PDA

View Full Version : illness



Emmalou77
06-02-2014, 04:20 PM
If a child was dropped off to you with a bottle of paracetamol and mum saying they have a temperature what would you do? All advice welcome :-(

line6
06-02-2014, 05:13 PM
I'd send her home. At least I think I would. It's not actually happened to me yet and thankfully my current parents are not that kind of parent.

Koala
06-02-2014, 05:51 PM
I would send home too, because THEY ARE ILL.
I exclude if child has a high temperature for 24hrs after normal temperature has returned.

I am not above caring for children who are just under the weather, teething etc... but when a parent knowingly brings a child with a high temperature and a bottle of paracetamol it starts thew alarm bells ringing, I have a sly smell of their breath for a puky smell and I have a thermometer handy for circumstances like this as it has happened before I take the childs temp and if above 37c I consider it a fever and turn away. Chances are they have been up all night puking!!!! and it won't get any better for you.

hectors house
06-02-2014, 06:11 PM
I would amend my plans accordingly and care for the child as if they were my own in my home from home setting - this is why parents choose childminders over nurseries. I don't agree that if a child has a temperature they have been at home being sick all night - sickness bugs rarely cause temperatures.

Glitter
06-02-2014, 06:17 PM
Defiantly send them home. Very often a child with a fever is very clingy and just wants to be with their parents.

If the child began to feel worse, or the temperature got worse I would not want to be the one who made the decision about when to get parents back or to call a doctor. Ill children should be at home with their parents.

kellib
06-02-2014, 06:21 PM
I'd probably accept them and see how they get on during the day, if they are unhappy or upset, clingy etc I'd be straight on the phone to parents to collect.

KatieFS
06-02-2014, 06:31 PM
This is a bit of a contentious issue. Sometimes a temp just means they are a bit coldy, but sometimes it's the body's way of warning you something nasty is brewing. I've had both scenarios and the latter is a very scary one to deal with.
I tell parents I will try to keep them here as think we can be a bit more flexible than a nursery, but if they aren't eating, aren't settling down cant join in with activities or stlll have fever then ill be sending home. I also send home if they've been sick or runny stools.
It of course is wrong for parents to knowingly send a child to you that us ill - I've had that too! But temp I wouldn't say is ill.
I would make a note in incident book and diary that chd had temp on arrival. And of course suggest they see doctor.

Koala
06-02-2014, 07:06 PM
I would amend my plans accordingly and care for the child as if they were my own in my home from home setting - this is why parents choose childminders over nurseries. I don't agree that if a child has a temperature they have been at home being sick all night - sickness bugs rarely cause temperatures.

Often high temperatures can cause vomiting. I agree I would treat the child as if my own. And If lo was my own would keep them at home as they are unwell and imo this is where the child belongs. :thumbsup: whether a child attends a nursery or a childminder a sick child belongs at home to safeguard the child, other children and the minder not just from the illness but from anything further developing.

line6
06-02-2014, 07:16 PM
This is what I was going to say. I said earlier on that I would send the child home. If it was my child a temp is a reason to stay at home. If a child in my care became ill I would of course treat them as I would my own and take care of them - until their parents arrived and took the poor child home where they (IMO) belong when they are poorly.

Emmalou77
06-02-2014, 07:18 PM
I guess it depends on your own situation. I am the only breadwinner and should I come down with something I could be unable to work. With this in mind I would send the child home.

FloraDora
06-02-2014, 11:49 PM
Like HH I would adjust my day to accommodate.

I find it amazing that lots of people assume they will automatically catch the bugs, virus's going around from children.
It is more likely that they catch them because they themselves are a bit low and their ammune system isn't battling well.

Keep yourself in tip top condition mentally and physically, be H&S focussed in using and disposing of hankies, washing hands etc..and you are likely to build up ammunities.

It is well known that when you become a teacher, the first year is when you catch everything from the children, then you build up ammunities and your own internal self defence kicks in so you thenj don't catch everything despite the runny noses and vomiting in the classroom.

I suspect Childminding is the same.

I try my best to help out the parents as they can't just take days off for children's illness and in this day and age the nuclear family that can be on hand for this situation is less likely as people move out of ther family area to find work.

Of course, really poorly children shouldn't have to go through getting up and coming out in the cold and sometimes just need their mummy or daddy, but a slight temperature raise ....I can cuddle too.

Simona
07-02-2014, 11:01 AM
Parents should not be allowed to turn up at the door in the morning with a bottle of medicine and a child with high temperature
Temperature is a sign something is not right and in children it can go up and cause convulsions and other reactions that will need to be acted upon.

We could reflect on our sickness policy and ask parents to call us in the morning if their child has not been well
From the discussion and details given we can agree a care plan and ensure the parents have an emergency plan in place and their emergency contacts warned in case pick up is required.

I do appreciate it is hard for parents who work to take time off but our main concern is the welfare of the sick child and the others in our care.

k-tots
07-02-2014, 01:56 PM
It would depend on the age of the child too...if say its a 1yr that u know is teething but nor been sick or got d then yes I would take them and give calpol.....if its a child not teething but shows they are fine...iyswim...but just a cold then again I would. ..we know or I hope we know the children we care for are like to notice any differences. ...I had my 3y mindee. ..absolutely fine in the morning but then went quite took temp called mum to advise. .if temp didn't go down with calpol then would need to collect so took temp 20-30mins after calpol and over the course of an hour and was still high so mum collected. ...two hours later mindee temp was normal and was running around z

alex__17
07-02-2014, 02:54 PM
From the other side of being a very new childminder and my son is just finishing with his childminder while I was working out my notice at work, I have an 18 month old who is very prone to high temp, it rockets really high for just a normal cold or teething, if I kept him home everytime he had a temp I'd never leave the house so we carry on as normal unless he seems really poorly. To be honest I never dropped him with his minder if he had a temperature, but he'd often have had one in the night and seemed fine in the morning so I sent him, sometimes he was fine all day, other times I was called at lunchtime to say temp up.
However I always let them know and fully expected a call and would drop everything at work to be there immediately to collect him if temp didn't come down with calpol. They were happy with that, as they know from the last few months he's prone to it!
I'd apply the same to children I'm minding, if they turned up with a temp and bottle of calpol I'd explain if temp didn't come down or child seemed very unwell or upset I'd call parent and expect immediate collection, if they didn't agree I would consider refusing childcare. I think most parents would see that as reasonable but that's just my opinion from my own personal experience!