Everyone Is Sick And I Found A Backbone But I Feel Guilty

[Fruitloops1]

Happy Thursday!!! Only three munckins today..two are home sick two are leaving in about an hour and a half and one will be here ALL day even if she is the sickest of the bunch. Can you guess what DCM says it is? Her last itty bitty tooth coming in. YUP hacking cough, boogies constantly oozing, poopy and just wants to lay and cuddle all day...just a tooth my tush.

I told one family I was raising their rates by their per day rate. The father at pick up yesterday asked me if they could bring their child(who was screaming in my face while I was getting him dressed) 3 days a week since they are paying for a 3rd day(due to Mondays and Fridays alternating every other week)I said sure. 5 min after they walked out I thought WAIT no. you cant bring your child 3 days a week with out paying for 3 full days a week. SO I emailed them. They weren't happy but I was content with that. I woke up this morning feeling guilty. Like I should have gave them 3 days at a really low rate. WHY AM I FEELING GUILTY? I don't understand why I feel like I have to cheat myself on my rates.

Now I need to figure out this backbone with kids being sick. I need to tell this particuluar "its just a tooth" parent that they have to keep their watery eyed, hacking cough, lethargic kid AT HOME....

[cheerfuldom]

It gets better the more you do it, I promise! and eventually parents stop questioning so many things and trying to sneak in sick kids to daycare because they know you wont allow it. It helps if you add to your sick policy that any child that cant participate in the regular activities for whatever reason regardless of a fever or other symptoms, is sent home at your discretion. That means that kids that are sleeping when it is not nap time, crying excessively, will not eat at meals, are sent home if you think they need to be home....doesnt matter if it is teething. Anyway, parents LOVE the teething excuse, almost as much as the allergy excuse. I would just send little girl home and say "you are right. she is having a really hard time and needs to be at home. I know you wouldnt want your little girl miserable and crying at daycare so I will see you within an hour for pickup" put the problem back on her plate in a way that she cant leave her child there

[Lucy]

I've learned that when parents ask for anything to be changed from what it is currently, and they ask at drop off or pick up, I always say I'll let them know when I have time to absorb what they're saying. I don't think saying that is unreasonable. The have to realize that you can't think with all the kids there. Too many times I've said ok to something, then later realized I just cheated myself, or I really don't want to do whatever it is. Never give an answer on the spot!!

[littlemissmuffet]

I have a handout at my front door that refers to a multitude of sources that confirms that teething does not cause diarhea, fever, etc. All symptoms of teething are localized to the mouth. I also reference this in my handbook. I don't even have to say anything anymore. I just tell them to re-read the handbook and also hand them a handout and send them back out the door.

[ninosqueridos]

Gotta love the teething excuse. Like the last one I heard...teething was causing diarrhea...and even though I sent the child home by noon, it wiped out ALL OF MY DCKS AND TWO OF MY OWN KIDS with a horrible stomach virus. That is seven kids.

[Sunshine74]

The problem is a lot of pediatricians tell the parents that the (fever, diarrhea, etc) is caused by teething. Why do they do that?

[littlemissmuffet]

The problem is a lot of pediatricians tell the parents that the (fever, diarrhea, etc) is caused by teething. Why do they do that?

7

Not where I live. There isn't a single ped in my city that associates the whole fever/diarhea excuse with teething. As a matter of fact, in most of the articals and books I have read, not a single ped will say fever/diarhea is due to teething - it's usually nurses who pass along this common misconception!

[Blackcat31]

The problem is a lot of pediatricians tell the parents that the (fever, diarrhea, etc) is caused by teething. Why do they do that?

You get around this by excluding for symptoms not actual ailments, illnesses and/or conditions.

If someone has diarrhea, they go home and stay home until diarrhea free for a full 24 hours.

I don't care if the diarrhea is from medication, something they ate, teething, or from the neighbor's cat.

I just don't care what the cause is. If they have a symptom listed in my illness policy, they stay home.

[Sunshine74]

You get around this by excluding for symptoms not actual ailments, illnesses and/or conditions.

If someone has diarrhea, they go home and stay home until diarrhea free for a full 24 hours.

I don't care if the diarrhea is from medication, something they ate, teething, or from the neighbor's cat.

I just don't care what the cause is. If they have a symptom listed in my illness policy, they stay home.

We have the same policy. It is just frustrating to have to explain the same thing to every parent who has a doctor (or nurse) say that the symptoms are from teething.

[Patches]

Plus there is really no way for a doctor to know if it's a virus or something else

[CrackerJacks]

I used to work at a pediatric dental office. The DDS always made sure to clarify to the parents that a fever and diareaha does not have any direct coorilaton to teeth coming in. It is true that a lot of kids tend to get fevers and diareaha while they are teething, but this is because while teething kids are more prone to putting their hands (which have been touching germs all day) in their mouths and a lot of other objects they normally wouldn't. Thus, the kids pixk up more illness during this time.

[Fruitloops1]

I used to work at a pediatric dental office. The DDS always made sure to clarify to the parents that a fever and diareaha does not have any direct coorilaton to teeth coming in. It is true that a lot of kids tend to get fevers and diareaha while they are teething, but this is because while teething kids are more prone to putting their hands (which have been touching germs all day) in their mouths and a lot of other objects they normally wouldn't. Thus, the kids pixk up more illness during this time.

GREAT! Never thought of it that way, but that makes a heck of a lot of sense!

[daycaremom76]

So I found my backbone and I am really excited!!!!! I have been a little (to say the least) lax about my sick policy.........I'm small and don't want to piss any parents off so I've let kids come when I know they should be home in bed. BUT after me and my kids being sick this past weekend I decided NO MORE! I came up with a new sick policy and enforced it this morning! One little one that's been sick the past few days (vomit/diareah) came this morning, all glassy eyed, drowsy and clinging to Mom. I watched him with Mom for a little while and his eyes just kept rolling into the back of his head like he was dead tired. Every time she tried to put him down he would scream and cry so Mom started going through his cubby looking for his pacifier and lovey (which are only allowed at naptime but I figured I would see how that went) sure enough he took both and Mom was able to put him down. He went over to the corner and laid down and started falling a sleep. Mom tried to duck out quick but I stopped her, I went over and tried to get him up to play with the group and he just fussed and cried and wanted to go back to sleep. I told Mom that he couldn't stay like this, either he still wasn't feeling well or he was extremely tired from being sick and would need to go home. I told her that if he wasn't able to participate with the group that he couldn't stay. She wasn't happy at all but another parent watched the situation unfold and was shocked that I sent him home. After the first mom left with her son the 2nd mother asked what was wrong with just letting him sleep on the couch. I asked her if she had anymore time to take off work when her daughter gets sick again and she replied no, and I replied to her, neither do I! She got what I was saying and it actually felt good to be in control of the situation rather try to dodge the cooties all day!happyface

[Fruitloops1]

So I found my backbone and I am really excited!!!!! I have been a little (to say the least) lax about my sick policy.........I'm small and don't want to piss any parents off so I've let kids come when I know they should be home in bed. BUT after me and my kids being sick this past weekend I decided NO MORE! I came up with a new sick policy and enforced it this morning! One little one that's been sick the past few days (vomit/diareah) came this morning, all glassy eyed, drowsy and clinging to Mom. I watched him with Mom for a little while and his eyes just kept rolling into the back of his head like he was dead tired. Every time she tried to put him down he would scream and cry so Mom started going through his cubby looking for his pacifier and lovey (which are only allowed at naptime but I figured I would see how that went) sure enough he took both and Mom was able to put him down. He went over to the corner and laid down and started falling a sleep. Mom tried to duck out quick but I stopped her, I went over and tried to get him up to play with the group and he just fussed and cried and wanted to go back to sleep. I told Mom that he couldn't stay like this, either he still wasn't feeling well or he was extremely tired from being sick and would need to go home. I told her that if he wasn't able to participate with the group that he couldn't stay. She wasn't happy at all but another parent watched the situation unfold and was shocked that I sent him home. After the first mom left with her son the 2nd mother asked what was wrong with just letting him sleep on the couch. I asked her if she had anymore time to take off work when her daughter gets sick again and she replied no, and I replied to her, neither do I! She got what I was saying and it actually felt good to be in control of the situation rather try to dodge the cooties all day!happyface

That is awesome! Great response, I am logging that one into my noggin for the future. I always have one that comes sick and makes everyone very sick. If from day one I told her uh no u need to go home then maybe the other littles wouldn't of caught it too.

[daycaremom76]

It never fails the runny nose turns into something serious! Me and my own kids were sick from friday - christmas day it was horrible! I am just starting to feel normal again. My biggest issue is that when I get sick and close I don't charge my parents for those days. So they just get a credit off their next week and that only hurts me!! But no more!