Page 2 | To ring the nursery and complain?

gemmummy · 2009-03-30T17:57:53+00:00

Quick background, perhaps 3 or 4 times over the last 2 weeks I have collected my DS and he has been in a soiled nappy. I have let it go, but made a comment along the lines of ooooh you smell etc. Today I picked up my son and smelt him straight away. I only live 5 mins aay, so I thought I'll change him when I get him. One of the girls said , X's bum was sore this morning so I put some cream on. Fine says I. I got home and the poor sod, his bum was caked in poo, it has stuck to him so obv he'd been in it for a while and his bum was red raw, he screamed as I tried to get the poo off. I was so annoyed I called the nursery and complained, they were apologetic, I am normally so easy going so I wondered after if it was an honest mistake or a bit lazy? So, AIBU to have complained?

angel1976 · 01/04/2009 20:35

Sounds like they are taking the piss. Next time it happens, you should make them take the temperature there and then. I had to pick my DS up from the nursery once and the lady who runs the room had a thermometer as she was about to take DS's temperature again. Do you have the option of looking at another nursery? It really does sound like they are pretty slack and don't care too much about your 'business'! Also a bit harsh it seems that if your DS has high temp one day, it means he has to have the day off the next as well? Nursery called me to pick DS up on Monday because he had gunky eyes. We took him to the doctor's and the doctor said it was an eye infection but not infectious and our nursery was quite happy to take him the next day once DH explained to them the doctor's diagnosis. Can you put your complaints on a letter and make them formally address them? I just find that with the nursery, because of the number of staff, sometimes information passed on by mouth just don't reach everyone...

tiggerlovestobounce · 01/04/2009 22:44

I think in your situation I would be looking for a new nursery. Why does a temp of 38 mean he has to be off the next day? Why are they measuring the temperature of a well looking child?
At the nursery my DDs attend if a child has a high temperature the parents are phoned, and the nursery ask for permission to give the child calpol. Obviously that depends on how ill the child looks, but the child isnt automatically sent home, and there is no automatic exclusion the next day.

hotcrosspurepurple · 02/04/2009 08:13

that is appaling, sending him home like that

look for a new nursery and write a letter of complaint

you can also ring Ofsted and complain

some nurseries have more children than they are allowed and the only way they can keep to the ratios is to send 1 or 2 home

which is an appaling way to treat their customers, you are paying for a service that you can not use
38 is not a high temp and he should not be excluded for no good reason

just ring OFSTED, the least they will do is a quick visit, they won't tell them that you complained, just that someone has complained

they are taking the piss

LoveMyGirls · 02/04/2009 08:21

I'm a childminder and I do nappy changes 3/4 times a day per child and immediately if mindee has poohed, I also wouldn't send a well child home and wouldn't insist you kept him off the next day if he was well.I think they are being unreasonable

RumourOfAHurricane · 02/04/2009 10:53

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Original poster

gemmummy · 02/04/2009 13:10

hotcrosspurple, I may do that...It makes it even more annoying when my DS is obviously as right as rain. This is such a recurring thing too, literally nearly every week he gets sent home for a "high temp" and then has to have the next day off. It's like they have OCD with the thermometer. I phoned them and said next time, I'll bring my thermometer down and we'll both do a check shall we? I'm very limited to childcare where I live but TBH I'm spendding more time at bloody home anyway. Feel like I'm wasting money....so you don't have to send children home with 38 deg temp? That's interesting too.

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MrsMattie · 02/04/2009 13:13

Not on.

My son was in daycare from the age of 7 mths until he was 2 yrs old and he was always clean when I collected him and never ever had nappy rash in his whole time at the nursery.

It is neglectful to leave a child in a soiled nappy for a prolonged period

Littlepurpleprincess · 02/04/2009 13:28

I've worked in a nursery and this should not happen. Being outside is no excuse, they should still be checking regularly. Also your child's key worker should know your child inside outside. It sounds like he goes at roughly the same time each day, which loads of kids do, so why not just check a bit more often around that time, it's not rocket science. If I had let this happen when I was a nursery nurse, my manager would have come down on me like a ton of bricks!

madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 13:34

i never ever left nursery with a child in a soiled nappy. if they weren't clean, i very politely apologised and asked them to change dc. they always did.

sent home with a temp? lol, only if very obviously unwell and irritable/ rashy etc. that's plain odd. what on earth are they taking his temp for if he isn't displaying any symptoms? we had a form to sign which said they could administer paracetamol-based syrup if the child was running a temp with no obvious symptoms. sometimes they rang and said 'not quite right, nothing specific - bit hot - would you rather collect or we'll calpol and see how it goes?'

is this an on-base nursery gemmummy? it does sound as though they are taking the mick a little...

Original poster

gemmummy · 02/04/2009 13:41

hi madwoman, yes it's the station nursery, obviously my dh being away is meaning i'm taking loads of time off work or even ferrying my ds around the country to various family members and driving back the next day for work...it's getting a bit much. the nappy and temp thing are driving me mad!!!

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madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 13:50

they should know better. that's what they have emergency childcare places available for. they should be bending over backwards to help you, not ringing you up on a whim and asking you to collect him for two days. fair enough if he is ill, but for a 38 temp that lasts an hour? hmm.

you could always squawk at your families/ community welfare poc as to the difficulties you are experiencing. and next time they get you to collect, tell them you are taking him straight to the gp to ask if he is well enough to go to nursery. ask for their written policy on illness - i doubt very much it says they are banned for 48 hours after a temp. it will say 24 hours of any v&d, but as that doesn't apply in this case it is irrelevant. two days off for a slight temp. speechless.

madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 13:52

have you got any alternatives or are you stuck with this one?

Original poster

gemmummy · 02/04/2009 15:58

a bit stuck with this one...i'm very very intrigued by what you are all saying about the temp thing, i honestly thought this was standard everywhere because i've never used a different nursery and this is my only child...however.

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MayorNazeNotWithChoccyEggs · 02/04/2009 16:02

this all sounds very bizarre to me. i would ask them why they feel the need to take temperatures and ask them to show you where it is written in their policies that they feel it is necessary.

and YANBU at all about the nappy thing btw.

MyNameIsInEggGoMontoya · 02/04/2009 16:08

Our nursery would probably not even phone me if DS had 38 degree temp but seemed happy. If it was higher or he seemed to be feeling poorly, they would first of all phone me and ask about giving him Calpol (or I would have the option to pick him up if I WANTED to). They would only ask me to take him home if he seemed properly ill/unhappy or if he had other symptoms like D&V that meant he had to be excluded.

Also if I DO have to take him home due to illness, he is allowed back as soon as he is feeling better unless he has had D&V or chickenpox or something specific that meant he needs to be off longer.

Sounds like your nursery is taking the mick, maybe so they can save on staff or something? The nappies thing is pretty shocking too, if my nursery was doing these 2 things I would be looking into changing nurseries, or if that wasn't possible then giving them a strong talking-to!

madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 18:30

you need to get it sorted then lol. tomorrow morning ask them for a written copy of their illness policies (all of them lol) and read carefully. work to rule lol. you don't need this headache at the moment but just don't take any nonsense. nice but firm. if the policy really does say 'child must go home and stay there for 2 days if has a temp of 38' i'd be utterly amazed.

i'm willing to bet they have a paracetamol option - most nurseries do - never been in one that doesn't (we are a mil family lol and i've had 3 dcs - been to lots of nurseries )

the d&v policy may be 48 hours (after symptoms) and they may have a get-out for obviously unwell children (it normally says something about 'children who are reliant on paracetamol' or something - ie those that are clearly unwell but teetering into manageability when they are dosed up.
cross, cross, cross on your behalf.

Original poster

gemmummy · 02/04/2009 18:41

thanks madwoman, you probably know how bloody arkward it is, i'm so loathe to move him because he's settled in well but an the other hand, work is important and all this time off is a bit of a joke. Definitely going to get the illness policy tomorrow. this nursery doen't give calpol either. will only give drugs prescribed by a doctor, and they've got to have been taking them for 24 hrs before they're allowed back. it's so bloody infuriating....

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solidgoldshaggingbunnies · 02/04/2009 18:52

This does all sound a bit iffy. WHile it's possible occasionally to miss a shat nappy (if another child has done a real stinker at about the same time and the staff think that that was the source of the smell), it seems to be happening a bit frequently.
Also, when my DS was still in nappies I remember going to collect him and while I was getting his shoes out he filled his nappy. I said, oh dear, could I quickly change him and one of the staff members said oh that's all right I'll do it, and did.

RidiculousCrush · 02/04/2009 19:10

Hmmmm

Ok

What you could is this

Take your thermometer to work. When the nursery call you and ask you to collect, get there FAST. Take his temperature immediatly.

MuffinBaker · 02/04/2009 19:11

Maybe they would prefer you to leave if you are going to tell them their job and are doing the temp thing to cause you hassle so you want to leave.

Original poster

gemmummy · 02/04/2009 19:16

i did say to them on the phone yesterday after i'd brought ds home that i'd took his temp and it was fine, and that next time i would bring my thermometer in. great minds think alike crush. muffin, the temp thing has been going on for weeks (and i've took ds to docs twice to make sure) the nappy thing was only this week really that i've said anything.

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RidiculousCrush · 02/04/2009 19:29

Also try sending him in less clothes, if they are too lazy to change his nappy maybe they are too lazy to take his jumper off when he gets too hot, then use the temperature as an excuse to send him home.

gemmummy they are really taking the piss!

MumsyPiemaker · 02/04/2009 19:32

Oh this makes me so mad - I removed my son from a nursery three years ago because of something like this - but it was wee. Look for another nursery if you can. It shows a fundamental lack of care. DS nappy was so wet it used to be hanging off and he looked so crestfallen with the injustice of not being looked after properly - it made me cry. Change the nursery, really.

BouncingTurtle · 02/04/2009 20:15

I would look for another nursery too, gemmmummy.
I've just change nurseries (nothing wrong with old nursery but it was closer to my old work and I work from home now so moved him to one closer to home), both nurseries have set times for nappy changes plus extra changes for soiled nappy. He was at the old nursery for 6mths and in that time he has NEVER came home in a soiled nappy. When he had a temp they gave him some calpol(prior consent given) and told me about it when I picked him up. Basically since he wasn't showing any other symptom and they were aware he had just had his MMR they put it down to that, let him have some quiet time and kept a close eye on him. If he had seemed very upset and distressed they would have called me straight away and I was happy with how they reacted. And they certainly didn't suggest I keep him off just because of the temp!
It is totally unacceptable for a nursery not to change a soiled nappy straight away. And the temperature thing would have me suspicious too.

BouncingTurtle · 02/04/2009 20:15

I would look for another nursery too, gemmmummy.
I've just change nurseries (nothing wrong with old nursery but it was closer to my old work and I work from home now so moved him to one closer to home), both nurseries have set times for nappy changes plus extra changes for soiled nappy. He was at the old nursery for 6mths and in that time he has NEVER came home in a soiled nappy. When he had a temp they gave him some calpol(prior consent given) and told me about it when I picked him up. Basically since he wasn't showing any other symptom and they were aware he had just had his MMR they put it down to that, let him have some quiet time and kept a close eye on him. If he had seemed very upset and distressed they would have called me straight away and I was happy with how they reacted. And they certainly didn't suggest I keep him off just because of the temp!
It is totally unacceptable for a nursery not to change a soiled nappy straight away. And the temperature thing would have me suspicious too.