Nursery - calls 24 7 to pick baby up

[SassyCrab]

I just want to know everyone else opinion on this. I feel like recently I’ve been receiving calls at least once a week to pick my baby up from nursery for different reasons I.e being sick, temperature etc but when I collect him and at home he seems completely himself and nothing wrong? I haven’t got an issue with collecting him when he’s genuinely unwell but now I feel like I’m getting calls at least once a week as I’m an easy option. It always seems to be the day I’m WFH too! Has anyone else experienced this? I can’t work like this if I’m getting calls once a week as my work are only going to be understandable to a certain extent… as trying to work with a 1 year old at home is impossible!

Some nurseries are a PITA for this.

its usually if they’re short staffed or your child is one of the harder work ones.

Could you tell them you work in the office 5 days a week now?

It depends on the reason. If he’s been sick or had diarrhoea then they have to send him home and keep him away for 48 hours. Unfortunately for some toddlers that means that they get home and are absolutely fine but you still can’t send them back. It’s happened with my DS before where he was sick but acting fine after but still couldn’t send him in. Again I think with a temp each nursery will have a policy. DS has been to 2 different nurseries and each one had a policy of if they have a temp, they’ll call parents for permission to give Calpol. If it doesn’t go down with Calpol or comes back up once it wears off then they have to go home.

For standard colds and coughs I’d expect nursery to keep them unless very unwell, as they’re rife in nurseries.

Is your DS just being a bit out of sorts/clingy with them? I guess not acting usual combined with being visible ill could give them cause.

I got a call today from DS nursery saying his ear was weeping loads of gunk and he was really out of sorts and not well. We’d had a bad night with him and he refused to eat breakfast so I felt awful I’d taken him in unwell. I made a GP appointment and picked him up and got told he should maybe stay off as out of sorts. He was fine with me. Bouncing around and laughing and playing. He did have an ear infection so I gave him his first dose of antibiotics and dropped him back at nursery. He was fine all afternoon!

Yeah I’m starting to think this! As it’s always on a Thursday and the same sort of time. The problem is when he’s genuinely unwell, I can still work as he isn’t as active but when he’s fine I can’t get anything done because he’s always on the move!

Next time they call you could start asking specific questions, like what are his exact symptoms, temp, timings when they noticed them etc as you are getting concerned he’s getting ill so frequently you are going to raise it with your GP. Also say you’ll take twice as long to get there to pick him up as you no longer wfh on these days and so will have to drive from the office. If they are BU this may make them realise!

I’m with you, if he’s suddenly fine when he gets home then something is going on!

He was sick straight after food, which sometimes happens where he’s one he doesn’t know how to chew his food properly so sometimes he can be sick but they said I still have to collect him. Then today he had a temperature apparently so had to collect him, I don’t mind if it’s once a blue moon but it’s been about 5 times this month which is a lot!

That is a lot and no wonder it’s starting to interfere with your work! Has he just started? They do get everything under the sun for a bit when they first start, it can feel never ending. That’s a bit OTT with the food though, surely as a nursery with weaning babies they’ll recognise that isn’t actual contagious sickness? My DS is sick if he has a bad tantrum too close to eating, he gets so worked up he just being his meal back up. It happened before nursery one morning so I asked nursery if he was ok to come in and said I was sure it wasn’t a bug and they were fine.

I'd passively aggressively call them out and ask
'I've noticed that DC is always ill on a Thursday at this particular time, I've noticed a pattern over the past few weeks. Is there something different on this day I should be concerned about (food/staff/activity) as it really is strange....' thoughtful head tilt. Perhaps say this to the manager if the room leader isn't forthcoming. Also mention that it's strange how it's your WFH day and hope it doesn't continue as you'll be working from the office on that day as of next week....

Our nursery are like this, if you're too accommodating then they take the mick. Absolutely if my child is genuinely unwell then they need collecting, but often like you say it's staffing and frustrating that they're not honest about it.

After being burnt on a couple of occasions having to take leave from work when nursery saying my child was ill, to collect and find a child that was absolutely fine I had to change tack - This worked for me - when they called and said "we think she has a fever etc you need to collect" I'd responded positively, but explained I was an hour away. I'd then arrive after 1-2 hours, observe her running around busily playing/absolutely well as she was when I dropped her off, I'd check her temp - then just inform them that daughter was well no need to come home I'll be back in at end of day. They're initially resistant but just be firm - you'll know your child far better than them and if they're well there is no justification for sending your child home. You're paying for a service and if your child is the picture of health if they're refusing to provide it they've got to have a valid reason.

They'll unfortunately just move onto another child - I think it's a combination of who the most difficult to look after child is/who's parents are quick to arrive and collect without any fuss. Judging from the parents whatsapp group they continued to be awful for it but it only took about 2 occasions of me checking and refusing and we never had a problem again.

Thank you for the advice! With me I’m not very stern and I feel like I get anxious when I try to be as well, but I agree they do it the more if your not like it. They also make you feel like you don’t want to look after your child, he had hand foot and mouth a few weeks ago which there policy is that he still allowed in with it. So when I tried to take him in the manager had said “well it is very contagious” but if your policy is that they are allowed, then he’s coming in as he was perfectly fine in himself. I just feel like I’m being mugged off paying £65 a day and every week it’s something else. There policy is also there not allowed in nursery if they had a temperature within 24 hours, some children get a temperature with teething so it’s ridiculous!

What do you base this on ?

No he’s been there since May which I agree at first he was always ill, but now he seems fine half the time! I think I just need to be more stern and question them more as I feel like where I’m a young girl they take the mick more where I don’t say anything. But next time they call, I’m going to ask to speak to manager and say if this carries on I will have to move nursery as I can’t work like this

It’s been a long time since DS was in nursery but he has a milk allergy which causes D&V and a rash. Nursery were aware. Many an afternoon I’d get a call to say he had D&V. I’d ask what he had for lunch, one time I was told cream of mushroom soup followed by bread and butter pudding with custard. Despite me pointing out that all food items were heavy on milk produce and that it was no doubt his allergy I still had to pick him up and keep him off for 48hrs because it was ‘policy’. It was infuriating.

If it's a regular day could it be what's in the menu that day?

What are they Saudi g was actually sick or has a fever? Was the sick preceded by a period of crying/distress that could explain it?

I work in early years and everyone is in denial about it but often settings send home kids for 'sickness' so they are still paid but really it's to keep within ratio. I've seen the manager walk around the room after nap time (when kids can be a bit warm but not sick!) with the thermometer looking for someone to send home due to ratios. Also fairly common for difficult/disabled kids to get sent home sick when they are not. Is it happening at the same time each occasion? Does this correlate with just before the next shift would be starting? Also could point to the cause if it's meals etc with a regular time

I had this a few times when my ds2 was at preschool. They knew I was wfh and it would always be at around lunchtime just before the 12pm children arrived. The first few times I'd pick him up and he'd be absolutely fine. The last time they rang to ask me to pick him up because he was a "bit tired" 🙄 so I asked him to keep him there for half an hour longer and if he was showing clear signs of illness then to call me back. They didn't and they never did it again.

My little boy is 11 months. He started nursery 4 weeks ago. I got a call today to say they were "checking the children's temps" and mines was 37 under the arm but 37.8 in the ear. Why you would randomly check the temps of a group of children with no illness outbreak evident I don't know but I suggested I popped down and administered calpol and would check in and see how he was an hour after this. Lo and behold he was fine as he was at the beginning 🙄 I'd avoid suggesting collecting and really ask quote specific questions eg how many wet nappies has he had in the time he's been there, any bowel movements and what has the consistently been of them, what has he had to eat/drink, is he playing and interacting as normal? It will maybe make them think twice before calling you if their reasons aren't legitimate.

My own experience as a nursery nurse, my experience as a mum with children in nursery, and my sisters experience when she had a child in nursery

Sounds like nurseries are a bad choice for childcare

With my dd I remember being asked to pick her up because they said she had a really high temperature. Picked her up and they gave the impression on the phone I needed to be concerned so I made a drs appointment. Got her there and she didn’t have a temperature at all.

She seemed hot because it was as hot as the sun in the nursery (why are they always so hot?) and as soon as she went outside she was fine. We moved away from that nursery because they had so little outdoor time and the second one was better. Dd was never a difficult child!

I work in childcare as an agency worker and can confirm that this happens. It tends to only be one staff member who is fixated on going to the manager with different things and repeating it until something gets done.

I’ve seen parents have to get a letter from their doctor to say that their child is just a hot temperatured child.

One of the tricks that does work is if the parent says that they have a very important meeting so won’t be able to answer their phone that day. I know that sounds bad but it worked.

Also you could ignore the first call and listen to the voice mail to see what they say. Then you will know if it’s an incident or just a call to say that your child is not ‘themselves’ today.

I will also say that if the nursery know that you are at home they will discuss it and say things like ‘Mum is at home today, why doesn’t she keep them with her. Look at the weather..’ Don’t tell the nursery information about your days off or working from home.

I have witnessed this through numerous nurseries not just a couple.