To send or not send to school- ear infection

[Exhausted5487]

Anyone else hate making the decision about school when kids are under the weather? Generally I send them in if they seem okay overall but what would you do with an ear infection?

DD has been in a lot of pain over night and this morning is complaining of it on and off...but is otherwise absolutely fine and singing away etc! Had Calpol already.

She's only just started so I don't her to have a bad experience of feeling unwell at school but also don't want to break the routine unless needed!

Interested to hear what you'd do and hopefully help me decide what to do

Has she got a temperature? If so she'll be sent home and not allowed back without a negative PCR test.

If they’ve been in a lot of pain overnight surely they’ll need more calpol through the day and maybe antibiotics? I think I’d probably keep home today in that situation

It is difficult to know what to do, isn't it?

Could you call school and ask them what they'd suggest?

Ours is asking that we don't send kids to school with anything ATM. Partly because they don't want to have to isolate a kid whose Calpol has worn off and spikes a temperature. They then have to put them in a room on their own (and if they're very young, with an adult in a mask that tries to stay 2m away) while they wait for a parent to collect. They also want a PCR test before they come back into school.

Ear infections can be extremely painful, do not send her in, see a gp.

@FlorenceNightshade

If they’ve been in a lot of pain overnight surely they’ll need more calpol through the day and maybe antibiotics? I think I’d probably keep home today in that situation

I agree. The calpol will run out in a few hours & it'll be a long until the end of the day.

Don’t send her in, she’ll only be sent home again. Made that mistake with my DD once or twice… I’d probably get her seen by the GP too as she may need antibiotics.

Thanks everyone...I always go between worrying I'm overreacting and then worry I'm a mean parent sending them in!

No temperature thankfully...just this pain. I think I'll probably end up keeping her off as PP pointed out she will probably need more Calpol later today. Might speak to the school though as well. Thanks for helping me...I always hate this decision!

@Schulte

Don’t send her in, she’ll only be sent home again. Made that mistake with my DD once or twice… I’d probably get her seen by the GP too as she may need antibiotics.

With our GP we have to wait 3 days before contacting about an ear infection as they like it sort itself out if possible. Really hoping it's just today she can't go in but I guess we'll just have to wait to see!

@Exhausted5487 if your GP makes you wait three days to see if things settle then surely everyone just phones and claims it’s been three days since symptoms started? Earache is awful! Not sure I could wait that long

It gets easier - with DD1 the general barometer I use is if she goes quiet... I assume that she's REALLY unwell and keep her off (I have rang school before about absence and commented that "she's unwell, it's x, you know she's ill because the endless talking has stopped" and the class teacher has agreed that, yep, she's definitely not well!)

I kept her off yesterday - she'd really caught the heat the day before to the point of feeling very unwell and faint and it was obviously still affecting her. The endless wittering on has resumed this morning so in she goes!

I’ve heard of that three day rule but I’ve never known an ear infection sort itself out. That said, my DD has particularly difficult ears… Hope your DD feels better soon!

I was told once by the GP that i was doing things the wrong way around with an ear infection.
I was to see a GP when my child did not have a cold, not when he did have one.
[actually i would need to look it up even now, to see if i have things the right way around]!

Apart from that, I calmed down about when to send a poorly child to school or not, when I had a chat with a secondary school teacher. He was looking shamefaced as he told me he had sent his primary school child to school that morning, and had been just rung up by the school and asked to collect her as she was poorly. He said "it is soo hard to know whether to send them in or not, if they are a bit unwell, isnt it"?!
Once I knew/realised even teachers themselves have the same dilemma, I no longer got concerned about making a wrong decision myself.

Well I kept her home and then she didn't complain once about her ears...typical! Right call though on how she had been but still frustrating knowing she could have been in school...you win some, you lose some!