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Original poster

Hypothetical - but I don’t want to put my girls through the Covid test

66 replies

Elemenopeeee · 06/09/2020 00:58

They are 5 and 3. We are in Scotland so been back at school/nursery for a few weeks now.

Usual colds etc doing the rounds. We have avoided it so far (touch wood). A few of their friends have had the Covid test (all negative) and parents have said it was horrific, distressing, an ordeal etc.

I have no qualms about having it myself but I hate the idea of putting them through it.

Does anyone else share this? Or can anyone put my mind at rest about it?

OP posts:
hastingsmua1 · 06/09/2020 01:02

I mean the test itself isn’t painful or that uncomfortable, but a 3/5 year old might find it more unpleasant than an adult/older child.

How do you cope with other “necessary evils”/things that they find unpleasant eg vaccinations?

Original poster
Elemenopeeee · 06/09/2020 01:05

I hate the vaccinations but it’s been a while since they’ve needed those (are there vaccinations at 3? I can’t remember. She’s just turned 3). I feel like I can in my head justify the vaccinations because one jag is far better than the medical shite they’ll need to go through if they catch the illness in question but this seems different somehow.

OP posts:
Original poster
Elemenopeeee · 06/09/2020 01:05

I have a battle to get my three year old to brush her teeth.

OP posts:
INeedNewShoes · 06/09/2020 01:07

DD (3) has had two tests now. First time we were required to do the throat and nose swab and I found the throat swab very difficult to do as DD’s reflex was to try and stop me!

Second time round I was told Children only need do the nasal swab. I did the test on me first and talked DD through it while I was doing it and tried to make light of it then when we did hers she was 100% fine until I got the swab to the right place (which I did really slowly as it goes miles up/back!). The twizzling of the swab feels unpleasant but not absolutely awful and DD didn’t like it but it wasn’t traumatic.

It does involve a few seconds’ discomfort but second time round I felt like my more positive approach paid off. We were both laughing about just how far the swabs go up your nose.

I think these tests are going to be a necessity for anyone who doesn’t want to be constantly taking two weeks off school/work so we probably have to get used to it.

SunbathingDragon · 06/09/2020 01:07

I think they dislike being held down as much as the actual test.

Are you happy to potentially keep on and on isolating your family, so missing out on school and work etc for a fortnight at a time rather than have the test? I think that’s really the alternative. Otherwise it’s a bit like when your child needs medication they dislike; it’s a necessary evil that is quickly over.

Preschool jabs (two of them) are at 3 years 4 months in England.

Original poster
Elemenopeeee · 06/09/2020 01:15

So if they have symptoms I could in theory isolate us all for 14 days? Do they not need the data? I mean I want to do the right thing but if isolating for 14 days is acceptable then maybe. We both work from home so that wouldn’t be an issue but the school absence is not ideal either Sad

OP posts:
SheepandCow · 06/09/2020 01:20

You never know, they might like it. Everyone's different including children. And, lots of kids are always sticking things up their noses... I still remember a boy at primary school who had to go to hospital because he stuck some lego so far up his nose it got stuck!

hastingsmua1 · 06/09/2020 01:21

Well it’s not just isolating, it will be full on quarantine. Right now, you work from home but have the freedom to go out and spend time in public spaces - you won’t have that when you all have to isolate for 14 days. That includes seeing family, shopping, days out, public transport/taxis, etc. All appointments will have to be rearranged.

DamitJanet · 06/09/2020 01:22

We’ve been in a situation recently where we’ve had close ish contact with someone who has developed symptoms, but refuses a test. They were perfectly happy to ride out their ten day isolation themselves, but the impact was felt also by the rest of the household who had to isolate for two weeks, maybe unnecessarily, and others like us who had uncertainty for a couple of weeks. So for me it’s worth bearing in mind that not testing impacts those around you unless you’re very much keeping to yourself. In our situation everyone seems to be fine, but I feel by not having a test she was potentially risking others and further spread had it been Covid.

Original poster
Elemenopeeee · 06/09/2020 01:27

Ok. I know the logical thing is to let them have the test. I know that. And if push comes to shove that’s more than likely what we’ll do. I just hate the thought of holding my three year old down to have it done.

OP posts:
emmskie03 · 06/09/2020 01:29

My four year old and 11 month old have been tested twice. The 11 month old was pretty unimpressed the first time but I'm pretty sure he was mostly disgruntled to be driven around for so long as the testing centre is not near. Four year old was absolutely fine.

It's really not that bad. If you did have coronavirus then there would be people who you will have been in contact with who would need to know. They could be carrying around Covid 19 asymptomatically to nursery friends, class mates, teachers and nursery workers. Being able to trace and isolate infections is one of the best tools for managing the spread.

At 3 and 5 you can explain to them what is happening. I td my 4 year old that I was tickling his tonsils and his nose.

ChloeCrocodile · 06/09/2020 01:37

Do they not need the data?

They need the data so that her close contacts can be informed and asked to isolate themselves. If she doesn’t take the test, one of her teachers (for example) could pass it on to other children before the symptoms appear. Whereas if she took the test and it came back positive, that same teacher would isolate for 14 days and not pass it on.

Pobblebonk · 06/09/2020 01:50

Your friends are massively exaggerating or else doing the tests wrong. There is simply no reason for the process to be horrific or distressing, provided that you explain it to your children in a very matter of fact way.

elliejjtiny · 06/09/2020 01:53

I'm worried about this with my 7 year old. He has had 21 general anaesthetics so absolutely hates being held down or anything near his face. Last year he refused to have the flu spray thing up his nose at school so I had to take him to the dr surgery and hold him down while he screamed and kicked me.

I could probably do the covid test on him once or even twice but if it became a regular thing it would completely traumatise him.

Also my 12 year old has sensory processing disorder and it's been a battle to give him eye drops this week. I think I would physically struggle to hold him down and do a covid test.

AnnaMariaDreams · 06/09/2020 05:37

I’ve decided that I will go through the motions but not hurt or stress DS, if it’s inconclusive, it’s inconclusive. Just clean out the nostril a little with it and send it off.
They need to develop a better test IMO.

icklekid · 06/09/2020 05:48

I’ve had to have my 4 year old tested twice- first time was hard and she was upset but the second time she knew it was unpleasant but short lived and was far better.

Agree with previous poster that the need to test rather than just self isolating is for benefit of others that age might have passed it on to

NerrSnerr · 06/09/2020 05:48

My 6 year old has had 3 tests and my 3 year old has had 2. The 6 year old says it's unpleasant but she knows why it needs to be done and gets on with it. The 3 year old has cried both times but isn't traumatised and every time he coughs he tells me we need to go in the car to be tested so it can't have been that bad.

Doryhunky · 06/09/2020 05:54

Do children have to go to the drive in testing centres and have their parents carry out the test?
I got myself testing this way and the instructions were to swab my throat without touching my tonsils. It was nigh impossible and I kept gagging. I don’t think it would be actually possible to carry out on a child. The nose thing is unpleasant but doable.
I would be happy for a doctor to do it but I wouldn’t be able to. I also don’t know how the testing centre will cope with all the children going for tests every time they have a temperature or cough.

keziahthecat · 06/09/2020 05:56

It's honestly not that bad. I had to do it to my 2 year old daughter who also hates having her teeth cleaned and was so certain I wouldn't be able to get a clear result from her I took a test myself as well (thought if she had it I probably did too). However she was very compliant and even thought the tonsils part was funny and asked me to tickle her again.

Waves12345 · 06/09/2020 06:08

I did my 4,6,9 year olds and myself-they all know why it’s important and I’ve said if we want to see people then we have to be responsible and just check if we aren’t feeling very well. It feels very different but doesn’t Nd shouldn’t hurt. Bag of sweets after did the trick with mine!

seayork2020 · 06/09/2020 06:13

I dont want my son to have the test but I say that about any medical test, but its life if it has to happen it does i am not going to worry it will just be done if it has to be

MrBucket · 06/09/2020 06:15

I did it for my 2yo. It was very distressing for him (coupled with the fact that he had a temperature so felt rotten). I did not do the throat swab as he has a strong gag reflex and would have vomited all over the swab. I’m in no hurry to put him through it again

Posturesorposes · 06/09/2020 06:45

Had to do it for 4 year old and 7 month old. Awful. They need a more tailored policy for early years, given that teething ear infections usual bugs will do rounds with kids + testing will invariably struggle as season progresses (were sent 54 miles away to test). Current sledgehammer policy applying adult symptoms to kids in a blanket way just won’t do. My colleague in Estonia says they don’t even test kids unless very difficult symptoms.

Sally872 · 06/09/2020 06:50

8 year old neice and 4 year old neighbour have had it done. Both sets of parents said not pleasent but not too bad either. Neither child cried. Might not be needed, if it is then it might not be as bad as you think.

year5teacher · 06/09/2020 07:56

I suppose it’s whether you’d rather they had the brief unpleasantness of the test, or the consequence of you and them self isolating for 14 days every time they get a cold.

I don’t have children so I can’t sit here and say what you should do, but if they risk keeping having to miss two weeks of school/nursery then that isn’t really fair on them.

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