If on antibiotics, can't go to nursery

[user153876909]

My DS has a possible ear infection so docs prescribed antibiotics for 7 days, we weren't planning to send him into nursery until it subsides anyway but the nursery just informed me that they have a policy that if a child antibiotics they can't come into nursery for 7-10 days (depending on how long the course is).

I've never heard of that before. Is this common?

Never heard of it! Surely that’s discriminatory?

Most policies are about the illness not the treatment.

For example

Anti biotics to prevent infection from a cut shouldn't require a ban because no other child could be affected.

Anti biotics fir conjunctivitis might need a ban to prevent other children catching the infection.

To add an ear infection shouldn't require a ban as other children won't catch it.

When my DC were at nursery, the policy on antibiotics was that they couldn’t come in until either 24 or 48 hours (can’t remember which now) into the course of antibiotics. And after that, once they were well in themselves, they’d be allowed back in.

The manager said to me that this was partly in case the child had a bad reaction to the antibiotics - I guess if that’s going to happen, it would happen with the first dose - and partly so that the antibiotics had had a chance to start working before the child came back.

I would want to see the rationale behind that policy because it makes no sense. Every rule/policy should have an explanation.

yes, reading online that's what they're saying, 24 hours after first dose of antibiotics in case they have a reaction to it, which makes sense. But this I've never heard of .....

No not normal. Mine recently on antibiotics no problem as it wasn't a contagious problem

Mine attended nursery recently that should say!

Our little girls nursery won't let them in for the first 48 hours in case they have a reaction to the medicine but can go in after then x

This is the same nursery that sent DS home because although he did not have a fever (and they checked the) he 'felt hot to touch' - for context, he was wearing a jumper that he refused to take off. But they sent him home and he needed a PCR test to go back.

Gosh that's ridiculous. We've been very lucky but some friends' kids would never have been in at that rate. Ours will give anything with the prescription label, plus Calpol as needed.

Ours starts nursery next week. That's the same policy there, with no justification given, just the blanket rule. Seems really random!

My son had an ear infection last week, I clarified if he was ok to come in on antibiotics and they said yes as long as it had a prescription label on which of course they do.
It's not contagious.

Ridiculous. Our son has just finished a course of antibiotics due to perforated eardrum (fine in himself) and nursery didn’t bat an eyelid at administering them while he was there, never mind having him in nursery while on them.

The hot to touch thing would have had me raging. Did you point out to them that he wasn’t eligible for a PCR test and that you would have to give false information online in order to book him one? I would have requested that they put their request in writing via email along with confirmation that he didn’t have a fever when they checked.

That's crazy. Is it a private day nursery or a school-based one? I find the former seem much happier to deal with stuff like this, based on friends' experiences.

Is it because they can't administer them?

They said it was government guidelines about the 'hot to touch' thing and it does say on the website : "a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)". They interpreted this to mean even if your measured temp is fine, if you feel hot to touch you have one of the covid symptoms and hence must follow all the protocol.

It's a private nursery and they didn't give me a reason, they wouldn't necessarily have needed to administer it anyway because he goes in half days so that could have been avoided.

Think I need to consider other nurseries - I'm not back at work yet but when I am I'd be off half the year following their policies.

Mine have always been allowed in on antibiotics just have to complete relevant paperwork for them to administer, no problem at all.

Mine won’t administer prescription medicine either. As she was on the last few days of her prescription (for an ear infection) I was planning on switching from 3x doses per day to 2x per day for that day only and not telling them about it. In the end the prescription ran out so didn’t need to. It’s a really stupid policy and will just lead to parents lying or omitting information.

24 hours after first dose here, they will administer a single dose at a set time if you fill in paperwork and the bottle has a label on it. That was the nursery I used.

School on the other hand wanted a prescription for travel sickness tablets. Changed their tune when I said I really wasn't that bothered if she didn't take it, but on a 3 hour coach trip they may well be bothered.

It seems nurseries can do whatever they want with regards to policies. Ours won't take them for 24 hours after starting new antibiotics (if it's a type they've had before they can go straight back).
However if DS has discharge from his ear then we have to cover it before he can go in. Can't personally see how it's any different to a runny nose but the manager is really funny about it. DS has a perforated ear drum so infections, antibiotics and discharge are a regular occurrence and we are well versed in our nursery's policies now!

24 hours after first dose is the rule at ours, which I believe is in case of a reaction to the antibiotics. They’ll give prescription medication if you fill some forms in and leave specific instructions. Most infections that a child might need antibiotics for aren’t things that can be passed to other children so I don’t really understand their rationale.

Don't nurseries have to be run by qualified staff? I find this level of nonsensical rules very concerning. It does make you wonder what else they don't know.