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.

@Chasingaftermidnight it is genuinely the best thing I've found! And I've cared for loads of babies over 12 years! Ofsted love that they all have their own toothbrush here 🤣. Yeah, stops them yelling at me!!!

As a pp has put, it's frustrating when parents do this, I work in nurseries with babies. We can usually tell when a child has even a slightly raised temp and will test contrary to what another pp has said. Just keep them home and see how it unfolds, dc could very well be brewing an illness that would easily spread amongst staff and other dc.

@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.

What an absolutely ridiculous policy. Its hard enough for me following the policies at the nursery we use and that's only 48 hours for vomiting etc. Which I thought was standard. 48 hours after a dose of calpol is ridiculous.

37.6 degrees isn’t even a high temperature but it’s nursery policy that anything over 37.5 means no nursery.

seems to me that if you sign up for a nursery you sign up for their policies (which later posts show to be a bit on the extreme side) and faffing about giving calpol to sidestep the regs should lead to you losing your place.

There are 2 issues here on this thread, aren't there? the moral/ethical issue of sending a (potentially) sick child to a childcare setting - dosed up to mask it and the isssue of some possibly batshit T&C in childcare settings.

The answer? Don't sign up to something you're not prepared to stick to.

If he's well in himself and happily playing, he doesnt need calpol.

Why would they take the temperature of a child playing happily?

Oh and based on your later posts OP definitely find a new nursery that one has completely unsustainable policies.

When my youngest was at nursery they asked in the morning if they had had any calpol so they would know not to give any more of the child was teething. I would give it.

Teething isn't a thing. There is literally no evidence it exists. Kids get hot because they are unwell. Your child has a slightly raised temperature and is probably coming down with something. People blame teething on all sorts of things, including infection. Keep the child at home. It's bad form to send them in.

That’s a ridiculous policy especially for some high fees. I would have given my dc calpol in those circumstances too.

I had 3 days off last week because parents send their children in with ‘teething’ temperatures. It resulted in me getting sick with flu which has led to bronchitis, ear infection and sinusitis. Please keep your children home with temps.

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

Good grief. Someone got carried away with making up their own Covid rules.

Those rules are absurd.

@beattieedny

Teething isn't a thing. There is literally no evidence it exists. Kids get hot because they are unwell. Your child has a slightly raised temperature and is probably coming down with something. People blame teething on all sorts of things, including infection. Keep the child at home. It's bad form to send them in.

Lol teething doesn't exist 😂😂😂

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@MajorCarolDanvers afraid that's kind of true - it's a cultural belief rather than something that objectively happens.
Babies chew and drool and get loads of mild viral infections in the first year that cause slightly raised temperatures and upset tummies. And their teeth grow.

I read so many threads on here where people say that having kids makes you a more selfless and empathetic person. Clearly they haven't read this thread.

People treat childcare providers and educators with such disdain in this country, I've no idea why anyone bothers to do it. Much easier, better paid jobs out there without the constant risk of getting every bug going.

@OfstedOffred

If he's well in himself and happily playing, he doesnt need calpol.

Why would they take the temperature of a child playing happily?

Some settings insist on daily temps in light of covid others don't. I do not test children daily but if one child's displaying any symptoms of illness I will often check all temps including my own.

Some children can be happily playing yet display other signs that would require a temperature check due to covid. Just last month one of my mindees who normally has an intermittent cough laid down for a nap and began constant coughing so I followed my policy checked temp, was on the high side gave inhalers and contacted the parent. 20 mins after collection I was notified of a positive test. This particular child had arrived well, fully engaged in activities but very quickly went downhill. Thankfully the parents acted quickly and collected.

My DD has a very high pain threshold and could be happily playing even with a high temp so any grumble I check her as if left she can become very poorly very quickly.

37.5 isn't a temperature so it is an unfair rule. I'd send them in.

ds(18) would have never been in nursery if they had these bonkers rules back then.

Our nursery has a policy that children can’t be given calpol before or at nursery

How can any childcare setting even think it is anyway appropriate to dictate you cannot give a teething child pain relief. Madness.

”if they are ill enough for Calpol they are ill enough to be kept home."

I would love it if this comes into place in the workforce… “If you’ve had a paracetamol you’re too sick to work”

My kids never had a temperature when teething, I didn't realise this was a thing! My baby has two teeth coming through at the minute and it's like living with a very cute little piranha.

It's always teething. Temperature? Teething. Child biting everybody? Teething. Child throwing up? They always do that when they're teething. Axe stuck in there head? Teething.

I've just had a second dose of Covid after cuddling a sad and poorly child at nursery who later tested positive. We should try merging one of these thread where parents complain and say they take their children to nursery when they're ill, with one of the thread with parents complaining that their child is always ill after starting nursery. Maybe people will see some kind of link.

@Mysterian

It's always teething. Temperature? Teething. Child biting everybody? Teething. Child throwing up? They always do that when they're teething. Axe stuck in there head? Teething.

I've just had a second dose of Covid after cuddling a sad and poorly child at nursery who later tested positive. We should try merging one of these thread where parents complain and say they take their children to nursery when they're ill, with one of the thread with parents complaining that their child is always ill after starting nursery. Maybe people will see some kind of link.

Exactly. I feel sorry for the staff who have to expose themselves to all this "teething"

It is quite an extreme policy, but you agreed to it so you should stick to it. If you don't like it, find a different nursery.
As a parent I would choose this nursery for having this policy because my elder DD and I are both CEV and minor infections are serious for us both. A nursery with these policies would be a much safer choice for us as a family - but that relies on parents following the policy they have signed up to. I get that it is difficult for parents to miss work (it is for me too) but if that is your priority the only fair thing to do is choose a different nursery with more relaxed policies rather than break the policies of the one you are in. Other parents and staff may have chosen it for exactly that reason.

@beattieedny

Teething isn't a thing. There is literally no evidence it exists. Kids get hot because they are unwell. Your child has a slightly raised temperature and is probably coming down with something. People blame teething on all sorts of things, including infection. Keep the child at home. It's bad form to send them in.

You've misunderstood. There's no evidence that teething causes a high temp (as in over 38 degrees) or diarrhoea, but it does cause pain, discomfort, a mild rise in temp, drooling, red cheeks, rubbing ears etc.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/teething/baby-teething-symptoms/

I.e., exactly what OP has described.

[quote thebabynanny]@MajorCarolDanvers afraid that's kind of true - it's a cultural belief rather than something that objectively happens.
Babies chew and drool and get loads of mild viral infections in the first year that cause slightly raised temperatures and upset tummies. And their teeth grow.[/quote]
@thebabynanny

I am afraid the NHS kind of disagrees with you.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/teething/baby-teething-symptoms/

Oh come on, the NHS is a cultural phenomenon as much as anything else.
Regardless, people use teething as an excuse for ridiculous things that are clearly infectious illnesses. If you have young kids, they'll get ill and you have to look after them. It sucks, but that's reality.