Late drop off AND on laxative!

[jessica55418]

Hello,

I have a dcg that has been in my care 4 months. She is 17 months old. Dcd works 2nd shift and was supposed to bring her at 8:30 every morning but doesn't being her until 10-10:30 everyday. He lets her sleep in and then she won't nap with the rest of the kids. She won't stay quiet either. I have to let her "sleep" at the opposite end of the house in an area that is not where I want kids sleeping. She doesn't sleep at all, she sits in the pack n' play and talks to herself and laughs VERY loudly. She had some constipation issues and the doctor put her on Miralax 2 or 3 weeks ago. They give it to her right before drop off and she poops ALL DAY LONG. The first one happens within 10 minutes after arrival. She literally goes all day long. dcm picks up at 4:45 so she is usually only here 6 hours per day and I probably changer her 6 times per day.

[Thriftylady]

Honestly I would be having a talk with the parents. I would probably tell them that she needs to be there at her scheduled time, and I would probably also ask that they give the laxative after pickup. I am confused though. Since starting to read these boards I have seen several people post about kids getting laxatives. With my two kids and all the kids I had in daycare the first time, I never saw it. Is it becoming more common?

[Shell]

That's disgusting and no way would I deal with that.

Their drop off time isn't working. You can
1. Tell them 830 isn't negotiable and the time just doesn't work for your day-
So they either drop off early or find a new daycare

The miralax isn't cool- they can do it on their own time.
You can give the child fruits and lots of water, but no miralax on your watch!

Ewww! I dealt with this for one day and was ready to cry!

If these parents can't shape up, they may need to move on. No way is this your problem.

[jessica55418]

I think it is becoming more common. I will have a talk with the parents. It's just frustrating. I shouldn't have to explain to someone that it is rude to give your child a laxative and then drop her off with someone else for the day, forcing that person to have to deal with all the poop. I also tell the mother EVERYDAY at pick up how many times she pooped and inform her that she did not nap, as usual. It is Monday and by the volume of poop coming from this child, I am starting to suspect they don't give her the laxative on the weekends. Hmmm, I wonder why? Ugh!

[Leigh]

I'm guessing the Miralax dose might be too high? I had a kid on it for almost a year, got it every morning, and I still only saw 1-2 poops a day from this kid. I agree about dosing after pickup-it shouldn't be your issue.

[Unregistered]

I'm guessing the dose is too high too. That is why I make it a point to tell Mom everyday how many times she pooped. How they haven't figured out that she poops WAY too much is beyond me.

[Blackcat31]

Is it contained within the diaper or is it requiring a change of clothing too?

I would ask for a Dr's written directions on when the Miralax is to be given and how much. Especially if you suspect the parents are not giving the child the dosage during the weekends.

I would also go so far as to ask what the possible outcome should be.... firmer poops, pooping more often or more easily?

If it's suppose to just firm her poop up and its causing it to be runny or non-contained, then yes the dosage is either too high or it's not being given according to the directions.

As for the drop off times, I'd insist she be there at the time they say OR send her home AT nap time due to her not being able to participate as normal.

Participating as normal for me means being ready for a nap at the regularly scheduled nap time. If you have to send her home due to her sleeping in and being dropped off late, I am betting you need only do that 1-2 times before the parents realize you mean business.

If none of that solves your issue, I'd seriously consider terming. It sounds like a situation that is tough to deal with and without a super firm backbone and parents that are honest and willing to work with you, it may not be fixable.

[hope]

I too don't understand the need for Miralax do much these days. I have dealt with it with one dck and will never again. We as providers should not be dealing with constant lose poop. Fruits and juice can help and it seems like most parents don't try anything else. They just jump to laxatives. I would ask this family if they have tried other alternatives and let them know this is nit working out. Tell them you would like to try more fiber, fruit or juice. Drop off time needs to be consistent and if she isn't sleeping for nap then they can come pick up.

[CraftyMom]

I think it all relates to the "instant" world we live in. Everything is available instantly at our fingertips with all the technology. The result of all this technology is that everyone expects everything to be instant and no one wants to put in the time to wait for anything. Parents want instant results so they go to miralax instead of changing the kid's diet (the healthier choice) and waiting for the results naturally.

[jessica55418]

Most of the time it is contained within the diaper. Sometimes it's not.

This child did have serious constipation issues before the Miralax. She would go everyday or every other day but it was VERY hard. She would cry every time she went. When she first started at my daycare, they had just taken her off of miralax and suppositories. I gave her prune juice to keep her going but it would still be hard for her to go and would be painful.

Still for a 17 month old child to go more than once every hour is too often. They clearly give her too much but don't seem to care because most of the effects of the Miralax wear off around the time of pick up. I'm done hinting around that she poops too much. I am going to ask that they give her the laxative in the evening and I am going to ask that they wake her up earlier in the morning. I don't care if Dad wants to spend time with her in the morning and drop her off later, but he needs to wake her at a decent hour so she isn't disrupting the whole daycare with her lack of sleep. Today he told me that he "had to drag her out of bed at 9:30".

I need to grow a backbone!

[MarinaVanessa]

I'm guessing the Miralax dose might be too high? I had a kid on it for almost a year, got it every morning, and I still only saw 1-2 poops a day from this kid. I agree about dosing after pickup-it shouldn't be your issue.

I doubt it's the dosage. My own 4yo DS is dealing with some health issues right now and had a problem with blockage due to Inflammatory Bowel. The doctor recommended Myralax in his yogurt with granola to help him "go" while the swelling in his intestines goes down. Let me tell you, it works. And we don't use a whole lot of it, we use half of what was recommended to us. It doesn't give my son diarrhea but it makes his stool soft and makes him go a lot. I think Dr's a opting for this route rather than suppositories because it's more comfortable and softens the stool so it comes out on it's own time.

[daycarediva]

Most of the time it is contained within the diaper. Sometimes it's not.

This child did have serious constipation issues before the Miralax. She would go everyday or every other day but it was VERY hard. She would cry every time she went. When she first started at my daycare, they had just taken her off of miralax and suppositories. I gave her prune juice to keep her going but it would still be hard for her to go and would be painful.

Still for a 17 month old child to go more than once every hour is too often. They clearly give her too much but don't seem to care because most of the effects of the Miralax wear off around the time of pick up. I'm done hinting around that she poops too much. I am going to ask that they give her the laxative in the evening and I am going to ask that they wake her up earlier in the morning. I don't care if Dad wants to spend time with her in the morning and drop her off later, but he needs to wake her at a decent hour so she isn't disrupting the whole daycare with her lack of sleep. Today he told me that he "had to drag her out of bed at 9:30".

I need to grow a backbone!

More than 3 bm's, I would send home. If it leaked out of the diaper AT ALL, I would send home. It's probably impossible to do anything else besides change this child and clean/sanitize the area!

I have a policy that no child can attend while on meds, unless it is for a life threatening condition or antibiotics after the first 24 hours home. No Tylenol, no laxatives.

[jessica55418]

It IS hard to do anything else but change her diapers and clean up. It seems that is all I do all day! Spring is almost here and we will all be going on field trips. How are the kids supposed to enjoy the park, the zoo, or anything for that matter when I will have to stop all the fun and bring them all into the bathroom so I can change her pants every half hour?!

[Thriftylady]

It IS hard to do anything else but change her diapers and clean up. It seems that is all I do all day! Spring is almost here and we will all be going on field trips. How are the kids supposed to enjoy the park, the zoo, or anything for that matter when I will have to stop all the fun and bring them all into the bathroom so I can change her pants every half hour?!

My "rule" is that one child is not allowed to disrupt the whole group. I would tell the parents this and give them two weeks to find a solution or another provider, their choice.

[jessica55418]

My "rule" is that one child is not allowed to disrupt the whole group. I would tell the parents this and give them two weeks to find a solution or another provider, their choice.

That's my rule too, and I have termed for that reason. If one child is disrupting or upsetting the whole group, they either correct the offending behavior or find a new provider.