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Original poster

Conjunctivitis and nurseries

42 replies

morningpaper · 03/08/2006 11:01

Dd woke up with red eyes - GP said it looked like it MIGHT be starting conjunctivitis and to give drops as a precaution.

I have taken her into nursery but they looked at me as though I said it might be Bird Flu.

How contagious IS conjunctivitis? The baby gets it a lot but none of the rest of us do, including her sister. I know it has a reputation as being horribly contagious but it is really that bad?

OP posts:
KTeePee · 03/08/2006 11:06

Most nurseries don't want children in if they have it, ime. If she just has red eyes but not gunky you might be able to pass it off as hayfever (I was a bad mother who used to carefully wipe away the gunk before getting to nursery on the days when I absolutely could NOT take the day off.)

clairemow · 03/08/2006 11:06

Our nursery won't take them with it as it goes round like mad if they touch their eye, then a towel, then someone else wipes their hands on same towel and touches an eye etc. Maybe it doesn't pass from your baby to her sister because you use separate towels etc. for the baby?

I caught it from DS last year (and tonsilitis, all at the same time) and it was HORRIBLE!!

MaryP0p1 · 03/08/2006 11:13

Conjunctivis is very very contagious, particuarly with children. All the have to do is wipe their eye and touch someone else and if that person doesn't wash their hands they get it. Not difficult when dealing with children.

lemonaid · 03/08/2006 11:16

Very contagious. Our nursery will take them back once they've been on antibiotic eyedrops for 48 hours (although that doesn't help with the viral form).

hotmama · 03/08/2006 11:17

My dd1 got conjunctivitis the same week dd2 was born! The GP advised that dd1 stayed at home - this was out of the question as I had a c-section and dd1 was only 16 months - no way I could have coped by myself!

The GP gave me ointment for the day and cream for the night - dd1 went to Nursery and they were fine as she had got stuff to treat it - esp as I said the GP said it was O.K. for her to go to Nursery.

Besides the point - dd1 probably caught it at Nursery.

So they can go to Nursery - but you may have to be a bit arsey!

CADS · 03/08/2006 11:19

Our nursery will not take them with conjunctivis. Is it really fair to pass it on to other child just because they picked it up from nursery?

hotmama · 03/08/2006 11:22

In my situation when dd1 caught it there was no way I could have looked after her. Dp would have had to take a week off work.

Dd1 wasn't walking and wanted to be carried etc.

If I hadn't just had dd2 then of course it would have been fine for her to be at home.

Just making the point that sometimes Nurseries do let them go.

CADS · 03/08/2006 11:33

Hotmama - I wasn't having a go at you? Just those mothers that send their kids to nursery with worse thing just because they can't be bothered to look after them or they want to 'do lunch', go to the gym, go shopping etc. Completely selfish in my opinion. We've had a fair share of nasty bugs over the last 2mnths so feeling a little pxssed off.

CADS · 03/08/2006 11:38

oops my typing is shocking. Meant to use a full stop not question mark.

melrose · 03/08/2006 11:42

CADS think that is a bit harsh, I think most would be because they were struggling to take time off work. I will not send DS in if he is very poorly, but conjunctivitous is hard cos they are OK in them selves. My nursery are Ok as long as it is being treated - they have to be if you want them to put drops in for you!

CADS · 03/08/2006 11:54

I'm not talking about working parent, Melrose.

MaryP0p1 · 03/08/2006 11:55

what a stupid aguement because they got it from nursery they can pass it along in nursery. Following that arguement what conditions should they not allowed to go to nursery with. Perhaps, impetigo, hughly contagious mostly caught by children from children. As with conjuntivitis mostly okay with children, have antibiotics and its all okay but in a few cases can be very serious leaving long term effects. Just because they have caught the illness from nursery doesn't give parents the right to pass it other children so they suffer.

MaryP0p1 · 03/08/2006 11:56

BTW I am a working mother and I know its a pain but as a parent and part of your nursery community you have a right to behave responsibly.

FullOfTestosterone · 03/08/2006 11:59

mp - the thing is that there are two kind of things that looks and get the same name afaik..

My kids everytime they get a cold, stuff comes out of their eyes. I know is nothing specific, or contagious. Is just that their drain don't handle the mucous very well. So, yes, on these occasions I am known to give them drops to make sure they don't get anyhting serious and send them to nursery. There has never been a breakout because of us! Come to think of it, in 4 years at nursery I have never seen a breakout of conjuntivitis!

MaryP0p1 · 03/08/2006 12:10

I have having worked in the places PLUS my children have got it because one child keeps bringing it into the nursery.

Colds are colds, Conjuntivis and similar illness are different which is why ofsted have them on the list of contagious illnesses where exclusion is required until it is no longer conjagious.

Original poster
morningpaper · 03/08/2006 12:33

My baby has a streaming cold and TBH I think it is that causing gunk flying out of every orifice, not conjunctivitis at all

I am scared of Mary Poppins because that was a nickname used by SWMNBN [scared emoticon]

OP posts:
MaryP0p1 · 03/08/2006 12:41

I'm not as scary in RL, most of the time......

LucyJones · 03/08/2006 13:09

I am ed at the argument 'Dp would have had to take a week off work'. Erm... so? Isn't that what working mothers have to do all the time? I'm sorry but if your child has something contagious then it is up to you to make arrangements to look after that child, regardless of new babies etc etc.

FullOfTestosterone · 03/08/2006 13:19

Mp are his/her eyes actually red? if just gunky, i bet is a cold.

and I am sorry MaryPop... but I have seen many people not be able to tell these two conditions apart. Including doctors. Not because they are incompetent but because it takes days to tell them apart sometimes....

Pfer · 03/08/2006 13:34

The playschool that DS1 went to and now the school he goes to asks you not to bring your child in with it. DS1's had it a few times and I've never even considered taking him in, I'd be quite hacked off if another parent knowingly took their child in whilst infected and DS got it again. It's unfair on the kids (same thing as head lice really, it's contagious so keep them away - a boy in DS's class turned up two weeks ago crawling with lice and his mum thought it was ok to bring in him - he was sent home).

hotmama · 03/08/2006 13:50

LucyJones - so glad I shocked you!

Yes working mums and working dad's take time off to look after their lo's - luckily my dd's are rarely ill.

I wasn't at home, sitting on my arse and painting my nails whilst watching Tricia - I was recovering from a c-section, desperately trying to establish bfing as it went pants with dd1. The GP said it was O.K. the Nursery said it was O.K. - so what's your problem!

It depends what dp's/dh's do - my dp would normally jiggle things to be at home - it was just that week it was impossible! My mum was working and my MIL is dippy!

All I was trying to say is that some Nurseries do let you take them as long as they are on medication.

I wasn't saying take them to Nursery as that is where they caught it!

lazycow · 03/08/2006 13:51

I have no idea how you tell the difference between gunky eyes from a cold and conjunctivtis in the first few days.

After that it becomes clearer. However to tell the difference between viral and bacterial conjunctivitis you need a blood test. Most GP's can't tell the difference by looking and prescribe antibiotic drops in case it is bacterial.

LucyJones · 03/08/2006 13:54

I guess there is no problem as gp and nursery said it was fine. If they hadn't said that though I'm assuming you wouldn't have sent him in and therefore would have managed or dh would have taken time off work. After all those without nursery care wouldn't have had a choice...

lazycow · 03/08/2006 13:56

My childminder takes kids with suspected conjunctivitis as soon as the treatment starts.

Original poster
morningpaper · 03/08/2006 15:36

They have sent her home because they said it looked too gunky

I said she's got a cold FFS but they said she can't come in for at least two more days

So I have lost a working week

Nursery bill this month: £600 (they go 2 days a week)

Fantastic

OP posts: