First and foremost, I am not a doctor. I am just a mom who has tried many things to keep her children healthy. I cannot prevent, cure, or diagnose any illness. Always be sure to contact your primary healthcare physician for more information on your child's symptoms, as well as what they would recommend for them!
Let’s just face it, children are going to get sick no matter how hard you try to prevent it. I’ve always heard it, and I am sure you have too, that children who go to daycare get sick often because the germs get passed around so easily. In my own experience, as a stay-at-home mom of many years, even if your child stays home with you - it is inevitable that at some point your child will catch a virus.
Before I get into all of the helpful tips for helping your child recover and all of the medicine-cabinet essentials you will need to help them recover quickly, allow me the opportunity to share with you how seriously I take the health and wellness of the kiddos in my childcare! Allow me preface this by saying that kids cough in my face, sneeze in my eyes, put chewed on toys in my hand, and even my mouth if they can do it fast enough. It is all part of my job. Nonetheless, running an in-home daycare is a serious and essential business. It is a lot of responsibility!
I KNOW that you need to work, that it is an awful feeling to call in sick time and time again, and that it is stressful for everyone involved. I empathize with you entirely. However, when you drop your sick children off at daycare, you need to understand that I can absolutely not give your child the love and attention that they deserve (and need) in a childcare setting. I would love to give the sick kiddos my undivided attention and all of the cuddles they so badly want from me, but it is simply not possible when there are between 5 and 9 children in my care! Your child will be miserable here and only you can give them the best quality care that they will want and need throughout the day in order to recover quickly.
Beyond that, I do not want your child(ren) spreading illness to other children in care. It is my responsibility to protect the other children, and their families, from illness. For all I know, elderly and immunocompromised family members are at risk when the kids in my care fall ill. Please, be considerate of the other infants and children in my care, the same way you would want other families to consider your infants and children. Some of the illnesses coming in may even be dangerous for the younger children in my care! I must consider these things when a child comes in sick.
I never want to upset anyone by holding firmly to my boundaries in This Little Home of Mine, and I promise that I will do everything I can to work for and with my families in order to be reliable to everyone. However, you must understand that I must think about ALL of the children and families in my care when we discuss your child's illnesses. It is never personal. Furthermore, you must also consider that if I, the provider, gets sick - I will either have to work sick or close the daycare - resulting in you not being able to work anyway. Especially in the event that I am taking care of my own three sick children, plus your and other sick children, while being sick. Not only will you be out of work, but so will potentially 5 other families.
Again, I never want to upset anyone, but I must consider ALL children and families in my care. Not just those of the sick child(ren). I promise that I love your children and your family just the same! I do not ask that you stay out due to ill will. I simply ask that you think about everyone involved when you are deciding whether it is ok to bring your child into daycare or to stay home. - Said with love, TaLisa A.
Helping Your Child Recover & Medicine Cabinet Essentials
Moving On! Currently, as I am writing this post, we are right in the beginning of cold/flu season. We've already blown through four or five different bugs (all back-to-back) in the last month or so. I wash my hands countless times a day, wear gloves while changing diapers, disinfect EVERYTHING in between each change, and still this has not prevented our children from catching these bugs. The truth is that no matter how hard you try to prevent a sickness from happening, sometimes it’s just bound to happen - unfortunately. To help your baby or toddler get through a cold, I want to share a few tips that have helped us stay comfortable while fighting these illnesses. Again, I am not a doctor. If your child shows signs/symptoms that you are concerned about, consult with your pediatrician before trying anything mentioned on this website.
1.) The very first thing you should do when your child begins to come down with a cold is to contact your pediatrician. The sooner you know what it is and how to treat your child's symptoms, the more comfortable your kiddo will be and the better the chance they have to fight the virous quickly.
2.) CUDDLES! Think about when you have a cold, how do you feel? Tired, maybe a headache or some pressure in your head from sinuses, can’t breathe through your nose. It's downright miserable! That’s what your child is dealing with. They may be a lot fussier and more irritable than normal because they simply do not feel good. Your main job is to help them feel more comfortable as their body fights off the virus. Giving your child plenty of love and cuddles is much needed when they don’t feel good and is known to be a great way to comfort your kiddo while they are sick. Just one more reason you are a better fit for comforting your child than your childcare provider is. Additionally, pat your baby on the back as if you are burping them. This will help break up the mucus that may be in their chest to enable their cough to be more productive.
3.) FLUIDS! Be sure your baby is getting enough liquids to drink so they don’t get dehydrated. Again, your child may be fussy at dinner time due to their stuffy nose. Spray some saline spray into your child’s nose prior to them drinking anything. This will help loosen the mucus to enable their ability to breathe better while drinking. To be sure your they are getting enough to drink, monitor how many wet diapers they have in a day. What goes in, must come out!!
4.) FEVER! First and foremost, let's talk about fevers for a moment. As parents, our first response to our children having a fever is usually "How can I lower the fever and get them feeling better?". Naturally, we want to treat the fever immediately!!! However, in most instances, treating the fever does not help the body get rid of the illness. It will only relieve discomfort for your child. Why? Fevers help the body "burn out" whatever microbial invader is attempting to multiply within the body. Your brain, specifically the hypothalamus, raises the core temperature of your body, causing an increased activity in your immune system. When we reduce the temperature using over the counter medications, we run the risk of creating longer bouts of time with the illness, or even creating recurrent infections!!! In short, a fever is the beginning of your body's healing process for fighting the infection.
Instead, when you or a loved one gets a fever, do your best to take a deep breath and not rush to respond. Fevers are natural. Your body knows what it’s doing and trusting in its natural ability to fight common infections is paramount to your health. Know when to leave it alone, let it do what it needs to, without turning to meds as a first line of defense. This is called "breaking the fever" and, in most cases, a fever usually resolves on its own with a good amount of rest and liquids.
However, a person should see a doctor if a fever is very high or does not go down after 48 hours. Monitor your child’s temperature and notify your doctor if they develop a fever. A thermometer is the most accurate tool for diagnosing a fever. We have tried out a large variety of thermometers in the last couple of years. From the very pricey ones to the very cheap ones. Consider it a "I did it so that you don't have to." type thing! The one we trust most is the Braun Thermoscan Ear Thermometer with the ExacTemp technology. It is the most accurate thermometer we have used this far.
Some Products You May Need
A Humidifier or a steamy shower! While running a cool-mist humidifier in your child’s bedroom when they sleep (or in the living room while they’re playing) can help in breaking up the mucus to be able to breathe better and recover faster - a warm steamy shower will work even faster than a humidifier to clear the mucus out. I don’t know that there is any scientific evidence to back that up but, in my own experience, a steamy shower helps to break up the mucus in my children's chest to help them cough it up. That's why I, personally, suggest a steamy shower before bed. Just remember not to make the water too hot!! We don’t want to burn our babies’ fragile skin!
Saline spray can loosen mucus, saline wipes are gentle enough to effectively wipe away snot and boogies without rubbing their skin raw, a cleanable "boogie bulb" or nasal aspirator bulb to suck out mucus from their nose (try not to use it more than 4 times per day as not to irritate the inside of your baby's nose - creating more mucus), Zarbee's chest rub (made of all natural ingredients making it safe for babies 2+ months), and infant Tylenol. These are all great methods for helping your baby sleep better, taking away the headache that comes with a cold, and for lowering fevers that may come with a cold as well. (Never give aspirin to a child, as there is a risk of a life-threatening complication called Reye’s syndrome.)
All of that aside, be sure to make sure that your child is getting as much sleep as possible. Sleep is a major help in healing their body quickly. Yet another reason for keeping your child home from childcare. Rest is best! Understand that they will not be able to rest an appropriate amount that their body needs for recovery in my home. Remember to give your child plenty of love and hugs, keep their nose clean and clear, keep the room moist and humid with a humidifier, don’t use the nasal aspirator bulb too much in one day, and non-medicated saline drops are your child’s friend. Most importantly: keep your child hydrated and stay in contact with your pediatrician to make sure everything is going as good as possible.
This Little Home of Mind Sickness Policy
If any of the following conditions are present, it is required that children be excluded from care: Children may return to care when they are free of symptoms or are approved to return by the facility operator or in some extreme cases, by a medical doctor. Again, if your child experiences any of the following please keep them home until they are gone, or are well enough to participate in normal everyday activities:
Fever (100.4* F or higher) - child must be free from fever (without being medicated) for 24 hours before returning to care at the facility. *A teething fever is usually low-grade, meaning less than 100.4* F. It very rarely exceeds that.
Sore Throat or trouble swallowing
Excessive drainage (clear or discolored) from the mouth, nose, eyes, or ears.
Red discoloration to the whites of the eye(s).
Severe body or scalp itching
Skin rashes as they are difficult to diagnose unless seen by a physician.
A deep, hacking cough.
An unusual yellow coloring of the skin or eyes.
Cuts or openings on the skin that are pus-filled or oozing.
Lice or nits.
Pain - any unexplained or undiagnosed pain Difficulty in breathing Wheezing or persistent cough Children with a known or suspected communicable disease/illness Vomiting - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without vomiting Severe Abdominal Pain
Diarrhea (as defined by an increase in frequency and loosening of stool) - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without loose stool/diarrhea *Please do not come in here and tell me your child ate too much fruit over the weekend. If your child is experiencing loose stool, you must keep them home regardless of what they ate recently. Especially as we are going into flu season.
Just not feeling good - a child must be well enough to participate in the entire childcare day to be at daycare
***Parents are required to inform me of any serious illness or communicable /contagious disease (with their child or within their family) within 24 hours to allow other families within the childcare center to be alerted.
Medications must be brought in the original containers, be current with the child's name on it. A medicine permission form must be complete at daycare. If you want your child to have any over the counter medicines, insect repellent, or sunscreen, a permission form must be signed.
If my own children contract an illness during the night, I will notify you immediately so you can decide whether you want to bring your child. If your child(ren) has been exposed to a communicable disease such as chicken pox, strep throat, lice, and pink eye, you will be notified.
If your child(ren) is sent to daycare with any of the above listed symptoms or if above symptoms develop during the day, they will be sent home.
Children should NEVER be medicated and then sent to daycare (i.e. given Tylenol to break fever). You should arrange for back-up care when your child is sick. If your child attends daycare for 3 days or less, you will only be charged Part-Time that week and your bill will be adjusted accordingly. If your child will not be attending daycare due to illness or any other reason, please let me know as soon as possible, as well as the reason they will not be attending. This will prevent activities from being delayed.
If your child needs to take medications, please try whenever possible to avoid the need for those medicines to be administered by caregivers. If you cannot administer them at home, make certain that you bring the medicines to the daycare in their original containers and provide clear, written instructions, as well as a doctor's note on how/when they should be taken.
All play areas and equipment are clean and in good condition. Equipment is sanitized to prevent the spread of disease every evening as well as whenever possible throughout the day, and inspection reports will be posted in the entryway.
Make sure that your child is kept up to date on vaccines and that you do not bring him/her to the daycare while he/she is sick. Reducing exposure is instrumental to keeping others from catching communicable diseases.
Daycare food is made separately from my family's meals and stored in a separate fridge for the following day. I will not hold on to leftovers, and all daycare dishes are washed/stored away immediately after eating.
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