Childminder keeps refusing my child

[fugde08]

Hi, my son started going to a childminders in Sept and since then he's not gone 7 times because of a cold, hand foot and mouth and he's been sent home 4 times because of teething and cold symptoms. It's so frustrating and it's really interrupted my studies. Is this normal to be so strict?

She says they have to be 100% well, but surely she should expect minor colds? She has asked for me to do a PCR on him but is this really necessary if he's under two? I done a lateral flow on him and it came back negative but she still didn't want to take him in.

Everytime, he doesn't go we pay in full for that day. I don't think she realises how careful and paranoid I am being about covid, if I had the slightest incline he had covid I wouldn't send him in, they are honestly just colds.

What are the teething symptoms?

If there is a persistant cough or temperature involved my nursery would want a PCR

@Looneytune253

I'm a cm and it's difficult to tell from the OP who is being unreasonable. I don't often send children home but certain things (like HFM) vomiting, chicken pox and now Covid have specific guidelines where children must stay at home. If your child has any of the main Covid symptoms they would defo need a Covid test that is the actual rules. But if it is only cold symptoms no test should be required

Tho cold symptoms can be covid

Cough
Temp
Etc

@Blondeshavemorefun I understand that but I wouldn't be sending home/asking for test without the main symptoms. It's hard to tell who is being unreasonable as we don't know whether the child in question had just the sniffles (exclusion probably unreasonable) or cough/temp (exclusion probably reasonable)

@jannier LFTs do work if you have symptoms. They are however less accurate than PCR tests so if you have symptoms, the advice is/ was to get a PCR to make sure, to reduce the chance of false negative results.

[quote Nixbox]@jannier LFTs do work if you have symptoms. They are however less accurate than PCR tests so if you have symptoms, the advice is/ was to get a PCR to make sure, to reduce the chance of false negative results.[/quote]
They can work if you have symptoms but are less reliable hence why guidence is symptoms equal PCR. However the latest ones are nose swabs only becouse people don't like gagging. The viral load once you have symptoms is highest in the throat and reduces in the nose which is why so many test negative on Lft with symptoms then positive on PCR government guidence us symptoms need PCR. The WHO include colds, sore throats nd rashes as symptoms few with omicron are reporting cough and loss of smell. The Zoe study is asking the government to change advice in line with their research and other countries.
My daughter works in a nursery currently 5 children with cold symptoms have tested positive. They are not accepting children with colds unless tested.

It’s takes seconds to test a child. Well maybe for some a few mins

I just told my then 3yr now almost 5yr that we have to test to allow to go out /see friends /pre school :school as she got older

At first she didn’t like but she’s got used to them now

So many friends say oh my child doesn’t like so I don’t test

@jannier
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm695152a3.htm?s_cid=mm695152a3_w
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8043477/
This appears to show the opposite - nasal viral load is low UNTIL symptoms appear. Which means that if you have enough virus to have positive lat flow with no symptoms, you will almost certainly have a positive result with symptoms.
However, as we have both said, PCR is more accurate. It should be pointed out that PCRs in children are nasal only anyway - I’m not sure what the cut off age is but my ten year old was nose only.

Think under 11 is nose

She sounds strict. Things like HFM are obvious for refusals - I'm sure nurseries have guidance on what illnesses are ok/not ok.

DD has been ill since she started nursery - admittedly it's only been about 3 weeks but has had a cold on and off.

She's like me and when she gets ill is visibly ill and can have teary eyes, runny nose etc but this hasn't been a problem at nursery. In fact in her first week the whole baby room was unwell - coughs, runny noses the lot.

As long as it's not covid, if the child is more or less well I don't see the issue. I'm sure it's common knowledge that when kids start nursery the illnesses do the rounds.

Some of this sounds excessive to me. If you were working, would you have been able to take 7 days off at short notice since September? I wouldn’t! Nurseries tend to stick a bit more to their policies, IMO, CMs are more likely to be making it up as they go along. The trade off is that there are more children in a nursery setting so more potential for germs but I’ve certainly never had DC sent home for teething or simple cold symptoms (provided they were well in themselves and not miserable, obviously I wouldn’t have sent them if they were acting poorly).

@fugde08 Following is a link to your governments requirements for nurseries and schools for health protection. It shows what illnesses require exclusions and for what time period.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/789369/Exclusion_table.pdf

That’s for if you are in the UK. I know Australia has something similar too.

Pre covid, my DC went to her childminder every day for 2 years and wasn't refused or sent home once (!) despite having the usual children's illnesses. The childminder's philosophy was that if a kid is well enough in themselves and happy to be there, she was happy to take them. All the kids in the setting would catch everything from each other regardless. But in the covid era I can understand someone adopting a more cautious approach.

@Blondeshavemorefun

It’s takes seconds to test a child. Well maybe for some a few mins

I just told my then 3yr now almost 5yr that we have to test to allow to go out /see friends /pre school :school as she got older

At first she didn’t like but she’s got used to them now

So many friends say oh my child doesn’t like so I don’t test

You're saying that but it's not true!! It takes seconds to LFT test a child BUT if a child is being sent home with an actual cough or a temp then they need a PCR not a LFT so that would take around 24hours before they go back to school/nursery.

True and prob why they don’t want to test their child and have them off

@fugde08 cm is quite in her right for ask for a pcr if child had a temp or cough

Thanks for all your responses they're all really helpful.
I've never sent him in with a temperature or a continuous cough. I've yet to speak to her, but I will do, I just hope he doesn't get ill in the meantime