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AIBU?

Nursery Policies

120 replies

mamalovesminky · 24/07/2013 14:53

My child had a temperature last night but it went down this morning so DH dropped her off to nursery with a bottle of Calpol to be administered by staff in case it rose again.

They asked DH if it was prescribed by the doctor or bought. He said it was bought.

A few hours later, the nursery staff range me to say her temperature had risen but they couldn't administer the Calpol as it wasn't prescribed. I said it WAS prescribed - the doctor gave prescribed it a few weeks ago when she had chicken pox.

They said that's not the info they had received from daddy so they couldn't administer and I had to come and collect her. I said that daddy wouldn't know as she's with me when she's not at nursery but they said they HAD to take the word of whoever drops her off (even if the person who drops her off is not the person with the correct info).

AIBU to think this is madness? I'm obviously more than happy to take time off from work and collect her from nursery if she really does need to be at home but if DH had said the Calpol was prescribed, they would have administered it, her temperature would have gone down and she would not have had to be dragged away from nursery in tears.

She loves her 2 days a week at nursery and it is really not nice to see your child upset completely unnecessarily IMHO. What do others think?

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Maryann1975 · 24/07/2013 14:56

If it was prescribed it would have a label on it with name of child and dosage on, surely? It's quite a big responsibility to administer medicine to someone else's child. If that is their policy you have to go with that.

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AmandinePoulain · 24/07/2013 14:56

I think that if you're child is ill they shouldn't be in nursery at all - it's not fair on them, other children or the staff.

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Lorelai · 24/07/2013 14:57

Well to be fair, that particular bottle may have been prescribed, but not for this illness - it isn't quite the same thing.

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maja00 · 24/07/2013 15:00

The child is ill - they need to go home. Many nurseries won't give calpol anyway - if a child is unwell enough to need medicine then they are too unwell for nursery.

If the medicine was prescribed, it would have a label on it. I can see the nursery being suspicious that one parent says it wasn't prescribed, but then when they have to pick the child up suddenly it is prescribed.

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Maryann1975 · 24/07/2013 15:00

And yes, I agree with amandine, if your child had a temperature she probably shouldn't have been at nursery anyway. The temperature may have gone, but she was probably still ill (obviously was as the temperature returned) and passed her germs around her little friends.

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EagleRiderDirk · 24/07/2013 15:10

Our nursery won't give calpol prescribed or otherwise, nor will it give any other medication that isn't a necessary daily medication or for a condition like asthma that isn't going to go away. You're lucky your nursery would give prescribed medication full stop.

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wigglesrock · 24/07/2013 15:16

It's pretty standard as far as I'm away. The fact that the Dr prescribed Calpol for her, when she had chickenpox is of no relevance at all. She doesn't have chicken pox now. We have a big bottle of generic Calpol prescribed by the GP for dd2 (tonsillitis), but that doesn't mean I would expect school/ nursery to give it to her if she had an earache just because she already had it iyswim.

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mamalovesminky · 24/07/2013 15:18

Thanks Maja - I can see now that she fed me that line about having to take the word of whoever dropped her off because she suspected I was lying (I'm not - there was a label on the packaging but not on the bottle).

It was the lack of logic in the argument that annoyed me rather than picking her up, because DH is not to know whether the medicine was prescribed or not and although he should have called me to check, it was an innocent mistake that I felt DD shouldn't have had to pay for.

It also sent alarm bells ringing in my head in case he gives them the wrong info on other matters relating to DD as he has dyslexia and sometimes gets my messages confused.

Incidentally, there's always at least 1 child in her room at nursery being administered Calpol and she has picked up her fair share of bugs from her little friends (the latest being chicken pox) so I don't really feel it was unfair of me to have dropped her off given that her temperature was normal this morning. Anyway she's happy again now so I am too. Thanks for your answers. x

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 24/07/2013 15:20

Yabu

Don't send an ill child to nursery, not fair on the child, the other children or staff

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SarahBumBarer · 24/07/2013 15:21

Prescription lable is quite likely to be on the box not the bottle.

I think nursery's attitude is madness particularly given that the OP's question was about the policy of only taking the word of the parent dropping off even if incorrect not the adminstering of calpol per se.

with regard to giving calpol, both nurseries that DC have attended are quite happy to give calpol. having heard a number of stories on MN about attitudes by nursery to things like administering calpol/sunscreen etc this was one of the things I checked up on whilst vetting nurseries. Happily in our town ALL of the nurseries I looked at had sensible attitudes towards this and were happy to administer one dose provided the parent confirmed that no earlier doses had been given.

I think nursery is a fine place for a child with a little temperature that can be brought down by a single dose of calpol - it is a good distraction for them. What would you do - wrap them up in cotton wool and keep them at home? Ah - clearly yes.

Nurseries have pretty strict rules about when children can attend if ill - D&V for example are no-no's pretty universally but as for a minor temperature - thankfully they are usually sensible about that.

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AmandinePoulain · 24/07/2013 15:25

No, I wouldn't 'wrap her in cotton wool', but I would keep her at home where I can keep an eye on her, stop her infecting other children and staff and look after her. A 'little temperature' could develop into any number of things. Okay so it might not but is it really fair on the child to be at nursery when ill, fair on the staff who have to presumably pay more attention to that child than every other child in the room, or fair on the other children to be exposed to goodness knows what? (And before you ask yes I have a child at nursery so know how inconvenient it can be when she's ill).

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Meglet · 24/07/2013 15:30

Yabu.

We're not even allowed to send them in within 12hrs of having calpol or 24hrs of having a temperature. It's a PITA but it's only fair on the staff and other children.

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Sirzy · 24/07/2013 15:33

If a child is ill enough to need medicine (other than inhalers and other regular medication) they shouldn't be in nursery.

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Groovee · 24/07/2013 15:33

We have to have the prescribed medicines on the box or bottle handed in and a formed signed filling in all the information. That's because one parent when called about her poorly child replied "Give him a double dose of calpol then!"

If they need calpol for a temperature then they need to be at home.

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lj123 · 24/07/2013 15:41

I work in childcare and it has to be prescribed with a label and it has to be given for the current illness, you cannot use the medicine if same bottle for an illness it hasn't been prescribed for especially for cater to be giving.
Having said that if your child is generally unwell with high temperature or not it takes a whole member of staff to care for that child and nursery isn't the place there's other children that need care too.
Calpol doesn't always take temperature down either so it's eat for child to be at home where comfortable I recover, you never know what else they may pick up in nursery if unwell already only adding to the issue of you taking time off work. Xx

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exoticfruits · 24/07/2013 15:49

You seem to have 2 threads on it. They have to play safe - parents will sue if things go wrong. If they might need calpol they are not well enough to go anyway.

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PearlyWhites · 24/07/2013 15:55

Yanbu my dc's nursery gives calpol but only prescribed , however your dh should have given the box not just the bottle.

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mamalovesminky · 24/07/2013 15:57

Thanks peeps - please see my follow up post above. Maja has solved my problem. Thanks also to Sarah Bumbarer (great name by the way) for understanding what my actual gripe was. Exotic fruits - I thought I did 2 posts by mistake - can you tell me where the other post is and how I delete it? I'm not a regular here and am all thumbs today. Thanks again x

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ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 24/07/2013 16:00

Odd. DS has a bottle of Calpol that is just for nursery, and if he needs it, then they give it to him. Having a bit of temperature does't always = being ill. Might just be teething.

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Wandastartup · 24/07/2013 16:08

Give neurogenic in the morning-it lasts longer and temp will stay down till pick up...

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Wandastartup · 24/07/2013 16:08

Sorry neurofen!

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mamalovesminky · 24/07/2013 16:16

@PearlyWhites - I can't actually blame him for that too ;) - I threw the box away as soon as I got home - I thought (bizarrely) that Calpol is Calpol and that I would have no need for the packaging. Why would it make any difference whether I bought it or was prescribed it - it's Calpol - it brings a child's temperature down and she had a temperature that needed bringing down agghh! I knew she wasn't seriously ill because she was happily hopping about wanting to stay and play at nursery. Also I'd just like to stress, it wasn't having to collect her that annoyed me (love being with my baby girl

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BionicEmu · 24/07/2013 16:22

DS's nursery happily give Calpol. I just have to sign a medicine sheet when I drop him off & they'll give it to him, either at a time I specify or when they think he needs it. Very handy for teething, or now he's a bit older, for a headache or sore throat etc.

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ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 24/07/2013 16:28

I have been slated on here because my child's nursery will let children go when they are ill, as long as they are 'well in themselves', so as long as they aren't miserable and ill, they can go. They let children recovering from chicken pox go. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I knew the policies before I booked his place, and he loves it there. They are relaxed to the point of horizontal about bugs and illness (although not D and V). They call me if he becomes unwell and Calpol hasn't made him feel better. I don't tend to send DS when he is obviously unwell, but a bit of temperature overnight is nothing really. It's in North Manc.

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xylem8 · 24/07/2013 16:28

Ir she has a fever she shouldn't be at nursery.End of.

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