Horrible nursery manager - WWYD?

[Lbabyx]

Hi,

I dropped my daughter off at nursery this morning (only his third time) and needed to drop off some calpol prescribed by the doctor for her cough and runny nose. It was labelled and prescribed within the last 7 days as required. However, the nursery manager (who I have been warned about in the past), refused to believe that my daughtee didn't have a temperature and said the doctor wouldn't have prescribed calpol without a temp. We doesn't have a temp and hasn't ever had one in the 5 months she's been alive! The nursery manager made me out to be a liar and made me feel like I was convincing her to give my daughter poison!!

I was so upset driving home, tempted to put my daughter in a different nursery but she's happy there?

What would you do?

[LimitedEditionLady]

I understand exactly what this mummy is saying. Don't bad mouth this lady for taking her child to nursery, her child DID NOT have a temperature. The doctor obviously prescribed the calpol incase ther child got a temperature as with a runny nose and cough she could've developed more symptoms so they do that to one save the parent running out buying it last minute and also having to make more appointments. I'm sure that this lady knows calpol won't cure a runny nose and cough. It is perfectly fine to take a child to nursery with a cough and runny nose it's not a contagious disease it's a cold. They all get them most children are fine they carry on playing and eating so why can't they go to nursery? She didn't tell the nursery manager to give her the calpol and I'm sure the nursery have such a thing as a thermometer which they have to use to check the childs temperature before giving any and they also have to ring the parent before they give paracetamol so the nursery manager doesn't have to be rude to this lady at all. I take my son to nursery when he has a cold and the nursery agrees its best to fetch them in and give them a try at being there and if they are not ok they ring to collect them which I think is great because you could end up keeping them off for nothing,if you're working miss wages and unsettling their routines. If I book a day off work it's still my childs nursery day which I pay 52 weeks a year because thats how it works I still take him and he loves it so it annoys me to read "oh what is the baby doing at nursery if shes at home?" It doesn't make you an inferior parent to have a few hours to yourself, don't bash other people as parents when you know nothing about them.

[AuntySammy]

Some parents have to work and need nursery places and/or other childcare for their child/children. They shouldn't be judged as everyones circumstances and needs are different. Nursery staff are only permitted to give medicine prescribed by a doctor and with written consent by parents. If a doctor prescribes calpol 9or any other medicine) then it has to be adminstered - then recorded on a medical form, however if it is not then they can't adminster it in accordance with Ofsted regualtions and the law. Policies vary on childhood illness - a cough or cold does not render a child to ill for nursery unless they feel miserable and generally really unwell. However, vomiting or diarrohea and other more serious infectious illnesses do, parents should always consider whether their child is well enough to attend nursery/school but generally with a cough they are well enough. For children with medical conditions such as asthma inhalers (or other medications) are adminstered when needed but parental consent is always needed before hand. However, this manager should not have been rude - parental wishes should come first, and she should have explained the nursery policy in a nice polite way.

[Sirzy]

Parental wishes should not always come first at all. Some parents wish to send children into nursery knowing they are infectious. What a daft statement that is.

No nursery has to give calpol that is entirely up to their own policy as to what they will give and under what circumstances.

[AlbertaCampion]

Wow: this thread is a magnet for the judgiest people on Mumsnet! Please don't flounce, OP: you had some bad luck here.

FWIW I sent my under-one to nursery with Calpol on a number of occasions, mostly due to painful teething. It was never questioned by nursery staff: I signed a form, and they gave it on an as-needed basis.

If a stroppy manager had questioned the need for it, I would have questioned if my child was in the right nursery.

[insancerre]

Ofsted has defined what they mean by 'prescribed' and this doesn't just mean a written prescribed from a doctor. They define prescribed as any medicine recommended by a doctor, nurse or other medical practitioner.
But different nurseries will have their own policies.

[DoYouWannaDance]

There seems to be some confusion here about what a cold actually is .

A cold is a contagious disease, it's a virus that is easily passed on to others.

Whilst a lot of us would send toddlers/pre schoolers to nursey with a cold due to work commitments, a baby can be much more poorly with the common cold, and in this case the mother was at home anyway. A relative of mine lost their 2 month old due to a very bad cold/medical negligence, and my own child almost choked to death on his own mucus as a baby due to a nasty cold.

I think the nursery manager was correct to question OP, she has dozens of other children to consider.