Sending kid into nursery without test results because not symptomatic anymore?

[FlippinCovid]

DS' nursery make you covid test for any form of cough, he started coughing Friday overnight all through the night so I got a test booked in for Saturday morning. We did it and haven't had results yet, but he hasn't coughed since Friday night and is happy and fine in himself. Obviously just an overnight tickle or something. I rushed to get him tested as I've missed so much work with him isolating I couldn't afford to miss more, now I've fucked myself over as if I hadn't tested he could go to nursery no problem but now I have can he? So ridiculous

Likelihood is the results will be back by the morning! But no I wouldn't send him. Imagine if it was positive - wouldn't want to have that conversation! My kids have random one off coughing fits all the time but if it lasted all night I would definitely get them tested - as you have and wait it out for results.

No. Not fair if you send him and test came back positive. No one want to be in your position if they can avoid it.

It is hard OP. I've missed so much work since my DS started nursery both due to general illness and covid isolations / waiting for tests and I haven't done anything like as many tests as you have.

My nursery has now significantly relaxed their rules though and isn't asking for tests for a cough anymore - they haven't officially announced this but there has been a definite change in approach. I think they realised that their business is unsustainable if they do because so many toddlers have a cough at any one time that it means they spend more time out of nursery than in it and parents can't work like that.

Given that at least 40% of toddlers are asymptomatic; another significant percentage don't have classic symptoms (cough, fever) anyway and where rates in society are quite high, I don't think anyone can expect nurseries to be a "covid safe" environment or for their child to never bring back covid from nursery. If covid remains really dangerous for you, it simply isn't safe for your child to be in childcare even if everyone follows the rules because they will probably catch it at some point off an asymptomatic / pre-symptomatic child. In the context of toddlers and where everyone who wants to be has been vaccinated it doesn't make much sense to me to react to covid in a completely different way to other respiratory viruses and I hope we will change approach soon. My DS has had around 15 separate illnesses since starting nursery and most have been worse than covid. So I'm isolating him to protect them from covid (which is likely really mild) but not from all the really horrible viruses he has had.

I would always keep him off with a temperature anyway unless it was teething or for two days after D&V but it just isn't feasible to take several days off for every cold and continue working. Toddlers tend to get a cough after a cold anyway because it's how they get the mucus up. With 12 colds a year (and when starting nursery a child may get more than that) you could be looking at a few days off a month just for covid related isolation. Add to that the times where they are actually too ill to go in, isolation after D&V and isolation if they actually get covid and most people wouldn't have a job anymore, which is a lot more than inconvenient.

That said, I don't think you can really do a test and then send them in before getting results so don't know what the answer is in your case.

Mine took 36 hours this week. You need to wait.

They need to hurry these fucking tests up, or make some rapid tests that are actually fit for purpose. It’s an utter joke that they give out these rapid at-home tests that they caveat with, “these aren’t worth the huge amounts of plastic they’re written on”, so instead you get sent for these tests that take as-long-as-we-jolly-well-feel-like to come back and you’ve to ‘isolate’ until then. DD’s nursery made me send her for one last week for the ten millionth time and I put the hazards on when I was ready for the test to be checked, like the guy had told me to - except he didn’t come to check it because he’d fallen asleep in the cabin in the interim. The whole thing is utterly pathetic and it makes me sick that parents are being left in positions like yours OP. I refuse to get mine tested unless nursery make me, which they’ve done far too frequently- surprise surprise, it’s never been Covid, she’s just a kid who’s prone to a temperature and has taken her time getting all her teeth.

I really hope your child isn’t at nursery with mine. I’m pregnant and high risk so catching covid off my child could mean premature labour and much, much worse for my unborn child. How selfish could you be to only think of yourself in this day and age!

@Haveyoulosttheplot

I really hope your child isn’t at nursery with mine. I’m pregnant and high risk so catching covid off my child could mean premature labour and much, much worse for my unborn child. How selfish could you be to only think of yourself in this day and age!

Give over, why don’t you be the one to stop sending your child to nursery if you’re that worried about catching Covid, you’re fairly likely to. I’m heavily pregnant too and I accept that as a risk of using the childcare I need/generally living as part of society, with that risk being significantly mitigated by my being vaccinated.

Why would you think the rules don't apply to you?
Keep your child at home until you get the results.

Child in my kids school had a cough and did a PCR. Meant to stay home but GP parent knew better and sent him in (kids all gossiping about it which is how I heard). Next day he was sent home as the PCR came back positive.

My toddler has had 40+ tests
Thats crazy. Mine has had 2 tests, one was positive. Is it because the nursery keep 0 sending you for tests - it sounds like they're being very over cautious.

How nice for you being vaccinated. Meanwhile those of us with epi pens are still told not to have the vaccine especially when pregnant as your immune system is suppressed anyway. Don’t judge me when you don’t know me. My child should be able to attend nursery without selfish parents sending potentially infected children in and making the rest of us ill. There’s a difference between unknown risk when someone has no symptoms etc and someone who can’t be bothered to wait for a test result. You’re silly if you don’t realise the difference.

it sounds like they're being very over cautious.

Over cautious may inconvenience a parent but may prevent number of parents going through the same.

Did result come back
@FlippinCovid