Anyone's young child/baby been tested?

[username78074]

Just wondered what they did with young children? Does the person at the test centre do it or do they pass it to you to do it? Also is it in their mouth and nose?
DD (3) and DS (11months) before have a cold and cough. I doubt it's COVID as I think we all had it in July (couldn't get a test). But want to be sure and hopefully get DD back in nursery.

Dd2.4 had a test last week. Dh took her and did the test on her himself - said he tried the throat swab once and realised it was never going to happen. She screamed through the nose swab but he managed to do it and she was fine afterwards.

Fortunately the test came back negative within 36 hours. Hope your DC are ok too.

I took our 3 year old and had to do the test myself on her. The leaflet we were given said to do both nostrils if you couldn't do the throat.
With much bribery, we managed the nostrils. The test came back negative within 24 hours.

Thank you. I'm hoping DD will let us do it but I can see DS (11months) going mad.

We took 23 months old ds and when I booked the test it said to bring a second adult to sit in the back seat to do the test.

It wasn’t clear from the instructions at all, and I had to call over a member of staff to ask, but for small children you don’t have to do the throat, but both nostrils.

IMO there should have been a separate instruction sheet for children, as it also mentions sticking the swab up an inch into the nose, but babies obviously don’t have an inch worth of nostril to go up into. Definitely needed extra help which wasn’t offered.

Oh and I had to hold ds’s head and arms very tight while dh did the swab as we couldn’t have done it otherwise. Defo need 2 adults.

Had to test DD aged 2 and DS aged 5. DD was already strapped in her car seat so I have to hold down her arm and swab with the other. Was a challenge though and she was very upset so I stay in the back with her. DS was better due to being older but still got upset.

DD was positive so we are just finished our isolation period!!

DD3 is nearly 3. She said it was ‘really, really howibul’ DH took her (he’s her favourite) and apparently she was shouting for me the whole time. She had to be bribed a LOT. Apparently the throat one is worse than the nose one. Friends who have swabbed kids too young to bribe say you need two grown ups if possible.

We took my 3 year old & it was awful. She screamed blue murder & I made her nose bleed. The swab is far too big for small noses. There’s no way I got a very accurate test but 🤷🏼‍♀️ It was negative. She’s been terrified of anything medical ever since. It makes me sad. She never made a fuss at the docs but her flu spray last week was horrible. She was hyperventilating in fear. I won’t be rushing back. I’ll be waiting until she has a bad cough as opposed to a bit of one! (Or other symptoms obvs).

I've tested my son twice, at around 17 and 21 months. Both times just up the nose, you don't need to do throat for young children. You do need a second adult in the back seat as you can't get out of the car, and you'll likely need to hold them down.

I took my 16 mo to a walk in test centre last week. Someone stands outside the little cubicle and talks you through it. It's either one nostril plus tonsils, or both nostrils. I had to do both nostrils (10secs each) because she wouldn't open her mouth. She screamed but it was all over very quickly and we got the negative result needed for a return to nursery (she coughed twice!).

All in all it wasn't that bad. I would rather do the walk in that a drive through but you might not have a choice.

We've done it twice for DS, who's 2.5. Tbh it was pretty horrible and both times I cried a bit afterwards because I was upset at putting him through it - but he cheered up soon enough afterwards! It definitely took both of us and I would have something they really love (in our case chocolate buttons!) to give them as soon as you're done.

We were surprised the test didn't come back inconclusive because we thought we had done such a rubbish job, but we got a negative result both times so I guess it was good enough.

Ihaveoflate We weren’t allowed back to nursery because of one cough (after eating a dry biscuit!)

I'm glad to find this thread, I think I'll need to take DS 4 for a test and was wondering how it would work.

Anyone who's young children tested positive what symptoms did they have? I'm sure DS just has a cold, but he's been coughing all morning.

If you can't get another adult to go with you, make sure you can climb from drivers seat to back seat.