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Nurseries

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Original poster

Policies re: runny poo at nurseries

24 replies

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:02

My 22yo DD's son is at a nursery 3 days per week (Mon, Tue, Wed). For the last 3 weeks, they've called to have him picked up early as he's had 2 "runny poos" during the day, so they state policy is that after 2 runny poos, they send him home, and he isn't allowed back for 48 hours. They've just done this again today - and state he can't come back Tue or Wed - but refuse to refund the money for Tue or Wed because they state that it "holds his place" in the nursery.

We've explained to them NUMEROUS times, that when he has a cold with a runny nose (which is fairly frequently as a 3yo) that he get goopy or sometimes a bit of runny poo but that otherwise he is fine and does not have any tummy bug. Is this standard? How in god's name is DD supposed to work when the nursery is constantly sending him home and refusing to allow him to return for days at a time? She can't afford other childcare for those days as she has already paid at the nursery and they won't refund the money. Otherwise she would be routinely paying double for her childcare!

What to do about this??

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Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:06

Just to add, DD just checked the pants they sent home for the day (the soiled ones) and one pair you can't even hardly tell there was any poo in it (just a teeny smudge) and the other they didn't even take the poo out of the pants, and it was a little mucousy (yeah, sorry TMI) but not runny at all.

OP posts:

cluckyagain · 18/05/2009 16:07

Blimey - still at nursery at 22yo!!

cluckyagain · 18/05/2009 16:09

OK, OK - so I misread that!! Confused emoticon!!

Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:09

??? It's my 22yo DD's SON - he is 3. as stated in the first post.

OP posts:

VinegarTits · 18/05/2009 16:12

My 2 yr always has runny pooh, teething combined with him only eating fruit (fussy) the nursery have never sent him home

Gorionine · 18/05/2009 16:15

her 22 year old DD's son cluckyagain!

OP, I think it is a bit of a drastic approach but I hear a lot of parents complaining as soon as they hear someone else'e Dc has got a runny pooo. Everybody automaticly assume that it is some sickness and diarrhoea virus.

I think the world has gone mad and your nursery is just responding to the over reacting by over reacting as well. but is is just my opinion and as I have no DCS in nursery I am no expert!

Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:17

He does eat a lot of fruit as well. They sent him home when he was on antibiotics for an ear infection as well, due to some runny poo. Even though she specifically told them if he had any it was due to the antibiotic, as it was a common side effect.

I just don't understand how they can say "oh, that's it - 2 poos and he has to go home now and can't come back for 2 days, but you still have to pay us." And this is the third time in three weeks.

DD is freaked out as she has had to leave her job 3 times in 3 weeks and now has to sort something for the next 2 days at work. Personally, I think she should find a new nursery. This one is annoying. When DD couldn't pick him up immediately (meaning leave work right away), the manager today snapped at her and told her it was unacceptable that they had to wait 90 minutes for her to come pick him up. DD is a single mum, she was at work (which she can't just walk out of for a poo nappy), and rides the bus for transport. What do they expect???

OP posts:

Gorionine · 18/05/2009 16:22

I agree with you, if the nursery's policy is such as there is no room for discussion she might be better off putting her ds in a different one. She aso should make absolutely sure of their "poo policy" as well before making any decision.

VinegarTits · 18/05/2009 16:27

A new nursery will still charge her full price if her dd is ever ill, you pay a set fee to keep the place, they dont refund you money if your dc is off ill

I would check with them what they class as runny pooh, explain that she eats a lot of fruit so tends to have very soft poohs, if she hasnt been there for very long they probably dont know what is 'normal' with her

The nursery i use know my ds very well, they know the difference between runny poo and diariha (sp?) due to a bug

Unfortunately, having to take time off work due to a sick child is just a fact of life, and if the nurseries didnt have these policies they could be an outbreak and all the kids with be sick, they are just being cautious and rightly so, i would rather my ds be at a nursery that stuck to their policies than one that was slack

Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:35

He has been there for almost a year. She goes through this every time he has a cold, as this always happens. One would think after almost a year they would connect that every time he has a runny nose, his poo is a bit mucousy.

I'd understand if he was new and they didn't know him well. But he's not. It's just reaching a point of ridiculous.

OP posts:

nickschick · 18/05/2009 16:37

I used to work at a private nursery and generally a child with a tummy upset with have other symptoms too,tummy ache,lethargy,thirst or vomiting they will be listless and moany too.

I have a son with a food allergy he gets upset stools for days at a time if hes eaten a small amount of allergen-runny poop is not clearly defined as D&V.

I suggest your daughter goes and speaks to the OIC and failing that finds perhaps a childminder who may be more understanding.

Its not fair that you are paying high rates for a service your arent allowed to access and after reading a thread last week regarding numbers in nursery and sending home of over the number kids then I am reluctant to advise the use of these nurseries.

Money it would seem is the root.

VinegarTits · 18/05/2009 16:37

I wouldnt send my dc to nursery with a cold anyway

DS is off nursery today because he has a cold

Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:42

Good grief, if she kept him home every time he had a runny nose, he'd never go. Kids in childcare have a tendency to pass snuffly noses all over all the time.

And NEVER when he has these mucousy poos does he have any other symptoms. They've even said "oh he's fine, but he has to go home because of the poo."

OP posts:

hf128219 · 18/05/2009 16:42

This is the thing - the 48 hour exclusion rule is for Diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is the passing of watery stools more than three times a day. Watery being the key word. Not just loose - or caused by teething (for which there is a distinct smell IMO) - or by anti-biotics.

She needs to put her foot down.

bigchris · 18/05/2009 16:45

it doesn't sound like the nursery is working out for her.
Would she consider a childminder?

nickschick · 18/05/2009 16:46

vinegartits - theres colds where your dc is unwell and then theres kids that are generally a bit snotty all year round.

Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 16:47

They're saying only 2 times.

She's just got off the phone with the owner, and flat out told him that she's checked the pants he was wearing that they sent home and they were NOT diarrhoea. She is insisting they review this and the owner agreed it needs to be looked into, so she is bringing her DS in tomorrow and will take it from there, meeting with the owner in the morning when she drops off son.

OP posts:

hf128219 · 18/05/2009 16:53

Triggles - well done to your daughter.

Nickschick - each to their own for their choice of childcare.

Original poster

Triggles · 18/05/2009 17:22

Thanks for the info. DD and owner have decided they are going to keep a diary at the nursery (and DD is going to keep one at home as well), tracking any diarrhoea and colds and such, so they can see the correlation. She's also going to mention to the owner about the lecture the manager gave her today and having to wait to have him picked up. They're being a bit unreasonable based on the situation. Obviously, if it had been an actual emergency, she would have been able to leave work immediately, but her work is not going to allow her to drop everything and run for a bit of runny poo.

OP posts:

nickschick · 18/05/2009 17:55

hf128219-I wasnt having a go at nursery care I was saying a childminder might be a bit more open minded with regards to this situation.

hf128219 · 18/05/2009 18:06

'I am reluctant to advise the use of these nurseries.

Money it would seem is the root.'

That's what you said!

nickschick · 18/05/2009 18:50

thats my lack of punctuation what i was saying is that a few days ago a similar thread concerning a chain of well known nurseries were taking more children than they were allowed and then conveniently sending certain children home,I personally have never seen that and I did say i couldnt see that as being possible but several nursery nurses confirmed this does happen.

That was what i was getting at and those sort of nurseries.

atworknotworking · 18/05/2009 19:45

When you work with children you do become a bit of a poo expert . I base my decisions wether to send a mindee home or not (I'm a CM) on the usual poo's and if their are any other symptoms, I have a couple who get really runny poos when teething, and one that has extremely runny poo's everytime they do one (it's fine by the way doc's checked) but it is quite alarming been covered a few times .

I do have a strict policy though and I do exclude for 48hrs, it's not fair on the other mindee's their parents or me if we all end up with it. I think the key to this one is that nursery should look at children as individuals not in bulk, it's all very well having a policy but you need proceedures as well. Glad DD is going to talk to owner hope she gets sorted.

AngelNanny · 18/05/2009 21:37

Sounds like they are looking for any excuse to send a child home early or they are incompetent and cannot tell the difference between diarrhoea and runny poo.

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