Would you admit a child who was being sick?

[Kessie]

Hello,

I have a child who is on a regular basis once a week is being sick in a car on the way to mine. She then turns up all covered in vomit and I just shower her and change and then we carry on as usually.

I just wonder whether I should really be taking her in on the day she is being sick or send her back home and say "Sorry, its against my policy to keep a sick child". It does say so in my policy but then it doesn't look like she is ill or something and the fact that it's a regular thing. I really don't know what to do.

[blue bear]

If a child makes them selves sick, so like in a temper or they have travel sickness I don't exclude but everything else I do. It's strange the chikd is being sick every week, does mum know why?

[Koala]

Is the child suffering from sickness anxiety?

My son used to throw up all the time when he was anxious, especially going to nursery, school, change of weather absolutely anything! This is the reason why I started childminding, because he would not settle anywhere else!!

However, I would be pe'd off having to shower a child covered in sick regularly on arrival, I wouldn't expect anyone to do that for my child. Parents have to work things out, either monitor food intake before they come or HAVE A BOWL to catch the puke, it really isn't fair on you.

If she is puking due to illness then she needs to GO HOME.

It's a tough one but parents have to deal with this - not you.

My son being as he is, Many a time I have had bowl, wipes, towels, change of clothes in my car because I know he is going to puke, he pukes and moves on, he's a complicated child. :panic:

[Mouse]

How old is she? Could it just be travel sickness?

I think I would do what someone else suggested & tell parents to have a bowl or sick bag in the car. I wouldn't be showering a child on a regular basis because they'd been sick. I would expect parents to at least do something to limit the mess.

[jillplum]

I looked after a child who was sick in the car on the way to mine when he had had a bottle of milk so we agreed that he didnt have milk till he got to my house! Problem solved.

[scottishlass]

I used to suffer badly from travel sickness as a child and I would accept a child having sufferere from this but wouldnt be happy having to shower them. It's a bit strange the parent not doing something like the bowl to at least try and catch it!! Xx

[caz3007]

My son suffers with travel sickness and sometimes it can be just round the corner. We have lots of old ice cream tubs in the car. Only a couple of times when he was small did we have it everywhere. I think you need to be working with the parents to try some strategies so that child doesnt need to be showered regularly by you, its not fair

[Kessie]

Thank you ladies. The child is 2 years old. The mom tries to wipe her but it doesn't really help as you can imagine as she still smells badly afterwards. I don't mind showering her cos I prefer to have a clean and nice smelly child than some one stinking of vomit all day))

I don't think they can use a bowl as she is so young, she can't tell she is going to be sick. And the problem is - we don't know why this is happening. I don't think its a car sickness as it doesn't happen every time she is in a car.

I have never heard about anxiety sickness before, maybe this is what it is. Because I think she is usually sick on Monday mornings.

[oxfordshirecm]

I think like everyone else has said- you need to work with the parent to find away so your not having to shower them constantly

[Paulab]

My dd2 who's just 2 suffers so bad with travel sickness, anything over 5 mins in a car and it everywhere, shes very good now & telling us she feels sick & will happily sit with a towel over her,

A new thing we've tried which I thought my mum was pulling my leg ! , was to sit her on some news paper (a old wives tale) but it's worked the last couple of times ! Xxx

[Koala]

My son is 12 now and tells us - he just can't help it when he gets worked up and sick. Now he manages, he goes to school and hasn't had an episode for a couple of months, but as it's end of term, I can't wait till September for it to happen all over again. :panic:

We have discussed many a time about his early years and his 'episodes of sickness' and he is adamant it just happens and there was nothing he could or anybody could do about it. He just got so worked up, anxious, uncertain and frightened and then he was sick, if he hadn't eaten it would just be yellow water puke. WE labelled it as anxiety because there really wasn't anything wrong in our world, but his world can be rather different, like any child. One thing that did help him is knowing what is going to happen, in what order, when and whom but this has to be followed through.
We found that when he went to nursery and particularly at school he couldn't cope with the uncertainty of who would look after him, different staff all the time screwed him up.

I know you are a constant in the childs care but is it regular and frequent care?
Maybe some familiar things from home can help, get lo to bring them in.
Can you give her something to take home, look after and bring back next time, may be over the weekend or is she too young to understand this?

I would be the same as you, I couldn't stand a smelly child all day and for my own sanity would have to wash them, but it still isn't fair for you to have to.
I would ask mum to think about what lo has to eat pre car journey - milk is a stinker!!

Good luck :thumbsup:

[Rachel23]

poor thing :( do you only have the little one once a week? could you ask mum to bring her a little earlier so that she can help you with cleaning her up and spending a bit of time with the child in your setting so she feels a bit more comfortable (if it is anxiety) by the sounds of it she is settled and comfortable with you but it could be an attention thing so that mum doesn't leave (not that its working)
If you don't think it is illness related could you work with mum to maybe do a sticker chart or similar reward for if she isn't sick when she arrives at yours?
I would certainly try and work with mum, see if the child does it any other time and try figure out some kind of solution that your both happy with.

good luck!:thumbsup:

[Samijanec]

I had a new minder do this on her first day, she's been fine ever since though, poor child, I feel for the pair of you, sick is horrid. I have a bag of zippy bags in my car.. Seems to contain anything if needed..