I have never had a year like this ever with illness. BUT I have to be honest and say that I feel partly responsible due to the fact that I am not standing behind my policies 100% and kids are coming back to daycare too soon.

Again I have a question about an exception issue. I do not allow any medications to be given on my property other than life saving meds, asthma, diabetic etc. AND they must be given by the parent along with DOC note, treatment plan and etc. I do not allow parents to come administer anything else on my property. AND I will not do it either.

I also don't allow parents to use OTC medication like Tylenol before dropping kids off.

I have a dck who has an ear infection that has been onging. the parent has been great about taking care of everything, but of course waits until I send home sick or deny care. Well dck has been on a new medication for almost 6 days now and the child is still having ear pain. I told dcp you need to call dco and let them know. DCM follow through and now tells me that the doc wants dck to get Tylenol or such every 4 hours to help with the pain.

The parent wants to come and admin. My rules say NO. DCP then asked if I get a doc note stating that she is to admin the Tylenol can she??


I have been putting out parent fires for the last two weeks every day and it's taking a toll on me, I can't even think straight right now.

INPUT what would you do? What would you require?

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I would allow, however suggest to mom that maybe a stronger antibiotic is needed. Also, could pain be from wax buildup? Maybe that is issue?

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I will be reading for ideas also. This season has been really rough. All of my dcks have a cough and i have been dealing with viral infections, croup, bloody nose bleeds, ear infections pink eye..... I have a 9 month old out today that is being checked for fluid in her lungs. Ugh!
I stick by my sick policy but it still doesn't seem to work. I would like to close down till spring. The kids are technically (according to policy) well enough to come to dc but they are all coughing buggery messes spreading germs back and forth.

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With any new treatment plan, there is usually a period of adjustment.

If this child is experiencing so much pain that he requires round the clock dosing every 4 hours with Tylenol, he needs to be home where he can be observed.

I understand that this is an ear infection and more than likely not something that is excludable under contagious illnesses but if you have a policy of no meds and/or a policy of excluding for symptoms, then follow your policy.

You know as well as I do that if you make an exception under these circumstances, ALL parents will want you to review and consider their situations as being "special" too and you know where that will lead you.....

I'd be somewhat apologetic and sympathetic and maybe say something to the DCM like "I understand that this situation may be different than most, I must still observe and follow my policies and my policies state no medications under any circumstances so again, I am sorry if this causes any inconvenience to you but I can't expect others to follow my policies if I don't follow them myself."

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That would exclude them in my policies.

A child can be excluded if the care and maintenance of their condition requires more care and/or attention than the provider is able to provide while caring for the group of children as a whole.

It's a sanitary thing. If they can't cover their mouth when coughing or wipe their own noses, then they can't attend. I don't have time to follow kids around catching boogers or wiping up trails of snot.

That IS considered more care and attention than I am able to provide WHILE I am doing the other things I normally do all day.

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Nope, I would not have that. It's a medication and I don't allow kids to come medicated with antipyretics either (any fever reducing meds). Child could be sick/fever/contagious and you would not be aware.

My son has had chronic ear infections this year. We are bringing him in again today in fact because he just finished an antibiotic and 2 days later woke up screaming in pain.

He has pain relieving ear drops prescribed for him every 2h as needed. I WOULD allow those and would ask her to inquire to the dr about them. Mom (or relative) would need to bring them and give them to dck, but they do work! Ds has never needed to have them every 2h, at the height of his worst infection this year, I was doing it every 4.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...s/a607073.html

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When I was doing child care, our licensing regulations allowed us to give medicines (both over the counter and prescribed). The rule, however, on OTC was that the directions on the box had to be followed. For example, I couldn't give cough medicine to a 2 year old if the box said 'Do not give to children younger than 3 years.' But if the box said 'Under 2, contact physician', for example then with a doctor's note I could in the amount specified by the doctor. I didn't HAVE to but I COULD. I did unless I was uncomfortable with giving certain things or didn't think the child needed it. But we were also allowed to have parent come to our house and give the medication. We had a paper to fill out and initial each time we gave meds.

Personally I never had a problem with the parent's coming and giving meds if they wanted to (which almost never happened).

I guess there could be 'some' risk with giving meds but I didn't see many with Tylenol or Amoxicillin prescribed by the doctor. I can't imagine having a child stay home for 10 days because they are on Amoxicillin, for example. In 20 years I never had a problem. Not saying I couldn't have but parents do have to work.

Laurel

P.S. Edited to add. I had sickness but not as much as those of other providers in my area. I don't know if this was the reason but I mostly attributed it to giving each child a glass of orange juice every morning.

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Personally I would make an exception. They aren't drugging for no reason.

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According to them.

I don't buy that the Dr would say give Tylenol every 4 hours on a daily basis.

Physicians here are reluctant to recommend using OTC meds like that and would be more apt to switch up the antibiotics a child is on first before saying dose with Tylenol like that.

Plus, like any illnesses/condition if it's severe enough to warrant pain meds round the clock the child should be at home.

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