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.

Admittedly I gave him the calpol and sent him to nursery. The policy is also that if he has a temperature of 37.5 or above, he can’t come to nursery for 4 clear days after. So essentially, the rest of the week. If he’s given calpol, he also has to stay away for 48 hours after the last dose. All this makes it impossible for me to work. So in the past 6 months, he’s attended maybe a total of one week out of each month.

He is teething. His nursery worker spotted the signs on handover.

I wouldn’t send him if he was actually unwell. He had the classic teething signs, and was just very slightly warm. But warm enough to miss nursery for the rest of the week if they checked his temperature.

I think this thread has shown me I need to look at other nurseries in the area and see if I can send him to one with more common sense, as the situation we’re in is really unsustainable.

@CalpolDilemma

Admittedly I gave him the calpol and sent him to nursery. The policy is also that if he has a temperature of 37.5 or above, he can’t come to nursery for 4 clear days after. So essentially, the rest of the week. If he’s given calpol, he also has to stay away for 48 hours after the last dose. All this makes it impossible for me to work. So in the past 6 months, he’s attended maybe a total of one week out of each month.

He is teething. His nursery worker spotted the signs on handover.

I wouldn’t send him if he was actually unwell. He had the classic teething signs, and was just very slightly warm. But warm enough to miss nursery for the rest of the week if they checked his temperature.

I think this thread has shown me I need to look at other nurseries in the area and see if I can send him to one with more common sense, as the situation we’re in is really unsustainable.

Those policies are utterly stupid. I wouldn't be paying out of my arse so my child could go one week a month how ridiculous.

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
Ah. So here is the crux of it @glitterelf You are acting out of a need to keep your childcare setting open and not threaten your livelihood. The child’s illness is secondary. It’s the consequence of you not being paid that matters to you. The thing is parents are also acting out of their need to go to work and make money and a nursery not admitting a child for a low temperature is preventing them from doing that. So what makes you think your need to ensure bills are paid trumps their need for the same? Interesting thought.

Those policies are utterly stupid. I wouldn't be paying out of my arse so my child could go one week a month how ridiculous

We pay £1,900 a month too (we’re in London, zone 2)

@Lipsandlashes

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 Ah. So here is the crux of it *@glitterelf* You are acting out of a need to keep your childcare setting open and not threaten your livelihood. The child’s illness is secondary. It’s the consequence of you not being paid that matters to you. The thing is parents are also acting out of their need to go to work and make money and a nursery not admitting a child for a low temperature is preventing them from doing that. So what makes you think your need to ensure bills are paid trumps their need for the same? Interesting thought.

Nice assumption there the impact of closure doesn't just affect me financially it affects multiple families why is it so hard for you to understand that ? It also affects the selfish parents who sent their sick child in because I will send home a child who is that poorly they can't take part in activities or carry out our normal routine and in turn when my family have caught what their child brings in and I close that's a double whammy for them!! I also have a CV DH and care for CEV children so yes I expect parents to be honest and upfront regarding Illnesses as I am if anyone in my family is I'll it's called common courtesy.

Funnily enough and didn't have to close throughout the pandemic until the last month but that was because everyone was on the same page and being considerate of each other but now that's waned and if the last month is anything to go by this learning to live with it is only going to get worse.

Something for you to think about, over the years I've seen threads on numerous sites where potentially new childcare providers have been testing the waters on opening up a setting purely for sick / poorly children because we all know the impact on parents when they have to take time off work to care for their children. However there has never been one of these settings open up because you wouldn't want to be mixing sick children together with an array of ailments so the consensus is it wouldn't work so why do you think it's acceptable for sick children to be in childcare settings infecting others ?

I’d find another nursery. Those policies are absurd.

And depending on how many days that £1,900 covers I’d consider a nanny or nanny share instead of the nursery.

[quote 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.[/quote]

Yep... but it seems lipsamdeyebrows is very entitled and no one else really does matter.....

Bloody hell, find a different nursery!

YANBU. If a child is genuinely very ill then Calpol won’t ‘mask’ it. It will bring a high temp down slightly it doesn’t magically make them seem completely well.

Good Lord they’d have loved me as a child. Always ran hot.

Even now as an adult normal body temperature for me can be up to 38.4 !

AnonAnom940

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.
^

I don’t think most people have to be fair when they say very seriously that homeopathy cures it. (Ashtons and parsons, teething gels etc)
Look at the videos where people pretend to bang their babies head against a door, their ‘awwww’ reaction has kids screaming. I’d assume such sympathetic response to a child would lead to you believing they were in pain with teething when (as I’ve stated before, dentists disbelieve it’s not painful).

There’s also another comment on this thread where they’ve mentioned a baby teething and then getting unwell with a virus not long after… it’s common sense is it not? So many unwell children go without things they need because parents pass it off as teething.

You’ve only got to look at most peoples opinions of teething to realise that they actually don’t know what they’re talking about.

‘my baby has been teething since she was a week old and is now 8 months old and still hasn’t cut a tooth 🙄’

So what makes you think your need to ensure bills are paid trumps their need for the same?

Hmm, let's see. Maybe because it's THEIR child and they are responsible for looking after them and taking care of them when they are ill no one else. If people aren't happy with that they should think twice about having children.

@Thatsplentyjack

So what makes you think your need to ensure bills are paid trumps their need for the same?

Hmm, let's see. Maybe because it's THEIR child and they are responsible for looking after them and taking care of them when they are ill no one else. If people aren't happy with that they should think twice about having children.

Jesus Christ! I’ve already said I’m not talking about an obviously ill child! It is in response to the OP, who’s child has a very slightly raised temperature caused by teething. No one is advocating sending a child in to a nursery setting with a bad dose of chicken pox

@Lipsandlashes

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 Ah. So here is the crux of it *@glitterelf* You are acting out of a need to keep your childcare setting open and not threaten your livelihood. The child’s illness is secondary. It’s the consequence of you not being paid that matters to you. The thing is parents are also acting out of their need to go to work and make money and a nursery not admitting a child for a low temperature is preventing them from doing that. So what makes you think your need to ensure bills are paid trumps their need for the same? Interesting thought.

Lipsandlashes, childcare providers don't go into that career agreeing to look after sick children. Sick children should be at home with their parents. Of course childcare providers need to work trumps the parents need to work when it's their child who is ill. Not sure why that needs explaining. Bit stupid to bring it down to who needs to earn money.

You can't give him calpol without telling the nursery because the nursery might give him calpol and he would be double dosed.

The OP's nursery's rules seem very harsh. I'd look for somewhere else.

Would you walk into the nursery and slap one of the children causing them harm and distress? Nobody would.
Would you take an ill child to a nursery with symptoms masked with Calpol knowing they might infect other children causing then harm and distress? Seems like lots of people would.

Us nursery workers can often smell Calpol on your children. Lots of times the older children tell us they've had medicine. We see pink spots on their clothes. We can guess why so many children suddenly deteriorate at 11o'clock, 4 hours after their last dose.
And a special mention to the parent who recently made no mention of giving Calpol to their baby but brought them in with half of the syringe dropped down their vest.

@ittakes2

You can't give him calpol without telling the nursery because the nursery might give him calpol and he would be double dosed.

Mine have always rang me first to ask if it's okay for them to give calpol.

If there's an emergency the nursery will be telling the ambulance crew that the child hasn't had any if that's what the parent said.

They don’t administer calpol themselves. At all. So there’s no risk of an overdose happening.

I'd look for another nursery. Ours ask when we drop them off if they've had any medication and it'll always tell them. They ring anyway for consent if they feel it's necessary to give calpol. If they get a temp while at nursery they give calpol to see if it comes down, if it's not down within 30mins we have to collect and they can't go back until following day/temp has gone.

@Staryflight445

AnonAnom940

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.
^

I don’t think most people have to be fair when they say very seriously that homeopathy cures it. (Ashtons and parsons, teething gels etc)
Look at the videos where people pretend to bang their babies head against a door, their ‘awwww’ reaction has kids screaming. I’d assume such sympathetic response to a child would lead to you believing they were in pain with teething when (as I’ve stated before, dentists disbelieve it’s not painful).

There’s also another comment on this thread where they’ve mentioned a baby teething and then getting unwell with a virus not long after… it’s common sense is it not? So many unwell children go without things they need because parents pass it off as teething.

You’ve only got to look at most peoples opinions of teething to realise that they actually don’t know what they’re talking about.

‘my baby has been teething since she was a week old and is now 8 months old and still hasn’t cut a tooth 🙄’

I just have been imagining when my children woke up crying because they were teething.

Teething gel (or at least the one I used) has lidocaine in. Maybe that’s what helps…

Bloody hell, of course teething hurts. That's why the pain meds work. Just as an aside OP, try giving a cold toothbrush to chomp on. The cold numbs the area and the bristles soften the gums so its easier for the teeth to come through. Child also associates toothbrushes with good things making teeth cleaning easier!

To those questioning sending children with minor illness can I point out that we providers are obliged to follow the EYFS which is very clear that we must promote good health and take reasonable steps to protect children from illness and injury. One parent sending a sick child in can lead to hospitalisation for another family. All we are saying is please consider others. We are all under pressure financially but I care for a family where a parent has cancer and another child who has a heart condition. I won't put them at risk when I can help it.

FOUR CLEAR DAYS after having a temperature over 37.5? So if a kid has a mild fever on a Monday they can’t come back in till the following Monday? Or if it’s on a Friday they can’t come back in till the following Wednesday?

Bloody hell, I’m surprised that nursery still has a business. How could any parent hold down a job?! Ours (rightly) follows all the standard NHS advice - 48 hours for diarrhoea, chicken pox spots all scabbed over, etc - but someone’s just pulled that four day rule out of their arse haven’t they?

Bloody hell, of course teething hurts. That's why the pain meds work. Just as an aside OP, try giving a cold toothbrush to chomp on. The cold numbs the area and the bristles soften the gums so its easier for the teeth to come through. Child also associates toothbrushes with good things making teeth cleaning easier!

Thanks for this tip, I’ll be giving it a go!

It’s interesting how different nurseries seem to be. Ours had a cut off of 38 but that was after calpol. You could send them in with calpol and say they were a bit unwell and they would happily dose them up with it. My DD was still bouncing off the walls with a temp of 38 and they sometimes let her off if she was happy and clearly not that poorly. They would send children home who were unwell and miserable, had the usual rules for D and V and chicken pox etc. but colds that needed medicating with calpol were fine.