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One of the DCGs (just under 15 months old) at my job came in this morning with Motrin in her lunchbag. Dad said that she wasn't feeling well over the weekend, but they attributed it to a reaction to her vaccinations.
She seemed herself for most of the day, but right before her second nap, she had a mild fever (around 100 degrees). As she wasn't lethargic and our only indication that she was feverish was that I just HAPPENED to be playing "Where's so-and-so?" (Where I flip the child over my shoulder and act like I've lost him/her).
When she woke up however, her cheeks were bright red and she was clearly burning up. I was always told you don't take the child's temperature immediately after waking up, and that you avoid giving hot/cold food or beverages AND you avoid snuggling them for a little while.
So, one of my coworkers (15 years old) gave the little girl water and snuggled her.
When I finally took her temperature, it was 101.8 under the armpit (making it 102.8 when you add the degree). Before the thermometer even beeped, I told my boss that we need to get the medicine out.
Of course, DCG wasn't too thrilled about taking medicine. My 15 year old coworker basically refused to let me give her the medicine because DCG was fighting it. "She won't want to take it if you're forcing her."
Now, normally, I don't force kids to eat. I believe that they'll eat when they're hungry enough, so if I child closes his/her mouth and turns away from a bottle or spoon, I don't force it. (Assuming, of course, that the child is otherwise healthy).
However, at a fever that is just south of 103 degrees (which I am fully aware is NOT "a reaction to vaccinations" and possibility a sign that she is the third child in a school of 17 to have strep throat), I'm willing to make an exception.
As per her mom's note, we put the medicine in her sippy cup of water to see if it would help. (I did insist on dumping out most of the water so she'd be able to get the full dose of medicine). She refused to drink any more water, so we tried moving the little bit of water (maybe half an ounce or so) into her bottle and mix it with an equal amount of milk to see if she'd take her bottle. She refused that.
My coworker defended DCG saying that she probably doesn't want to eat or drink anything because she doesn't feel well.
I'm 26. I don't particularly like taking medicine of ANY kind for ANY reason. However, I've come to recognize that there are times where the initial discomfort of taking medicine isn't a good enough reason not to take any. Sure, if I have a mild headache, I can probably get away with letting it run its course or taking a nap and sleeping it off. However, if I get a migraine where my hands start going numb, and I'm expected to drive home, I'm going to take a dose of Excedrin ASAP because at that point, I'm a danger to myself or others if I don't treat it.
A 14 month old isn't capable of making those decisions, so it's up to the adults who care for her to do so on her behalf.
I saw a toddler with burning red cheeks, a fever just south of 103 degrees, who was clearly NOT herself, and my initial reaction was, as we had parental permission to administer fever-reducing medication, to get the medicine in her ASAP. I feel it's better for the toddler to be upset/angry about being forced to take medication that she doesn't want to take, than risk something like a febrile seizure.
And fyi, while I was pushing her to take the medicine, I wasn't pushing any harder than one of my coworker pushes her to eat her breakfast. I wasn't at the point of pinning her down or anything like that, but I didn't think that allowing her to slowly sip her water over the course of an hour or so was sufficient. (Especially since they had written that she took her medicine at 4:58pm when she hadn't consumed ANY as of 5:10pm). Should the fever NOT come down, knowing when her last dose ACTUALLY was is pretty important- whether because they want to alternate with Tylenol, or because they take her in to see a doctor and the doctor needs to know when her last dose was.
We did NOT call the parents as this was within an hour of the daycare closing, so parents were already on their way there. I left around 5:15, so I'm unsure if/when she ACTUALLY took her medicine, but I'm willing to bet that the parents weren't told to have her checked for strep and/or the parents weren't told that she can't return until she's fever-free WITHOUT the use of fever reducing drugs for at least 24 hours.
Am I crazy or wrong for wanting to get medicine in this girl sooner rather than later, or was my teenage coworker right for insisting on letting the toddler win the medicine fight.
She seemed herself for most of the day, but right before her second nap, she had a mild fever (around 100 degrees). As she wasn't lethargic and our only indication that she was feverish was that I just HAPPENED to be playing "Where's so-and-so?" (Where I flip the child over my shoulder and act like I've lost him/her).
When she woke up however, her cheeks were bright red and she was clearly burning up. I was always told you don't take the child's temperature immediately after waking up, and that you avoid giving hot/cold food or beverages AND you avoid snuggling them for a little while.
So, one of my coworkers (15 years old) gave the little girl water and snuggled her.
When I finally took her temperature, it was 101.8 under the armpit (making it 102.8 when you add the degree). Before the thermometer even beeped, I told my boss that we need to get the medicine out.
Of course, DCG wasn't too thrilled about taking medicine. My 15 year old coworker basically refused to let me give her the medicine because DCG was fighting it. "She won't want to take it if you're forcing her."
Now, normally, I don't force kids to eat. I believe that they'll eat when they're hungry enough, so if I child closes his/her mouth and turns away from a bottle or spoon, I don't force it. (Assuming, of course, that the child is otherwise healthy).
However, at a fever that is just south of 103 degrees (which I am fully aware is NOT "a reaction to vaccinations" and possibility a sign that she is the third child in a school of 17 to have strep throat), I'm willing to make an exception.
As per her mom's note, we put the medicine in her sippy cup of water to see if it would help. (I did insist on dumping out most of the water so she'd be able to get the full dose of medicine). She refused to drink any more water, so we tried moving the little bit of water (maybe half an ounce or so) into her bottle and mix it with an equal amount of milk to see if she'd take her bottle. She refused that.
My coworker defended DCG saying that she probably doesn't want to eat or drink anything because she doesn't feel well.
I'm 26. I don't particularly like taking medicine of ANY kind for ANY reason. However, I've come to recognize that there are times where the initial discomfort of taking medicine isn't a good enough reason not to take any. Sure, if I have a mild headache, I can probably get away with letting it run its course or taking a nap and sleeping it off. However, if I get a migraine where my hands start going numb, and I'm expected to drive home, I'm going to take a dose of Excedrin ASAP because at that point, I'm a danger to myself or others if I don't treat it.
A 14 month old isn't capable of making those decisions, so it's up to the adults who care for her to do so on her behalf.
I saw a toddler with burning red cheeks, a fever just south of 103 degrees, who was clearly NOT herself, and my initial reaction was, as we had parental permission to administer fever-reducing medication, to get the medicine in her ASAP. I feel it's better for the toddler to be upset/angry about being forced to take medication that she doesn't want to take, than risk something like a febrile seizure.
And fyi, while I was pushing her to take the medicine, I wasn't pushing any harder than one of my coworker pushes her to eat her breakfast. I wasn't at the point of pinning her down or anything like that, but I didn't think that allowing her to slowly sip her water over the course of an hour or so was sufficient. (Especially since they had written that she took her medicine at 4:58pm when she hadn't consumed ANY as of 5:10pm). Should the fever NOT come down, knowing when her last dose ACTUALLY was is pretty important- whether because they want to alternate with Tylenol, or because they take her in to see a doctor and the doctor needs to know when her last dose was.
We did NOT call the parents as this was within an hour of the daycare closing, so parents were already on their way there. I left around 5:15, so I'm unsure if/when she ACTUALLY took her medicine, but I'm willing to bet that the parents weren't told to have her checked for strep and/or the parents weren't told that she can't return until she's fever-free WITHOUT the use of fever reducing drugs for at least 24 hours.
Am I crazy or wrong for wanting to get medicine in this girl sooner rather than later, or was my teenage coworker right for insisting on letting the toddler win the medicine fight.
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