If your toddler has/had snotty nose ... would you get them tested?

[SheilaTheThief]

No other symptoms at all, attends nursery
So likely picked up there, but runny nose isn’t even major it’s mild but I was wondering how others would react

My toddler almost always has a snotty nose so definitely not.

I have a feeling that snot may also make the tests themselves less reliable - the guidance says to blow your nose and clean it beforehand which many toddlers can’t do yet

Testing an 18 month old was horrific. They don't understand and it feels barbaric!

We've all got colds at the moment - just snotty/runny noses. I haven't tested the DC, DH and both tested negative on our twice weekly lateral flow tests this morning.

Never tested for a snotty nose. My poor DD has now had one every month since November. She started at a new nursery then and I'm guessing is just picking everything up.

I don't think she is proud of her contribution to being part of the solution. I think she hates it and finds it fairly traumatic to be pinned down in a car when she's not feeling very well.

I know several kids and adults with snotty colds that was covid

Indeed Remmy123, as do I, but in the absence of other symptoms it does not indicate eligibility for a test in the country I live in and nor does it currently require self isolation

Absolutely not. DD2 has had a perma runny nose since starting nursery a month ago. My GP even told me not to test her when she had a fever & was flatly refusing to eat or drink. Instead, we went to see the GP who instantly spotted a horrible case of tonsillitis. ☹️

DD1 has a cough all the time as well, asthma we think 🤦🏼‍♀️ I did test early on and it was awful. She’s very anxious about medical stuff & was hysterical every time. I doubt the test was ever accurate & covered in snot. I now judge her cough. She has a constant low level one, I recognise it. It’s 99% at nighttime with next to no coughing in the daytime. If it suddenly appears in the daytime & is persistent, then I’d test. Otherwise, I don’t.

Snotty nose was my first symptom apart from tiredness. Sinuses have been my worst synptom despite it saying everywhere that this is more likely to be a cold! My kids were tired with snotty noses. Several other children from school and nursery now reporting runny noses.

In fact, the only main symptom I still have had is slight loss of smell and taste. This coupled with a bunged up nose is not even supposed to count, it says if you have it if your nose is clear!

Mine both have regular tests, know that they're part of the solution and not the problem, and actually feel pride they're taking part, in a small way, in ending this crap. It's part of their education and teaches them that in life sometimes we just buckle up and do something because its the right thing to do, even if it is 'slightly' uncomfortable
Good for you but my kids are 1 and 3 so I think that might be a bit beyond them...

@TobyHouseMan

If there's one thing I've learned during this disaster is the kids are far far more resilient than we give them credit for.

Having a test isn't really that bad. Considering a fair number of them spend half their lives with their fingers up their noses anyway it's not really that much different.

Mine both have regular tests, know that they're part of the solution and not the problem, and actually feel pride they're taking part, in a small way, in ending this crap. It's part of their education and teaches them that in life sometimes we just buckle up and do something because its the right thing to do, even if it is 'slightly' uncomfortable.

Your kids aren't toddlers though, so pretty irrelevant to tell us how awesome they are at taking tests 🙄

My GP even told me not to test her when she had a fever & was flatly refusing to eat or drink

If that’s true I would suggest looking for another GP, that’s awful and I would never trust another word out of their mouths. There was nothing to stop your GP treating for tonsillitis whilst waiting for a test result.

Mine has been tested 4 times since this all started - she spikes a temp nearly every time she gets a snotty nose. All negative.

It's not fun, but I find with a bribe in one hand and a swab in the other, we can get at least a throat swab done - up the nose is another matter.

Mine is 3, but she seems to have the understanding that she needs to have it - then she gets a little treat, and it means she gets to go to nursery or outside - she HATES not being allowed to go out and luckily she understands that we need to do this so she can go out. And we've had to isolate 4 times while waiting for a result, so she remembers!

It's never fun, but it means she can go to nursery, elder one can go to school and we can both work.

And she'll tell everyone who'll listen that she had a coronavirus test and she doesn't have it - she likes to face time granny with the result.

It's not fun, but I pretend it is and tell her I'm catching the bugs at the back of her throat with the swab. It works for us.

@Iliketeaagain

Mine has been tested 4 times since this all started - she spikes a temp nearly every time she gets a snotty nose. All negative.

It's not fun, but I find with a bribe in one hand and a swab in the other, we can get at least a throat swab done - up the nose is another matter.

Mine is 3, but she seems to have the understanding that she needs to have it - then she gets a little treat, and it means she gets to go to nursery or outside - she HATES not being allowed to go out and luckily she understands that we need to do this so she can go out. And we've had to isolate 4 times while waiting for a result, so she remembers!

It's never fun, but it means she can go to nursery, elder one can go to school and we can both work.

And she'll tell everyone who'll listen that she had a coronavirus test and she doesn't have it - she likes to face time granny with the result.

It's not fun, but I pretend it is and tell her I'm catching the bugs at the back of her throat with the swab. It works for us.

My DD is 2 and I've only ever been told to do a swab up the nose. Hard enough to get a toothbrush in her mouth let alone swab the back of her throat.

I'm pretty sure it's meant to be nose.

@kirinm it is just the nose. My DS who is 1 I was told to only do his nose not the throat.

Luckily he didn't even care.

[quote ThatsNotTheTeaHunty]@kirinm it is just the nose. My DS who is 1 I was told to only do his nose not the throat.

Luckily he didn't even care. [/quote]
When we first started she didn't seem to care but she's 6 months older now and has got wiser to what is happening.

@kirinm I was told ideally throat and nose, but just nose if I couldn't do her throat. Throat is easier, apparently despite spending most of the day with her fingers up her nostrils, she doesn't appreciate a swab being stuck up there.