Is a no medicine policy normal?

[Cosmod]

My daughters private nursery has a 'No Calpol policy'. This means that a child has to wait 48 hrs after their last Calpol/nurofen dose to be allowed back to nursery. This seems a bit over the top to me, as painkillers aren't always just for contagious illnesses! Could be for growing pains or teething etc. This is the only nursery my daughter's been to, and she's also my only child so I have no other experience!!
We had a situation about a month ago where I mentioned at drop off she'd had some painkillers as she had some Calpol to ease teething pain (as told to by the pharmacy!) But no temperature, just a bit whiny as they do. but they suddenly said that she had to have two days off because of this and it really upset her as she loves going, and kinda screwed me over as I had to last minute call in sick to work for 2 days! She's also gone in before with having Calpol within the previous two days, I just never thought to mention it!

Just seems odd to me as kids have all sorts of things that would require mild painkillers. thoughts?

Yeah that’s beyond a joke tbh. I just wouldn’t mention that she’d had any, they have to phone a NOK for permission to give calpol anyway so they can’t accidentally overdose her. You would think if your child was actually unwell, you wouldn’t even take them to nursery anyway.

That’s silly. I can understand them not wanting children who need painkillers that day, but a 48 hour rule seems a little silly.

Not normal no

Can you find a different one?

Just don't tell them if she is having calpol for teething what are they going to do pee check her for drugs

I’d assume they’re having problems with people dosing their kids with Calpol to hide being unwell, dropping them off and then not being contactable to come and collect when the calpol wears off/illness becomes clear.

Not a sensible way to handle the problem though.

I just wouldn't mention the calpol to them. I don't think that's normal or reasonable.

Not normal - WTAF! My daughters nursery give calpol for temps and teething, I even signed to say they can do it without my consent if they feel it's needed (they are brill and I trust them) which I'm more than happy about. Obviously if the calpol is not effective they will ring me which is fine xx

How would they know?? Just give it and don‘t say anything. The rule clearly exists to prevent cheeky fuckers from dosing up their sick kids just before drop off. But if you are giving calpol at just for teething/growing pains then I wouldn‘t give it a second thought.

My nursery gives calpol when needed for temps so massively over the top. Probably helps keep their numbers down each day though!

Calpol can mask more serious symptoms. 48 hours is harsh, our policy is that they cannot come in if they've needed calpol that day.

I can see why the policy exists though. Some people will send their children in no matter how unwell and then act innocent when we inevitably have to call them 3 hours later. I just feel sad for the children.

48 hours off policy seems over the top to me, and I'd imagine that's come up because they're having issues with parents giving calpol in the morning, sending the child in, it wears off, the child is upset & unsurprisingly the parents can't be contacted until pick up time.

Ours used to say no calpol that morning, but they were happy to administer so on days DC were teething, we'd let them know on arrival and if they needed some then nursery would call us and administer it.

I get they don’t want kids there on painkillers, but 48hrs is ridiculous. It’s out of their system in 4.

It's because people lie sending children dosed up then at 11ish the children get sick and parents can't be contacted. Teething is a typical excuse given for absolutely every illness from temperature and runny poos to vomit, rashes and breathing if they can't contact you and your child is rushed to hospital with convulsions or any serious deterioration including sepsis rash having a full history of the last 48 hours is vital and it's irresponsible to hide having given it ... especially settings that break the rules by asking for pre signed consent ..they should still be contacting you before giving it pre signed or not for the very reason that parents don't always tell them.

We put this policy in place during Covid to stop the medicine hiding any Covid symptoms. However we have kept it because of how many people were dosing up sick children prior to arrival - one of these hidden illnesses meant all the room staff were off sick with it at same time afterwards as the child showed symptoms after the medicine wore off but parents took ages to collect by which time everyone who had been cuddling the sick baby also caught it.

We will give calpol and allow it for children who are recovering from things like ear infections when they have had it diagnosed by a doctor and they have antibiotics (for example) but child is otherwise well and non contagious.

Unfortunately the choices of some parents mean blanket policies need putting in place to protect other children (and staff) from becoming unwell too. It isn’t always possible to cover staff illness and ratio needs means rooms may close for all parents if people don’t keep sick children at home. We don’t have a 48hr policy but have been tempted to add one when parents bring back a very poorly child the following day saying they are better when they clearly aren’t.

In my setting they can’t have calpol that morning - so it has to be 4 hours after their last dose to make sure it’s out of their system, that’s to make sure parents aren’t disguising a temperature and sending them in. 48 hours is ridiculous!

Ours is no calpol 4 hrs before attending but we ignore it if we're sure it's something not contagious like teething, ear infection etc...they wouldn't know. You can usually tell if they're too unwell to attend, coughs and colds and general aches and pains are worse in the morning and evening as a result of the human circadian rhythm so a dash of painkiller to help first thing then no more needed as the distraction of a busy nursery is just as effective.
I always say don't hesitate to call me if needed and they never do.

Our nursery accept children who have needed calpol and also give it If needed after seeking parents permission that is.

This shows just plain ignorance by nursery of how paracetamol works. Calpol has a registered half life of around 3 hours rising to 5 hours in neonates. So, in 3 hours fora toddler, after being given the correct dose, about half the active drug will remain, in another 3 hours half of that, and so on exponentially. With him 12 hours you are talking very small amounts left in system well below any therapeutic affect. By 24 hours you’d have difficulty detecting it.

where they come up with 48 from is not from any drug pharmacology and is therefore based on assuming that any child being given paracetamol is potentially infectious or ill for 48 hours after . Which is really stupid, based on nothing but stupid random assumptions . And they simply won’t have parents following it- just parents not telling them that puts children’s lives at risk actually.

really really dumb policy .

I don't think nurseries don't understand how paracetamol works Whiteroomjoy

What they do seem to know is that their setting has a problem with parents giving their children calpol, sending them to nursery and then being uncontactable when the child inevitably ends up feeling unwell later in the day / parents of unwell children then send the child in again claiming the child is fine but it becomes clear they aren't.

I agree with you that 48 hours seems excessive, but I found it irritating to do the right thing when mine were that age, only to find that some other parents lacked the common sense to realise that if everyone sends poorly children to nursery lots of us end up off work with unwell children.

The 48 hours thing is obvious really.

it’s not about the paracetamol or how it works really.

They’ve obviously had multiple parents deliberately attempting to cover up illness so have gone down a really hard line to prevent it.

It’s not the best way to deal with it but given how much nurseries are struggling, and likely hiw much more common it is atm because parents are struggling, it’s easy to see how it’s escalated.

I'm normally say never lie but this rule is silly

If for teething or other pain

Yes I get many parents dose then up to make them seem happy /bright at drop off then as wears off they slump at 10/12 when really quite poorly