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JCrakers
12-10-2012, 11:43 AM
Yesterday I get to school 5 mins before the children are due out and teacher comes to me and tells me my 8yr old mindee has just been sick. (his 3.5yr old sister was sick on Tues so had 2 days off from me)
So it was quick decision making.... Mum works 20mins away and Dad works 30mins away and its a 15min walk from school to my house. :panic:

So hastily I decided to take him with me and he walked behind me with his brother....Poor chap, didn't look well.
We took a slow walk back in the rain and we arrived at my house but Dad hadn't arrived so I sat him on the doorstep with a bucket.....didn't really know what else to do???? He was being sick in the bucket and I couldn't bring him in as I had 3 under 5's inside as well as my dd who had an operation on Monday.

So, he was getting some fresh air :D and being away from everyone. I gave him water and checked on him and 10mins later Dad came and took him home.
I felt awful for leaving him on the doorstep but its a covered porch and we live on a culdesac so not a lot of people coming past. He was old enough to sit there (I wouldn't have left a younger child there)

I thought afterwards that maybe I should have left him at school for Mum or Dad to collect but it was one of those snap decisions. :(

AliceK
12-10-2012, 11:49 AM
If I'm honest as a parent of an 8yr old child I would not have been happy to find my DS in that position. I think you were right to bring him from school and call parents to collect but I would have isolated him in the house in the warm and dry. It's bad enough having a bug and chucking up without having to be sat on someones door step doing it :(
Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear.

xx

silvermist
12-10-2012, 11:52 AM
Bless you, I would have probably done the same, its tricky when you're forced to make snap judgements. If I had had time to think about it I might of rung mum or dad and said they needed to collect him as you had other mindees. Tricky one but I really wouldnt worry about it hun.

Just to add, when I worked in a primary school, los would have to sit in cloakroom with a bucket til parents arrived!!

SarahJellybean
12-10-2012, 11:56 AM
Sorry to say I think the same, I also have a covered porch but would never leave a child out there! What would have happened if he had got to your house feeling fine and then started being sick at your house? Would you have kicked him out?

JCrakers
12-10-2012, 12:09 PM
Yes, I would have kicked him out because that's the sort of person I am...cold and callous.

Seriously, I had walked up the hill, got a bucket, got the 4 younger children inside, shoes and coats off, into the playroom. Then I thought right...where is the best place for him to sit to get some fresh air (he still had his coat and shoes on) so my doorstep is literally down the hallway form the kitchen.

I had no concerns for him sitting there for 10m until his Dad arrived. I've been looking after this child for 5yrs. Maybe I should have left him a school because that would obviously have been better than the abuse he suffered :blush:

EmmaReed84
12-10-2012, 12:12 PM
Hindsight is a wonderful thing! I probably would have done the same as you. If I had a covered porch I don't think I would leave them out there, I would at least let him in the hallway and sit on the stairs with a blanket and a drink. Then when he left I would have blitzed the place with anti-bac stuff, and scrubbed my hands and the floor and bleached the bucket! LOL

Little Pickles
12-10-2012, 12:27 PM
If I'm honest as a parent of an 8yr old child I would not have been happy to find my DS in that position. I think you were right to bring him from school and call parents to collect but I would have isolated him in the house in the warm and dry. It's bad enough having a bug and chucking up without having to be sat on someones door step doing it :(
Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear.

xx

I totally agree with Alice. I don't mean to offend but I would not have been happy to find my ill child outside. If you didn't want him in your house you should have left him at school for parents to collect.

The Juggler
12-10-2012, 12:34 PM
hon you are not cold and callous - you did what YOU thought was right for all of the children, keeping the well ones safe and him isolated. We all respond differently. You thought fresh air was best, others think warm and blanket. If you'd had him in the hall and he'd thrown up all over the hall and missed the bucket and you have small babies, then how do you care for him, the babies whilst cleaning up??? Same if you put him up in a bedroom and he threw up everywhere - how would you clean him up whilst the littlies are downstairs?

Me, I would have said best thing was to leave him at school but THEN...... he is going to think, why is she leaving me here when I am sick :panic::( it's a no win situation. I probably would have said to the teachers he's not well enough to walk with me in the rain so best he stays with you to wait for mum and dad - but then mum and dad might have not liked that and teachers might have been busy as all children are due to be collected at finish time and they have no obligation to keep him later, but neither do you have any obligation to take him when sick.

Lots of people do things differently don't be upset by the responses people are just telling you what THEY would have done. Chin up. At the end of the day, he didn't suffer for it, got picked up by mum and dad and was tucked up at home in no time - and the fresh air probably did him a bit of good.

sarah707
12-10-2012, 12:43 PM
It is very important that a child who is being sick is quarantined.

You should clearly state in your illness procedures that you will ask them to sit somewhere where other children are not so that there is less risk of cross contamination.

These procedures should also be discussed with parents so they understand why their child has been taken out of the play area in case they comment on it / moan about it later.

It depends on the size and shape of your house doesn't it? If you are lucky enough to have a spare room that has been risk assessed then great they can go in there until parents arrive.

if you have a downstairs toilet that is often a good place to sit them with a bowl or bucket.

if you do not have either of these then you need to look around and think about where the child might be safest waiting for collection.

If they are in your sight and hearing then I think a porch is as good a place as any!

They can shout if they need you ... they are warm and dry... you can keep an eye on them while getting food / drinks etc for the other children...

I hope the little one is feeling better soon x

JCrakers
12-10-2012, 12:45 PM
Its not that I didn't want him in my house, he didn't really have time to come in.
I was happy that he was happy, I was happy that I did the right thing. Dad was happy that I had picked him up and was happy with the care he had received.

It was a case of sorting the younger children first, so by the time I had got them out of buggy, taken shoes and coats off, taken them through into the playroom without them coming into contact with him, his Dad was here. I could have sat him on the bottom stair which is right next to where I sat him but the children were taking their shoes off. I didn't want him being sick right next to the little ones so I chose a place for him. That wasn't my question. A child being sick into a bucket where an 18m old could have quite easily fallen over onto the bucket/picked up the bucket wasn't a good idea so I asked him to wait there while I sorted everyone out.

If he had been sick at my house and not school I would have chosen the hallway with a bucket but this wasn't available at the time of getting everyone into the house.



My question wasn't meant to be towards where should I have sat him it was would you have left him at school or taken him with you knowing he had been sick?

Bear23
12-10-2012, 12:48 PM
Its not that I didn't want him in my house, he didn't really have time to come in.
I was happy that he was happy, I was happy that I did the right thing. Dad was happy that I had picked him up and was happy with the care he had received.

It was a case of sorting the younger children first, so by the time I had got them out of buggy, taken shoes and coats off, taken them through into the playroom without them coming into contact with him, his Dad was here. I could have sat him on the bottom stair which is right next to where I sat him but the children were taking their shoes off. I didn't want him being sick right next to the little ones so I chose a place for him. That wasn't my question. A child being sick into a bucket where an 18m old could have quite easily fallen over onto the bucket/picked up the bucket wasn't a good idea so I asked him to wait there while I sorted everyone out.



My question wasn't meant to be towards where should I have sat him it was would you have left him at school or taken him with you knowing he had been sick?

Don't know what the correct answer is, but i know i would always take them home with me. :thumbsup:

Toothfairy
12-10-2012, 12:49 PM
I think you were right to bring the child home and let the parents collect from you but I agree with some of the others, I probably would have kept them indoors in the warm.
It's very hard when things are pushed on you without warning and I'm sure you did what you thought was best at the time which is all any of us can do. :thumbsup:

sonyach
12-10-2012, 01:17 PM
Personally i think the school should have phoned his parents and sorted him out he was sick when he was in their care, but then i find they are usually happy to pass the buck.
I think you made the right decision given the circumstances you have to consider everyone in your care, he was safe and his dad was on the way. Don't feel bad you did good!!:D

QualityCare
12-10-2012, 01:25 PM
If it had happened 5/10 mins before the end of the day would school have rung you or parent to collect, whilst l appreciate it was the end of the day possibly they should have rung parents if they knew he is collected by you and not them, l would have rung parent whilst at school and told them l would wait in school with the child for them to collect (immediately) as l couldn't be sure he wouldn't be sick again on the way home, if school offered to wait with him then l would have left him in their care.

marie2012
12-10-2012, 01:33 PM
I would have taken him home too I'm sure after you having him for 5 years he felt better with you regardless of where he was sat than being left at school. Maybe not my place to say as I'm not even registered yet lol. X

FussyElmo
12-10-2012, 01:37 PM
I would have taken him home :thumbsup:

You did what you could in the circumstaces - job done parent was happy, the child wouldnt have wanted to have been left at school. You looked after the others in your care while quaranting the ill child.

eddie
12-10-2012, 01:41 PM
Personally i think the school should have phoned his parents and sorted him out he was sick when he was in their care, but then i find they are usually happy to pass the buck.
I think you made the right decision given the circumstances you have to consider everyone in your care, he was safe and his dad was on the way. Don't feel bad you did good!!:D

I agree the school should have phoned the parents. I would have done whatever it took to make sure the others were safe especially as you have someone recovering from an operation where the risk of infection could have been serious.

sweets
12-10-2012, 01:43 PM
I would have done exactly what you did :thumbsup:

Jods
12-10-2012, 01:49 PM
yup I would have done it x

and no it would not bother me if I found my child on your doorstep, poor little mite, sometimes wrapping them and keeping them warm is not the right thing to do!!

samb
12-10-2012, 01:57 PM
I wouldn't have thought twice about taking him with me until parent could collect. I also wouldn't have anywhere to put him inside in "quarantine" - he probably would have had to sit in the bathroom at mine but if I had a porch I think it's a great idea. Equally I don't think it would have been wrong to leave him at school for parents to collect but I would have wanted to stay with him and that's not really helpful for the others in your care either is it!

JCrakers
12-10-2012, 02:00 PM
I agree the school should have phoned the parents. I would have done whatever it took to make sure the others were safe especially as you have someone recovering from an operation where the risk of infection could have been serious.

This was also a huge concern of mine. My dd had an operation on her ears and teeth on Monday and I was concerned how she would feel if she caught it. She was upstairs but I can't imagine her being sick with a bug when her ears are still hurting. :(
Thanks for all the replies, I know everyone does things differently and I know it may have sounded awful to hear about him being left outside but it wasn't like that at all. I honestly didn't just cast him aside he was genuinely fine. My main aim was to find out if I should have left him at school.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think if it happened again I would ring Mum and get her to pick him up from school. They must have an area to sit.

As a parent of two I would have been fine in the situation. What I wouldn't have been happy with was coming to pick up my child with an ill child being sick right next to him/her. Or to discover that whilst my childminder was cleaning sick up off the floor because it hadn't been handled properly my little one was left on his own.
I made a plan and at the time it was a good one.

~Grasshopper~
12-10-2012, 03:20 PM
i think you did the right thing and i would have sat him in the porch aswell. fresh air and dad was on route, no point spreading the germs around your lo's

x

BuggsieMoo
12-10-2012, 03:31 PM
Did the school even attempt to call the parents?

Poor little love betg he felt rotten - being ill is never nice.

He was in the schools care and their policies are pretty much the same as ours 48 hour exclusion, sent home etc. Therefore he was in their care when he became ill, they should have been the ones to have had to deal with it and calling parents etc and following their own rules and regulations and not thinking its ok to pass the buck to you because it was 'nearly' home time.

However, that said I would also collect the child, call parents whilst walking home and hope that they could meet us on the way or as soon as we got back. Failing that, I dont have an outside space but I do have a seperate door access to my kitchen and downstairs loo - little one would have been sat in the loo with a bucket in his hands if needs be. Therefore not getting anywhere near the other little ones.

Well done you for thinking on your feet and coming up with a suitable solution for the minimal time he was with you ensuring both him, the other mindees and your own child were in the best possible 'safe' place.

x

zippy
12-10-2012, 04:11 PM
Yesterday I get to school 5 mins before the children are due out and teacher comes to me and tells me my 8yr old mindee has just been sick. (his 3.5yr old sister was sick on Tues so had 2 days off from me)
So it was quick decision making.... Mum works 20mins away and Dad works 30mins away and its a 15min walk from school to my house. :panic:

So hastily I decided to take him with me and he walked behind me with his brother....Poor chap, didn't look well.
We took a slow walk back in the rain and we arrived at my house but Dad hadn't arrived so I sat him on the doorstep with a bucket.....didn't really know what else to do???? He was being sick in the bucket and I couldn't bring him in as I had 3 under 5's inside as well as my dd who had an operation on Monday.

So, he was getting some fresh air :D and being away from everyone. I gave him water and checked on him and 10mins later Dad came and took him home.
I felt awful for leaving him on the doorstep but its a covered porch and we live on a culdesac so not a lot of people coming past. He was old enough to sit there (I wouldn't have left a younger child there)

I thought afterwards that maybe I should have left him at school for Mum or Dad to collect but it was one of those snap decisions. :(


I would have took him home from school if it was near but considering it was a fifteen minute walk he probably would have been more comfortable at school. Don't mean this to sound nasty but I wouldn't have left him on the doorstep, i would have let him sit in bathroom or something, I'd have been furious as a parent if I returned to find my sick kid on the doorstep, even if there was a porch I know it was practical just comes accross as uncaring, I'm sure that's not the case just would have been my first impression as a parent

Ripeberry
12-10-2012, 05:20 PM
I would have done exactly the same as you. There were young children in the house. A child recovering from an operation. Why should everyone else have to listen to sick noises and smell it as well? Fresh air is the best. If he had started at your house then I'm sure you would have still kept him quarantined and called the parents.
Its all about making sure the child touches nothing in the house. Its not as if it was the depths of winter.

eddie
12-10-2012, 05:35 PM
I would have done exactly the same as you. There were young children in the house. A child recovering from an operation. Why should everyone else have to listen to sick noises and smell it as well? Fresh air is the best. If he had started at your house then I'm sure you would have still kept him quarantined and called the parents.
Its all about making sure the child touches nothing in the house. Its not as if it was the depths of winter.

Totally agree, that would have set me off heaving myself let alone the kids. Mind you I have a terrible phobia of people being sick - this may not have been the best career choice.......:blush:

Ripeberry
12-10-2012, 05:54 PM
Totally agree, that would have set me off heaving myself let alone the kids. Mind you I have a terrible phobia of people being sick - this may not have been the best career choice.......:blush:

Same here. If my own kids are sick my husband deals with it. No child has been sick with me....yet. :eek:

jaswinder bedi
12-10-2012, 06:10 PM
I would have done exactly what you did :thumbsup:



I agree you did the right thing, it is so hard to balance and keep every one happy.:panic:

eddie
12-10-2012, 06:13 PM
Same here. If my own kids are sick my husband deals with it. No child has been sick with me....yet. :eek:

My son always used to throw up in his bed - we went through a lot of duvets and covers because I just couldn't deal with it and had to chuck it away...

LauraS
12-10-2012, 06:19 PM
I think its just the connotations associated with leaving him on the porch which are bothersome, it suggests an image of him being abandoned on the front step with a rusty bucket and refused entry whilst everyone else skips inside happily to play :laughing:. Of course, that isn't what happened.

If you had said you walked him through the back garden.gate and.sat him on the conservatory steps in the fresh air with a bucket, I doubt anyone would have had any issues. Surely the same.thing?

georgie456
12-10-2012, 08:53 PM
I would have done exactly the same as you. There were young children in the house. A child recovering from an operation. Why should everyone else have to listen to sick noises and smell it as well? Fresh air is the best. If he had started at your house then I'm sure you would have still kept him quarantined and called the parents.
Its all about making sure the child touches nothing in the house. Its not as if it was the depths of winter.

Agreed. I would have done exactly the same.