Anyone Else Have A No-Meds Policy?

[Leigh]

I don't have a problem with meds. I would expect it of my own provider, and I have never considered NOT doing it. Children who are in pain from say, teething, deserve to have their pain addressed...I wouldn't let them go 10 hours at daycare without a dose of Advil on a bad day. As far as antibiotics, evenly spaced is preferred. I try to treat my parents the way I wish to be treated, and I would expect my daycare provider to give my children medication if I requested it. I do require parents to sign a release every time a child is given a new medication (easy), I simply keep a dosing log (easy), and if I give Advil or the like, then an e-mail will suffice (per licensing).

[mainemomma]

I have always done prescription meds with the proper forms...BUT have never been taken advantaged of like some of you guys....not doing neb treatments at home?? just at daycare?...that's crazy!

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't have a problem with meds. I would expect it of my own provider, and I have never considered NOT doing it. Children who are in pain from say, teething, deserve to have their pain addressed...I wouldn't let them go 10 hours at daycare without a dose of Advil on a bad day. As far as antibiotics, evenly spaced is preferred. I try to treat my parents the way I wish to be treated, and I would expect my daycare provider to give my children medication if I requested it. I do require parents to sign a release every time a child is given a new medication (easy), I simply keep a dosing log (easy), and if I give Advil or the like, then an e-mail will suffice (per licensing).

OTC fever/pain reducer and cough/cold suppressant medications are not recommended for children under the age of two unless specifically under the direction of a doctor.

For teething the FDA even recommends massaging the gums with a cold washcloth or giving the baby a refrigerated teething ring to chomp on for the discomfort (not frozen) instead of giving them a numbing gel.

Benzocaine and Babies: Not a Good Mix (teething gels)

Fever and pain reducers (often the same OTC medication in one, such as children's Tylenol) are only meant to be given if absolutely necessary and only on a temporary and short basis. An infant or young child given a pain reducer for teething on a daily, bi-daily basis regularly to ease the discomfort of teething can actually harm the child's internal organs like give the child liver damage. Pain reliever is that, a pain reliever ... not a discomfort reliever. I would never recommend that anyone ever give a child under the age of 2 any type of OTC medication as it only masks symptoms.

It is a HUGE liability to give any child not your own any type of medication even OTC medication which is why I do not do it. I do not know when or how much the parent has already given the child at home and I would not want to accidentally overdose a child in my care. The way I see it is that if a child needs a fever/pain reliever and is too fussy to function without it then they need to stay at home and be cared for by the parent, any child in that much pain should not be in DC.

The sad reality is that many a parent overuses OTC medications and they often use the "my child is teething" excuse to justify why their child has a fever or diarrhea when many times it is not the teething at all that is causing this issue, it's another issue altogether. I personally have a policy that denies a child under any form of OTC medication and some prescription meds to prevent what we in our field call the "dope and drop" which is when a parent gives the child a pain/fever reducer to mask a fever so they don't have to miss work, which puts all of the other children in my care at risk. If they are willing to dope and drop then I have to assume for my own protection that they may not be honest about what medications their child is taking, the last time the medication was given and the dosage amount. If they have already given a dosage and I give them more and the child is overdosed then I may face a severe investigation and the reality is that ion our field even though we are technically innocent until proven guilty we all know that is not the case at all. Even if we are cleared of an incident like this the report and investigation remains in our files and there is always going to be speculation as to whether or not we did wrong or not all which can be damaging to our business.

I have never used any type of pain reliever or teething gel/tablets etc on any of my children and I have never done so for any pf my DC children either and I and the children have all survived just fine without it. It's not necessary ... no OTC medication ever is. If the child is prescribed by a DR an OTC or prescription medication then the child is in need of it but there is no reason why the parent can't give the appropriate dosages at home before and after daycare.

[Cradle2crayons]

I don't have a problem with meds. I would expect it of my own provider, and I have never considered NOT doing it. Children who are in pain from say, teething, deserve to have their pain addressed...I wouldn't let them go 10 hours at daycare without a dose of Advil on a bad day. As far as antibiotics, evenly spaced is preferred. I try to treat my parents the way I wish to be treated, and I would expect my daycare provider to give my children medication if I requested it. I do require parents to sign a release every time a child is given a new medication (easy), I simply keep a dosing log (easy), and if I give Advil or the like, then an e-mail will suffice (per licensing).

Same here. My parents are drop off at 700 am and don't pickup until 600... Is NOT SAFE to give a three time a day med at 0700 am and then again at 630 pm and then again at bedtime...l that is VERY DANGEROUS.

However if your kids are dropped off at 800 and they gave it at 730 am and then they are picked up at 300 pm that would be fine to give it then,,, then wait to give again until 930 or 1000 pm...

Antibiotics that are three or four times a day ideally should be EVENLY SPACED...not three hours apart one time and 9 hours apart another time. Now I'm not much into over giving OTC meds... But nebulizers and prescription meds that's different.

Like my cardiac tube fed daycare girl.... Her heart meds have to be exactly twelve hours apart. Well I have her at the nine pm dose, so of course I would give it instead of asking her mom to wait three hours when they get home to give a cardiac med.

If I didn't give meds here in my area, I'd never have a dcf. Ever,... Most kids here have asthma, severe allergies, etc and they needs medications.

[MarinaVanessa]

Same here. My parents are drop off at 700 am and don't pickup until 600... Is NOT SAFE to give a three time a day med at 0700 am and then again at 630 pm and then again at bedtime...l that is VERY DANGEROUS.

However if your kids are dropped off at 800 and they gave it at 730 am and then they are picked up at 300 pm that would be fine to give it then,,, then wait to give again until 930 or 1000 pm...

Antibiotics that are three or four times a day ideally should be EVENLY SPACED...not three hours apart one time and 9 hours apart another time. Now I'm not much into over giving OTC meds... But nebulizers and prescription meds that's different.

Like my cardiac tube fed daycare girl.... Her heart meds have to be exactly twelve hours apart. Well I have her at the nine pm dose, so of course I would give it instead of asking her mom to wait three hours when they get home to give a cardiac med.

If I didn't give meds here in my area, I'd never have a dcf. Ever,... Most kids here have asthma, severe allergies, etc and they needs medications.

All of your examples are for medications needed for potentially serious medical reasons, this is different. I for one accept an epipen because I have a DCG with severe peanut allergies so of course I would give it to her if she needed it. If I had a child with athsma then I would get the proper training to administer it and I would of course assist the child with it if the need arose.

if a DR prescribes an antibiotic and prescribes it for 3 or more times a day (which is rare as most are now only given twice a day) you can actually request a different type or dosage of it so that it can be given twice a day, at least I have for my own kids. I don't give meds like that at daycare even to my own kids. My DD takes ADHD meds and I never give it to her in front of or around my DC kids. I don't want medication around any of my DC kids.

[daycare]

There is no reason a parent can't dose in the a.m. before drop off, again in the afternoon at pick up and then again at bedtime.

I do NOT give meds of ANY KIND for ANY reasons. EVER. (Except the obvious like an Epi-pen etc)

ditto......................

[Cradle2crayons]

All of your examples are for medications needed for potentially serious medical reasons, this is different. I for one accept an epipen because I have a DCG with severe peanut allergies so of course I would give it to her if she needed it. If I had a child with athsma then I would get the proper training to administer it and I would of course assist the child with it if the need arose.

if a DR prescribes an antibiotic and prescribes it for 3 or more times a day (which is rare as most are now only given twice a day) you can actually request a different type or dosage of it so that it can be given twice a day, at least I have for my own kids. I don't give meds like that at daycare even to my own kids. My DD takes ADHD meds and I never give it to her in front of or around my DC kids. I don't want medication around any of my DC kids.

I would never ask a doctor to not giveaway certain antibiotic because it was more convenient ...I want to be given the best one that's appropriate for the specific infection my child has. Being that my child is allergic to all penicillins, plus Bactrim, we have to pick something that won't kill her but will still kill the bacteria... And sometimes those are not CONVENIENT. but it's what's best for the child.

I know some people cant or don't want to give meds, but encouraging parents to TELL docs to give meds simply because it wasn't CONVENIENT is sad.

My nurse practitioner would say TOUGH.... Se gives the meds according to what use best interest of the CHILD, NOT PROVIDER.

Just my IMO

[Leigh]

OTC fever/pain reducer and cough/cold suppressant medications are not recommended for children under the age of two unless specifically under the direction of a doctor.

For teething the FDA even recommends massaging the gums with a cold washcloth or giving the baby a refrigerated teething ring to chomp on for the discomfort (not frozen) instead of giving them a numbing gel.

Benzocaine and Babies: Not a Good Mix (teething gels)

Fever and pain reducers (often the same OTC medication in one, such as children's Tylenol) are only meant to be given if absolutely necessary and only on a temporary and short basis. An infant or young child given a pain reducer for teething on a daily, bi-daily basis regularly to ease the discomfort of teething can actually harm the child's internal organs like give the child liver damage. Pain reliever is that, a pain reliever ... not a discomfort reliever. I would never recommend that anyone ever give a child under the age of 2 any type of OTC medication as it only masks symptoms.

It is a HUGE liability to give any child not your own any type of medication even OTC medication which is why I do not do it. I do not know when or how much the parent has already given the child at home and I would not want to accidentally overdose a child in my care. The way I see it is that if a child needs a fever/pain reliever and is too fussy to function without it then they need to stay at home and be cared for by the parent, any child in that much pain should not be in DC.

The sad reality is that many a parent overuses OTC medications and they often use the "my child is teething" excuse to justify why their child has a fever or diarrhea when many times it is not the teething at all that is causing this issue, it's another issue altogether. I personally have a policy that denies a child under any form of OTC medication and some prescription meds to prevent what we in our field call the "dope and drop" which is when a parent gives the child a pain/fever reducer to mask a fever so they don't have to miss work, which puts all of the other children in my care at risk. If they are willing to dope and drop then I have to assume for my own protection that they may not be honest about what medications their child is taking, the last time the medication was given and the dosage amount. If they have already given a dosage and I give them more and the child is overdosed then I may face a severe investigation and the reality is that ion our field even though we are technically innocent until proven guilty we all know that is not the case at all. Even if we are cleared of an incident like this the report and investigation remains in our files and there is always going to be speculation as to whether or not we did wrong or not all which can be damaging to our business.

I have never used any type of pain reliever or teething gel/tablets etc on any of my children and I have never done so for any pf my DC children either and I and the children have all survived just fine without it. It's not necessary ... no OTC medication ever is. If the child is prescribed by a DR an OTC or prescription medication then the child is in need of it but there is no reason why the parent can't give the appropriate dosages at home before and after daycare.

My son had a horrible time with teething, and his doctor is the one who recommended Advil at bedtime. It worked great. I have never heard not to give Advil or Tylenol to kids under 2, as my doctors always recommend it for teething pain. I would never give DAILY OTC meds to ANY child unless I had a note from an MD (a very good point about parents using too much, but I have never seen that, and I have used sparingly myself). However, about the daily usage: my own Gastroenterologist told me to take Advil (800mg) every 4 hours every day. EVERY. DAY. for fever and pain. Told me that it is safe to use like that (I don't take it that way, BTW).

NO OTC is ever necessary? I disagree. And I still disagree with letting a child with teething pain tough it out. I have dealt with tooth pain myself, and I would never wish it on anyone. If Advil relieves the pain (and is recommended by the Pediatrician), then a child deserves to have it when the parent requests it.