My Toddler is Sick - WWYD?

[gracepatiencelove]

Let me preface this by saying, I am looking for hard and fast rules about what to do when your child is sick. I have found that if I text with, "heads up, my kiddo ____ is sick with ____ your choice on attending" everyone almost always comes and I think that I resent that because it doesn't make sense to me, and they resent that because they feel that I am laying them with too much responsibility for the decision + think they are bad parents.

So... We have had horrible stomach bugs going around this area. We just all caught and recovered from one 2-4 weeks ago.

TWICE in the past week we have been out of the home and run into people who are dragging their kids out and about VOMITING!!!! (Sorry, but WHAT THE HECK.)

DS (14 months) woke up after four hours and puked everywhere.

I know I cannot keep him excluded. I have one DCK his age and a baby tomorrow. Baby wouldn't be in contact with him. DCG would be. There is no way to keep the kids totally separate, SO cannot keep him since he will have been up 18 hours when he gets off of work. I will just feel so bad if any body else catches this. I will also feel bad if I close.

Also.... I hope I don't get sick again... nothing I hate more than stomach bugs!!!!

[snowball]

Just close. Your child needs you, don't feel bad.

[sahm1225]

Agree w pp, just close. The parents will resent you if you stay open and their kids get sick (and might expect you to take them sick, since they caught it from daycare anyway).

[Unregistered]

Agree w pp, just close. The parents will resent you if you stay open and their kids get sick (and might expect you to take them sick, since they caught it from daycare anyway).

So you would always tell parents of illness in your own children?

[Blackcat31]

Personally, I believe as providers that if our own children are sick, we need to follow our own policies.

If you cannot exclude your child form care, the right thing to do is close.

Giving parents the choice to come or not come just makes the situation worse because we all know that there is always that one parent that will come anyways.

That parent is usually the first parent to complain then when their kid gets sick. Especially if the child care still charges for when a child is absent.

Owning a business is hard sometimes, especially if you are the one who has to make the tough calls but it is part of the job.

I personally believe it is unprofessional and irresponsible to knowingly stay open and expose others to a contagious illness.

If you can exclude your child or have someone else who can care for either your child or your child care...then that is definitely the route I would take but other than that, closing is the only solution to not spreading the illness around.

[Kabob]

If my son was sick and I could exclude him by keeping him in a separate room with dh then I would stay open and still notify the parents of the illness in case they didn't want to risk it.

If I didn't have dh to help then I would close.

If my son was vomiting or had diarrhea then I would close regardless of whether or not I could exclude him. It's harder to contain an illness when those symptoms are present and also my son needed mommy time and the peace and quiet to recover faster.

As said before, there will always be that one parent that is willing to bring their child through anything and then complain later if it costs them. I've learned that the hard way.

[TaylorTots]

You should close. You cannot provide care to children if you are constantly cleaning up your toddlers' vomit. :hug:

[butterfly]

Close. Same exclusion policy as dcks.

[taylorw1210]

We have also been hit by a stomach bug and I am closed today because two of my four are sick, and I happened to come down with it later this morning too. It is such a tough call to make and I feel terrible for making it because I know my families depend on me for care, but I cannot responsibly care for their children when my kids or myself are sick. And unfortunately, this was brought to us by a sick DCB on Friday.

[gracepatiencelove]

Thank you all!

I am definitely going to use the same policies on my own kids. I think that I will also consider having my mom come sit with him/DCKs alternatively in stead of closing. She is a SAHM/housewife and does not work. Do I have to do any special tax stuff to "hire" her? I don't know what I'd pay her, or if she would even accept money.

So hoping when we move I have dedicated DC space so I can keep mine separate with help more easily!

Also, he did not throw up again and feels fine. Lovey boy has been giving me slobbery kisses all AM, though, so hoping it was just a fluke!