Any HVs/nurses/doctors around? Blue dot on ds1's red book

[MrTumblesCrackWhore]

Ds1 (3) has his jabs this afternoon - I've just dug his red book out and noticed it has a blue dot sticker on the back and wondered what it might be for.

I'm a teacher and know a blue dot is a discreet way of identifying an issue to the professionals without necessarily letting the child/parent know.

Would it be for him or for me? I can't think of any reason why it would be for him but I had PND so perhaps it is some way of flagging that up to the HV?

Any enlightenment gratefully received!

Are you sure it hasn't always had a blue dot on? In my old area they used to put a blue dot on so they could easily pick up a girls or boys one without having to look inside. One of mine has a blue dot on

I don't think any professional should be discreetly identifying an issue to any other professional without letting the parent/child know to be honest.

I have no idea - I literally just noticed it today. DD2 is asleep at the mo so I can't go into her room to get it but I'll see if hers has a different coloured dot on!

PS: I agree with you about the blue dot/not letting parents/children know.

People who I've worked with in the past have described students as 'blue dot kids'. Urgh.

Both my DS's books have a blue dot on, it is because they are boys. The girls books have a red dot on. The health visitor told me it was so she could see easily which book to give new parents as the centile charts for boys and girls are different.

Are you sure it's not a blue dot that travelled there from your teaching supplies?

I know a blue dot on dh blood tests tells the blood people it's a rush job for cancer unit

Ours have dots on depending on boys or girls

Why don't you ask them why???

I think OP's school should be mindful of data protection act. If a blue dot on a file means there is an issue then that information would be disclosed if the parent asked why.

It's actually disgraceful that the school thinks that is okay!

When I used to work in this field, the red books for boys had a blue dot on the cover.

Red books have either boy or girl centile charts in them. I've worked on postnatal wards where the red books are given out - they often put a blue dot on the boy ones or a red dot on the girl ones just to differentiate them without having to leaf through the book to check which centile chart they have when youre giving them out. I'm a paediatrician and have never heard of blue dots on red books meaning anything other than it being a boy's red book - it certainly isn't used as a marker of any issues.
In some hospitals where I've worked they do use stickers on the mother's notes to flag things such as there having been a previous stillbirth/neonatal death but it's not anything that would be hidden from the mother

Thanks for the replies. So it's a gender thing. Sorted.

I'm not sure the blue dot thing at my ex-school is commonly used thankfully.

I think they put blue dots on the boys books so they know it's a boy book.