. When I go to work and come down with a cold a few days later I don’t start blaming work colleagues. I’ve had children in nursery who have caught everything under the sun. Eldest DD caught norovirus and spread it around the family - I was 3 months pregnant and thought I was going to die, I was so Ill. It took me two weeks to recover. I certainly didn’t blame the parents of the other children she was in nursery with. Illness and bugs happen. It isn’t other parents responsibility to ensure your child doesn’t get any illnesses - ever! Just like it isn’t the person on the bus’ responsibility if they sneeze and you get a cold. Unfortunately it’s life and all part of being a functioning member of society.
Of course you should keep your child off nursery if they are poorly and miserable and just want their parent but not for every bloody slightly raised temperature - just in case it turns into something else. How with their immune systems ever develop properly?

That’s awful you’ve lost income because of selfish parental behaviour @glitterelf

We’ve also had attendance letters recently after my kids at school have constantly contracted norovirus, covid, chicken pox. It’s been never ending and very clear parents are just sending their children into school no matter the state they’re in so they don’t have to have them at home or take time off work.

It’s terrible.

@Glenthebattleostrich

Same for me. It’s infuriating, some parents are very selfish.

@Lipsandlashes - if parents are sending their kids in with stomach virus symptoms and the childcare setting has to close, why wouldn’t it be the parents fault?

It’s everybody’s responsibility when they’re using a childcare setting to ensure their children are healthy and well enough to attend.
They shouldn’t be taken in if they’ve been vomiting, had diarrhoea, or are unwell enough to need calpol/ not being themselves.

Anyone ignoring their child’s basic needs because they don’t want to keep their kid home is a shitty parent as well tbh.

Yes you would be unreasonable. If you dose him up on calpol he will have the 11am slump and all of the nursery staff will know you have given it to him!
@Glenthebattleostrich I am also a childminder fed up with parents thinking they can make their own rules! Hope your dd is better soon my ds caught 'teething' last month and had to miss his gcse mock exams

@Lipsandlashes It is a parent's responsibility to ensure that their child is well enough and able to function whilst in a childcare setting it's is not the responsibility of a childcare provider to be a sick nurse for a child who's clearly not well enough to attend. Masking symptoms with calpol isn't on nor is parents not sharing vital information on whether they have given calpol as this could lead to providers giving doses before they should.
Parents who send their children to providers who won't give calpol that's their choice if it's in their policies then the parents will have agreed to this and if unhappy should seek another provider.

Yes I do hold parents responsible when I have to close due to them sending in their sick child even before covid as selfish parents are around long before covid. The person sneezing on a bus I would assume are an adult and capable of using a tissue or at worst the crook of their elbow, how many babies and toddlers do you know that are capable of doing either ?

Would you be happy if your childcare provider attended work with D&V, covid, chicken pox or other infectious ailments ?

@Staryflight445

He’s hot for a reason, teething doesn’t cause a temperature.

Of course he shouldn’t be at nursery if he needs calpol.

You've obviously never had a child suffer badly with teething then. Every tooth my child gets a slight temperature. Nothing else wrong with her except the tooth coming through.

No I don’t but when the child clearly isn’t well, eg doesn’t join in with friends, doesn’t eat snack, lunch etc, child isn’t their usual self then it’s clear this child doesn’t have a minor cold. But parent claims I’ve topped them up with calpol as they have a slight temperature and I can’t afford to take time off work, It’s wrong.

Kids can go from zero to unwell really quickly. It’s not at all uncommon for a child to seem to be fine except for a temperature when you get them up, especially if they are teething and for it to turn out to be a throat infection by a couple of hours later. Equally, it can just be a wee cold or headache and calpol can sort it out. Unless you are psychic, you can’t tell which is which. Ridiculous to suggest children with any big should stay at home no matter what.

As someone else stated. A bug for one child could mean a very severe illness or even a trip to the hospital for another.

Meanwhile, elsewhere we are told we just have to live with covid and only be off if we are unwell.