Sent Sick Baby Home - Backbone Support, Please!

[taylorw1210]

Alright ladies - I started my daycare last March and just recently found you guys. You've been a great help with my development of a back bone! Seriously. But I need some reassurance, here...

6 mo. old went to Dr.'s yesterday with a gunky eye - Dr. says clogged tear duct. DCM kept baby home with MIL for observation.

Brought 6 mo. old back today, with both eyes gunky. She proceeded to take less than half of her morning bottle (8:30am), have 2 loose/watery stools, discharge from her nose, refused second bottle entirely (would ****le, swallow once, start crying, ****le, let milk pool in mouth, then scream) and was very cranky. After crying off and on, and refusing a bottle from 11am to 12:50pm, I let DCM know she needed to be picked up due to previously stated symptoms and her unhappiness.

But now I feel like I'm going to be seen an incapable of caring for her child! And envisioning a perfectly happy baby going home with her grandma and DCM wondering why I was unable to care for her kid.

[Kabob]

Alright ladies - I started my daycare last March and just recently found you guys. You've been a great help with my development of a back bone! Seriously. But I need some reassurance, here...

6 mo. old went to Dr.'s yesterday with a gunky eye - Dr. says clogged tear duct. DCM kept baby home with MIL for observation.

Brought 6 mo. old back today, with both eyes gunky. She proceeded to take less than half of her morning bottle (8:30am), have 2 loose/watery stools, discharge from her nose, refused second bottle entirely (would ****le, swallow once, start crying, ****le, let milk pool in mouth, then scream) and was very cranky. After crying off and on, and refusing a bottle from 11am to 12:50pm, I let DCM know she needed to be picked up due to previously stated symptoms and her unhappiness.

But now I feel like I'm going to be seen an incapable of caring for her child! And envisioning a perfectly happy baby going home with her grandma and DCM wondering why I was unable to care for her kid.

I just dealt with sending a baby home for refusing to eat as well. Babies can get seriously ill very fast and not eating doesn't help...dehydration is dangerous. Tell dcm that you are concerned about the potential for dehydration and the potential for the illness to get worse without proper rest at home and one-on-one attention from mom. You have other kids that need your care and if it's something contagious then they could get sick too. Or baby could get sick while their immune system is down from this.

Any of that works...your choice. I've learned to not hesitate about sending home. It only gets worse if you don't.

[melilley]

Do you have an illness policy? I do and I have them sign it upon enrollment so if they ever question anything, I refer them to the policy that they signed.

I think you did the right thing, I would have sent home too. Not only was this child's eyes running, but she also wasn't eating and had loose stools. If they don't think you can care for their child, then maybe they aren't the right fit for you.

[taylorw1210]

Thanks for your responses, ladies!

Well, dcm thanked me for "calling in the troops" and said dcg will be out tomorrow, too. This is totally a ME thing when it comes to doubting my decision today. Hopefully self confidence is something that comes with time in this business!

I do have a sick policy that states a sick child is any child that may be running a fever, has a rash, unexplained symptoms, or who appears to be less than healthy. So she fell well within my policy for sending her home. I just need to start feeling less guilty for it!

[Kabob]

Thanks for your responses, ladies!

Well, dcm thanked me for "calling in the troops" and said dcg will be out tomorrow, too. This is totally a ME thing when it comes to doubting my decision today. Hopefully self confidence is something that comes with time in this business!

I do have a sick policy that states a sick child is any child that may be running a fever, has a rash, unexplained symptoms, or who appears to be less than healthy. So she fell well within my policy for sending her home. I just need to start feeling less guilty for it!

I feel that guilt too! However I remind myself that I would feel even more guilty if I didn't do anything and the baby ended up in the ER because of my inaction.

[preschoolteacher]

You're doing the right thing! A sick baby like that should have one-on-one care, not group care. She needs the attention right now. By sending her home, you GAVE her that when otherwise she'd be sick and miserable and sharing attention with whatever kids you have over at your house.