Teething And Fever

[allsmiles]

okay im new to daycare and only have toddlers right now and my kids are both over 10 years old, so my baby knowledge is kinda dusty LOL I have a prospective parent that is telling me AHEAD of time that her child is teething and could have a fever and be cranky due to that fact, that her current provider didnt seem to want to deal with him because of that. i explained the illness policy and told her that we would do our best to ensure we are only calling her for fear of infection or other emergencies. that are goal is to make sure that we as well as the other children arent at risk.

nowwww.. how do you deal with this?? ive heard even diarrhea is normal during teething? how do you try to discern if it is something the mother should come pick up the child for or just regular teething woes?

we have children that are around her childs age but i havent run into these issues..

[blandino]

It is difficult, and parents don't like to hear it - but there is no way to KNOW that it is only teething when a fever or diarrhea is present. Those signs could easily be brushed off as teething - and could very well be due to a contaigous illness.

One of the best pointers I ever received on this site was from Blackcat, and it was to not emphasize the reasons a child MAY be showing symptoms. We are not doctors, do we have to base exclusion only on the symptoms shown.

[MarinaVanessa]

Unfortunately this is a never-ending debate that has no concrete evidence supporting either end, hence why it's still a debate. There are the Dr's and professionals that believe that fever and diarrhea are a direct symptom of teething and then there are those that say that teething suppresses the immune system which makes the child a higher risk of illness. There are even those that claim that when infants are born they continue to have their mother's temporary immune system which can wear off around 3-5 months (right around the same time as teething may begin) and that the a fever while the infant is teething is merely a coincidence that the child has caught it's first "bug" right around the time that teething has started or during the process of teething.

Like I said, this is a long battled out debate so you can always make that decision for yourself. I personally chose to take the preemptive approach and not risk the chances and I simply say that any fever is a symptom for exclusion regardless of the cause (teething or not). Same goes for diarrhea. But again, that's just my personal choice and what works for me. Others choose not to exclude for mild fevers that happen during teething. Do what works for you and what you believe in.

Read a few articles about it and even call a few health care professionals and get their take on it. Then come up with your own conclusion.

[AnneCordelia]

For my daycare I specify that I exclude for fever over 100.5*. I don't debate the reason, only express that baby can't be here with a fever.

[allsmiles]

thanks you guys..

this evidently is her main reason for leaving her daycare (or so she tells me)
and i just dont want to make it seem like a problem for me when it might very well be.. she was very upset about the amount of time she has had to be called off from work.. i just don't remember my children being that miserable? seems strange for it to be an ongoing issue for her dont you guys think?

what if they get a dr's note to rule out infection?? do most of you still exclude because they have fever?

i remember being upset that my daughters' elementary school were excluding her for a fever when they took her temperture right after she had been outside for recess in the texas heat!!!.. they said she couldnt come back the next day even if fever was gone.. i argued my point and they said if i could get a dr's note they would allow.. i took her STRAIGHT to the dr and faxed them a note..the fever was gone probably before i left the school without any fever reducing agents. i thought it was such a silly rule, but can honestly see why its necessary..

[Blackcat31]

I exclude for symptoms NOT what they may or may not have as blandino pointed out. I have NO way of knowing what they could have and frankly that is up to the doctor to diagnose not me.

On that same note, I also do not allow a doctor to tell me/the parent when their child can come back. I only allow doctor's notes for diagnosis. I decide when a child can come back to care.

I also fully understand how hard it is for parents to take time off work when their child is ill but honestly, it is all part of having kids. It comes with the territory so I usually recommend to parents to have a good system for back up care should it ever get to the point that they have used up all their PTO time or cannot afford to take any more time off.

I also explain VERY clearly to parents that my job is to look out for the group of children I have as a whole and that I cannot make exceptions or waive a rule or policy having to due with illness for one family without risking the health and well being of ALL the others as well as myself and my family.

[MarinaVanessa]

On that same note, I also do not allow a doctor to tell me/the parent when their child can come back. I only allow doctor's notes for diagnosis. I decide when a child can come back to care.

Ditto on this too. And I have it in my policies. I am the deciding factor and I alone decide whether a child is well enough to attend my daycare or not.

You have a DR's note? Great!! Let's see it and then I'll get back to you later about whether your child can attend daycare or not.


I had an issue about teething fevers before and DCM took DCB to DR's and brought back a note. I asked for her child's physician's info and called him right then and there because the note said he was "not contagious" but there was no diagnosis . I called the DR and asked "hypothetically" how can he guarantee that the child was not contagious if he didn't even know for sure what was causing the fever. I also mentioned that I had a 6 week old infant in care ... the Dr. then recommended that the DCB be excluded . Sometimes Dr's simply want you in and out of there as quickly as possible.