is this a daycare dealbreaker?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I totally understand the antibiotic angle, but this isn't it. He's just still sick from the stomach bug. He's not on any meds. I understand the not getting it again, but what about continuing to expose the kids who haven't had it (like my baby)?

Not being snarky, but how do you know all this information about another child and family?

[Anonymous]

How is it you know the kid had diahrrea all day?

[Anonymous]

OP here- I know because I was there when the mom was telling the day care provider what was going on. This is an in-home daycare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DCP (center) made a comment this morning that none of the toddlers were in yesterday (neither was DD, never is on Mondays) because their PARENTS were sick and kept the kids home with them...

do you keep your kids home with you when you're sick? I had a stomach bug a few weeks ago but did not keep DD (went to MIL's as planned)... spent the day throwing up and Lysoling the entire house while opening all the windows.

About two weeks ago, my husband and I were both hit with a nasty stomach bug - neither one of us was well enough to drive our daughter to daycare, and my in-laws (our only local relatives who could have taken her for the day) are out of town for the rest of the month, so she stayed home with us. It wasn't ideal, but sometimes there isn't really another option. We are lucky that she didn't come down with what we had, though she did manage to pick up a different bug at daycare a few days later.

[Anonymous]

We've used in-home care and center care for our 3 kids and I have to call folks on the claim that in-home providers are more lenient than centers. It all depends on the staff.

I definitely think you should talk to your provider about this and share your concerns. The gastro-intestinal viruses are really hard to keep from spreading and if a child has recurring diarrhea, the provider should definitely not allow the child back without a doctor's note. That's to everyone's benefit.

FWIW - In Virginia, the licensing requirements indicate that if there is recurrent diarrhea, the child should be kept home "Unless otherwise approved by a child's health care professional". If a child has diarrhea because of medication, she shouldn't have to stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've used in-home care and center care for our 3 kids and I have to call folks on the claim that in-home providers are more lenient than centers. It all depends on the staff.

I definitely think you should talk to your provider about this and share your concerns. The gastro-intestinal viruses are really hard to keep from spreading and if a child has recurring diarrhea, the provider should definitely not allow the child back without a doctor's note. That's to everyone's benefit.

FWIW - In Virginia, the licensing requirements indicate that if there is recurrent diarrhea, the child should be kept home "Unless otherwise approved by a child's health care professional". If a child has diarrhea because of medication, she shouldn't have to stay home.

Hmmmm...that is not necessarily true. If a child has diarrhea, even though she/he has been medically cleared to attend daycare they may still need to be at home. As an in-home provider, if you child is having several bouts of diarrhea in a day, it takes time away from other kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I talked to her but didn't get very far. She seemed to feel bad that the family had to miss work all last week because the kid was sick. That sucks, but it's part of the deal with kids. She also said that everyone sends their kid to daycare sick - so that freaks me out a little. I mean, a cold is one thing.....vomiting or diarrhea is something else entirely. My kid totally loves her and I've been happy, but this is something that really upsets me.....sigh.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes, when a kid gets hit with a stomach bug, it can be several weeks before they have solid bowels again. If the doctor said he is no longer contagious, and the diarrhea is not the explosive type (just runny stool that is contained in their diaper), then I think you are being a little over the top with this.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes, when a kid gets hit with a stomach bug, it can be several weeks before they have solid bowels again. If the doctor said he is no longer contagious, and the diarrhea is not the explosive type (just runny stool that is contained in their diaper), then I think you are being a little over the top with this.

Exactly. Same thing with the diarrhea from antibiotics. My older child never got the abx diarrhea but my younger one definitely does. She had to be on 3 abx for a persistent secondary infection from H1N1 this fall. She literally had diarrhea for over a month. Seriously, should she not go to daycare during that time? They asked about it of course, but knew she was on meds and that was the cause.

[Anonymous]

OP here - but stomach viruses can be transmitted through feces for days to weeks after initial illness. Also, the kid looks terrible - gray and lethargic. Ah, well, either way I guess it doesn't matter...what's done is done.

[Anonymous]

Eeek. I can see if maybe the parents didn't realize the first bout of diarreah was part of a bigger issue. My daughter still occasionally gets diarreah when she's not otherwise sick. (it's unusual but it has happened.) But if she were at our daycare, she would have gotten booted out for consecutive diarreah incidents, and told not to come back for at least 24 hours after the last diarreah. The puke would have gotten her kicked out too, if it was obviously part of an illness.

the parents should know better, but if the daycare provider isn't enforcing any policies, shame on her. I wouldn't say this is a dealbreaker, but definitely speak to the caregiver about maybe strengthening her policies on illness.

I love our daycare. My daughter got pinkeye twice, which kept her out of daycare and me out of work, and I found that a little annoying because she likely got it from another kid, likely the same kid both times. But these things happen. We've also gotten really bad bugs a couple times, probably from daycare, but that's just something you live with when your kid's in daycare, I think. (and this past fall, plenty of my non-parent friends were picking up nasty bugs too - they're everywhere, on the metro, at the gym, in your office.)

[Anonymous]

OP, if its that stomach bug that has been rocketing through Arlington-my condolences. That bug is nasty and freakishly contagious.