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Original poster

How do i approach a parent and tell them i suspect.........

60 replies

Kidstrak · 11/12/2006 22:57

That their baby has an allergy to cats?!!!, the baby is 14m i have had him for 6m, when the baby came to me i was told of the excema that covered the skin mostly in the joints, i was told not to use cream on him as they done this at home, (although the creams are in his bag and say 3times daily and he is with me for 8hrs at a time) he scratches his body all the time and i have offered to put the cream on him, but parents say not to bother even though it weeps under his legs. He always is sleepy during the day as he doesn't sleep well during the night, up several times.

Anyway over last few months he has a constanly runny nose and a rattling chest like asthma some days more wheezing than others, but parents say he hasn't got asthma just a cold, but this so called cold has lasted far too long for my liking, poor little thing scratches his eyes also when they water.

Last week i noticed wart like spots on his bottom and said to his parents when they picked him up, they took him to the doctors who said it was a virus he had, and it would prob go away on its own, However earlier this evening i googled his syptoms and pet allergy came up, Cats! They have 2 cats! and the site also states about wart like spots which are a type of Herpes that happens when bacteria get into the excema!

Am i jumping the gun or does this little one have an allergy!!!!!

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Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:03

deckthehills it does fall into a bottom category of neglect but as i say at the very bottom, when i done a training of child protection its classed as a failure to something or other i forget all the wording to be exact, i do have notes somewhere, but if its what the parents want i have to go along with them or i refuse to look after him, of course i don't want to have to come to that stage, i think i would have to say something like i'm unable to care for him any longer rather than "i refuse to care for your son as you won't let me put cream on him" or for that matter accuse them of not putting cream on, on a regular basis! God my head is spinning, i suppose i do care too much sometimes where kids are concerned but it doesn't affect my work but also as it christmas time i'm busy trying to get everything organised and i have this hanging over me!

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LoveMyGirls · 12/12/2006 14:04

its very difficult i would not be happy if the parents were stopping me from taking (as i see it) proper care of thier lo.

i guess at the end of the day you have to accept he's their child and what they say goes or put your foot down and risk losing him altogether.

foxinsocks · 12/12/2006 14:08

We get eumovate over the counter (it helps stop the itching) but I'm not sure you are supposed to use it on young children without a script (i.e. in your shoes iyswim).

Why does she even send the creams in to you if she doesn't want to use them, that's what I don't get.

I think she's being really obtuse. They shouldn't scratch all the time and if that's what she thinks, she's got it wrong. I think you have to put your foot down here - he is suffering from a medical condition and you are not being allowed to treat him.

Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:08

misdee i know i feel like banging my head myself, pennies we need permission for anything and it has to be a signed form(which i have loads of medical forms short term/long term and as and when needed), we no longer can except a verbal permission, also any new medicines or unopened have to be given first by the parent before coming to me

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Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:14

foxinsocks there is emuvate in his bag but no prescription sticker so i think mum has bought this over the counter, all the creams are in the front of his bag as she keeps them there when at home so she has them altogther for when she is out and about with the lo, i have searched on the net again and the syptoms linked still say CATS anyway not that that matters that much now anyway, what matters is for his skin to be treated

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Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:19

just thought of another thing when i post the names of the creams tommorow i will check the dates on them to see when they were issued as they are still pretty well rounded tubes with not much out of them, i know you don't use a lot of these creams when treating the skin but he has it quite a bit and my tubes were always flat or squashed after using them a good several times with ds

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FairyTaleOfNewYork · 12/12/2006 14:24

when dd1 was little (under a year), when her ski nwas bad head to toe eczema, we would go through a tube in just over a week. we go through a tube of aveeno every 5 days here for dd1, dd2+3 use about half a tube every 5 days as theyarent as bad.

handlemecarefully · 12/12/2006 14:25

Sorry haven't read all thread.

With my cat allergy it's runny nose, itchy eyes and generally feeling dreadful, plus awful itching.

In my case the symptoms do not resolve immediately that I leave the house - they take an hour or so to resolve.

This baby may well show allergic symtoms after leaving the parental house because he is exposed the feline feckers every day, plus he may have a cat hair or two on his clothing.

I would broach the subject directly with the parents - "Are you sure he is not allergic to something..." - skin prick tests are not difficult to access. If GPs don't do them they can refer fairly quickly to a Dermatology appointment

foxinsocks · 12/12/2006 14:26

eumovate still has a steroid element I think (?) - hopefully she is using it under her doctor's suggestion.

I'm NOT SAYING SHE IS LIKE THIS but I have known some people who take their children to the doctor for eczema and then come out with the steroid creams and then don't use them citing the 'I don't want to use steroids on my children' line (and I can understand the sentiment there). I think you need to be prepared for this line (esp if the creams don't look like they are being used).

And hydrocortisone cream (check the % but it's normally 1%) is really not that strong in the greater scheme of eczema creams and can make an enormous difference once it is on. Obviously you don't want to slather it on but a tiny bit can really help.

I think you need to have a heart to heart with her. Surely any mother would not want to see their child suffer this way?

handlemecarefully · 12/12/2006 14:28

Sorry has the thread moved on ? (only got time to skim read) - has there been a definite conclusion that it is not allergy to cats then?

FairyTaleOfNewYork · 12/12/2006 14:30

eumovate is just a emoillant, i have bought some off the shelf at tesco in an emergency before.

foxinsocks · 12/12/2006 14:33

the eumovate we've got has got a steroid element (it's minute) and it's the one you get off the shelf

Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:33

foxinsocks i see what you are saying as i was a bit like that with ds with the steroid creams but i did use them when his skin was bad and i also used an emoillent every day and when i used creams on ds they certainly made a clear visible difference, this lo however in 6m has NO visible difference, i will report back tommorow when i have looked at the creams in his bag, and i will be brave and casually mention the allergy thing, i just feel that all the time mum comes to drop off or pick up that i'm talking about the lo's health

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FairyTaleOfNewYork · 12/12/2006 14:34

d'oh my mistake i got eumoBASE

PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 12/12/2006 14:36

Aqueous cream should be OK to use, I wuld have thought? I have eczma and my GP was a specialist who always recommnded Aqueous bought over the counter (cheap as you can imagine) whenever it itched to rpevent scarring as wella sreduce itching, in addition to normal meds. I would ask a chemist about that.

foxinsocks · 12/12/2006 14:36

I knew you knew that really misdee

yes, I wonder if they are 'at that place' kidstrack. I didn't mention it to slag her off but it's something I hear a lot (and on here) but if she just knew what a difference it could make to the boy she might be more tempted to use the creams.

Also, if it is a cat allergy, it may be that the creams don't work for long if he is still exposed to the animal but they have to drive that forward.

Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:36

handleme the only way to find out if there is a cat allergy is a skin prick test at the gp, i think this still could be the case, its a possibility but then again it could just be excema thats infected but then linking the wheezing runny eyes and scratching it could all be triggered by an allergy

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PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 12/12/2006 14:37

I think eumovate is aqueous, yes? With a brand name. Is it not cheaper if you buy it plain?

Original poster
Kidstrak · 12/12/2006 14:42

i hear it all the time also with steroid based creams but its only 1% thats used in them, and i had to use it on ds face, but then my ds was on actual steroids because of asthma and also antibiotics for a swollen kidney so i was a bit sceptical of giving him loads of different medicines but then they all helped him, its about not listning to others but listening to thier own gp

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foxinsocks · 12/12/2006 14:42

eumovate is the one with the steroid

eumobase (we use this like misdee in a 'grab off the shelf' way) is an emollient more greasy than aqueous.

edam · 12/12/2006 14:51

Sounds very odd. I'm not sure they have understood the GP's advice. You've tried to raise it with them to no avail. Poor little boy obviously needs better treatment. I think I'd call his GP confidentially. They won't be able to tell you anything about the family, but you could tell the GP that you are concerned that the little boy has severe/infected eczema yet the parents won't allow you to use anything on his sore patches. You could ask the GP not to mention your name or the phone call but to remind the parents how the creams should be used.

Or you could approach the HV if you know who it is, or your own HV if you still have one.

PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 12/12/2006 14:54

got it wrong way round?

PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 12/12/2006 14:54

I mean I did sorry

doh

mrssnoah · 12/12/2006 19:42

Hi again kidstrak.
Agree with edam, I would telephone HV and ask their advice.

Original poster
Kidstrak · 13/12/2006 11:05

Ok hi all, misdee the creams you mentioned are the two in his bag the antibiotic ones with the hydrocortozin one and the emouvate also a tub of clear stuff, the tubes are pretty full and rounded but the tubes look that old that the date has rubbed off the stickers, can't even see lo name on them, i have contacted the surgery where the lo is a patient but the docotr cannot speak about his patient to a childminder(i was told confidential and all that crap and its not a case of child cruelty kind of thing), i don't have a contact tele no for the HV but the surgery said they would pass on my concern to the lo HV who i hope will telephone me without phoning mum, so all in all i don't think the creams have been applied on a regular basis, as you mentioned misdee you would have gone through a tube in a week these tubes have been in his bag since he started with me, i now need to contact the care commisision to see what to do next. I feel i want to bury my head in the sand

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