is this a daycare dealbreaker?

[Anonymous]

I think it is, but I'm trying to decide if I'm just flipping out because I'm stressed. A mom brought her kid to daycare when he'd had diarrhea the night before - of course, that morning he pukes all over the place. She sends him home, but the virus spreads. My son and my family have had it (except the baby). Now the kid is back at daycare, but he still has diarrhea! I'm sorry the parents have had a sick kid for a week, but seriously? I feel like he needs to be home until the diarrhea is home (and I practice what I preach here - I've been out for a week with the same situation). I'm pissed because the daycare provider won't tell the parents to not bring him back until he's fully well. My husband has expressed his displeasure and I guess I will this afternoon - but should I expect anything to happen? I know kids get sick at daycare, but bringing sick kids in on purpose really pisses me off.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it would be for me. The daycare provider needs to respect the other families enough to know better.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing this is a home day care? Centers usually are much more strict about these things.

We have our older son (2 and a half) in a center setting and had a situation where he had diarrhea for over a week and couldn't go to school. Here's the thing - the diarrhea was caused because he was being treated for strep with Augmentin. The strep was no longer contagious because he was on antibiotics BUT it gave him a terrible case of the runs. He was not sick but they wouldn't let him attend as long as he had loose stool. So frustrating for a mom (and dad) who were out of work for upwards of a week. I share our story because it could be a similar situation.

[Anonymous]

If you've already had the virus, you can't get it again.

[Anonymous]

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)?

[Anonymous]

no matter what the cause of the diarrhea (and yes, it could be antibiotics or teething), the child should not be in daycare like that. for me, that's a dealbreaker, OP. i'd start looking at other options, but don't yank your kid summarily before you find something.

[Anonymous]

Yep, dealbreaker for me. Not only is the provider wrong, but the parents of the sick kid are also wrong! I would NEVER bring my child to daycare if I knew he could get others sick, just out of courtesy to the other parents.

FWIW, we went 48+ hours with no diarrhea and sent our DS back to daycare when he had the stomach bug (had also taken 5 days off at this point). The other kids (and our provider) got sick and we felt so terrible. I still feel bad about the whole thing, but we DID keep our son out of daycare until we thought he was no longer contagious!

[Anonymous]

Has the staff even taken any measures to prevent the spread of whatever's causing the diarrhea? Increased hand-washing, bleach wipe down, etc? Is there a Parent Handbook? Any written policy? Were you guys given notice that one of the children was sick?

I would definitely talk to whoever's in charge about the situation, along with other parents affected by this illness. It could be a teaching moment for the administration: You will potentially lose a number of paying parents if you do not ensure the well-being of their children. Diarrhea is not an inconvenience, it is a dreadful illness and should be taken seriously.

Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you've already had the virus, you can't get it again.

Not relevant.

[Anonymous]

I would have a talk with the provider and talk about your concerns. I know our in-home provider sometimes bended the rules to try to appease parents, so she would have wanted to know if she was actually making more parents unhappy. It's possible the parents lied or misled the provider or the provider felt a lot of pressure to take the kid. If the provider seems to think she did nothing wrong, I would consider looking for a new place. Stomach viruses are horrible. And potentially dangerous due to dehydration.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

OP - this would be a deal breaker for me, and is why we chose to do center-based care, because they have no exceptions rules for these scenarios.

DD had diarrhea one day and they called me after her first blow-out diaper to let me know and give me a head's up that if it happens again, she will have to be picked up. The rule of thumb is that the diaper cannot leak out of the clothes. Otherwise, kid goes home. She had another blow out, and they sent her home with instructions not to return until the diarrhea had stopped for 24 hours. Same rules apply for fevers. Child must be fever free for 24 hours before returning. Not to mention they have strict rules re: bleach, gloves while changing, etc.

Of course we still come down with stomach bugs, sicknesses, etc., but if your provider does not have any general rules or policies on these things, then I would look elsewhere. Shame on those parents, too. Stomach bugs are one of the most contagious viruses out there...they should have known better.

[Anonymous]

I'm suprised the provider let the kid come in with diahrrea. Mine would not - too much time to clean up, etc., on top of any contagion concerns.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, centers have been more prone to bend the rules to allow a child who is sick to stay. I have a pretty strict illness policy and I follow it without exception. I have a home daycare and I look at it this way, my family and I live here and I can't be having a bunch of sick kids here all the time. Does it make parents mad sometimes? Absolutely. But I have only had to send one child home one time in the last 6 months and I've not had any illnesses break out in my home that have been anything worse than a mild cold. OP, I'd begin the search for a new daycare because if the center won't make sure that they follow the policies regarding illness then you could end up with a child who is constantlu sick.

[Anonymous]

As an in-home provider I have seen other providers have families give notice because their sick child was told to stay home. It is a fear we all live with. However, this does not excuse the provider not abiding by the policies with this family. She needs to tell them to keep the child home. Tell her to use licensing as an excuse. That has helped me in the past. I had the same situation, a family coming in with diahrrea. I sent the child home multiple times immediately after drop off as soon as I saw he still had it. The family was royally p'd at me and the dad told me off on the phone. I called my specialist and she said No way can the child be there and have the dad call me if they have any questions. So I did.