How ill is too ill??

[Milli147]

Obviously I have a policy regarding infectious illnesses and exclusion periods, but I was wondering - when would you turn a mindee away?
Streaming nose and eyes?
Sick in the car from a 'rushed breakfast'?
Hacking croupy cough?
I seem to be picking up every single bug and virus going and I wonder if I am being too lenient!

[Alibali]

I've never vomitted form rushing breakfast! I dont take any vomitters.
Runny nose and colds I accept, but if child is not well enough to join in normal activities then I send them home/dont accept them. It's hard to be firm to begin with, but once they know whats what it will get easier.

[Dragonfly]

sick in the car from a rushed breakfast not sure I would believe that one. I have the same trouble how ill is too ill, will look forward to the answers to this one, very difficult one. Sorry I couldnt help.

[mufftie]

colds are fine as theyd never turn up if i didnt allow this but i wont accept sickness as more than anything i havnt got time to be cleaning sick

[Pipsqueak]

Sickness or poops - exclude

how ill is too ill - if they cannot join in with normal daily activities, if they are contagious (apart from your run of mill colds - green gunk generally indicates an infection, if they are really knocked out from a cold then home they go), if you have to keep them dosed up so they can join in, if they want their parent(s), if you have to sit and comfort them and if what you have to do detracts greatly from being with all the children.

[FussyElmo]

I dont accept for D+V and I shut if my or any of my family have it.

Howevre most other things I will accept. They have to be really really bad for me not to have them. All I ask is that they can function and still walk to school.

I have my mindee today who is usually at school nursery because she has a horrible cough poor thing

Ps i have no other mindees here just dd and she will be going home by the time I get in from school

[Tink]

I would say if you think a child is too ill to be with you then send them home.
I had a lo last week very ill temperature, sick, off food, very unwell, could hardly breath and just wanted cuddles, phoned Mum who said "i'm sure she is fine I finish work at 4"
I replied with "NO you need to come and collect her" she came all huffy as manager was mad she had to fetch her. I then got a text Saturday saying Lo was in A and E with bronchitis.

So if you feel a child is too ill send them home.

[Bridey]

Definitely no vomiters.

[funemnx]

I don't mind if a child wants to lounge on the sofa because he/she has a cold and feeling yucky as long as I don't have plans. But if they can't walk to the school and back then they need to be at home

[babs]

another question lo goes to school 9 till 12 but is ill mum brings and says oh dont send him / her to school today they are ill ..
1) would you say yeh ok they can stay off
2) sorry to ill for school to ill to stay here
3) take to school anyway tell them any probs ring you( you already have to take another lo to school any way so ill lo would have to tag along)

think im to soft when it comes to sickness for 12 weeks b4 xmas i had really bad chest infection followed by d n v over xmas now ive come down with another chest infection i need some multi vits i think.....

[Pipsqueak]

too ill to go to school/other setting - then they are too ill to be at yours. the exception I would make to this rule is for recovering of broken limb(s) that are in plaster

you are not a nurse or a sickcare facility you are a childminder. you are caring for other children and if that ill child passes on their germs to other kids - their parents aren't going to be best pleased nor are any of your clients going to be happy when you have to close for x amount of time .....

[appleblossom]

I don't accept any children who are too ill for school or nursery.

[Milli147]

It's just so hard to make a decision - the child that had vomited in the car genuinely WAS fine all day, yet another child arrives with nothing obvious yet cannot sleep for the terrible wretching cough...

[jumpinjen]

I judge too ill to be when a child "cannot join in with the normal activities of my setting" so.... if too ill to go to playgroup, do school runs, play with other children, or just wants to lie on the sofa all day or cuddle all the time, crying all the time etc, then too ill to be at mine... if calpol (brought and signed for my mum and dad) doesn't do the trick then they go home/don't come. Also one slushy nappy or vomit and it's home for 48 hours (learned from past experiences). Unfortunately picking up bugs seems to come with the territory, I know one cm who doesn't have the children at all even with colds as she doesn't want her kids to catch it but one of my mindees would only come in the summer months in that case as she constantly has a runny nose! a belting cough I would take on an individual assessment tbh.

hugs, Jen x