Children's nurseries.

Desperately frustrating, I know, but a nursery has to be so careful. If just one child with Covid passes it on to others, other parents call for the nursery staff to be hung, drawn and quartered and the nursery to be shut down.

Yes, same problem at granddaughter’s nursery, and the buck stops here.

It is a miserable situation, for everybody involved.

However, I can understand the nursery's position.

You can always choose not to be the full time backup so you have time to plan the things you want to do.

It's very difficult, isn't it, but the nurseries have to be so careful.

My DGS6 started part-time nursery at Easter when he was 12 months old. Being born in lockdown he had had hardly any contact with other children and he couldn't believe there were suddenly so many in his world - he loved it. Unfortunately he's experiencing coughs, colds and chest infections for the first time as well and has had only four days there out of the twelve he should have had. I feel very sorry for all the young parents who are having to pay for the nursery as well as making alternative childcare arrangements, but there's noone to blame for the situation.

Yes DGS2 childminder is the same. They have precise instructions and there is zero tolerance for coughs, colds, runny noses etc.

Maybe we've just been lucky, I think our DGD has been sent home only on one occasion and that wasn't for a cough or cold. My DIL has to pick her up as they live close to the nursery, I'm in my home a few miles away caring for little DGS.

Glad it’s not just me frustrated with this situation, COVID test came back negative as usual.

There is no one else as backup, my daughter used to help out but she is now working full time.

His mum and dad would probably lose there jobs if they took the amount of time off that he has been sent home.

Bopeep14,

Thanks for being there for your daughter and son in law, it is difficult times for everybody

How about concentrating on making memories? Make lemonade out of lemons?

I think it would depend on the nursery- some using more common sense - some being more panicked.
My grandson had to self isolate for 10 days as one of his bubble staff tested positive.

That is very over the top. My son has been nursery many times with a bit of a runny nose and cough caused by post nasal drip and they've never sent him home. If he developed coronavirus symptoms then if course I'd keep him home but if they sent everyone home over a runny nose then they wouldn't have anybody there. Cannot avoid the unavoidable. It's a virus and it will spread, regardless of how much you protect yourself and others.

Forgot to mention, he has been tested for covid for when he had a runny nose and cough and it always came back negative so I no longer test him now as it is traumatic for him..he gets very upset. Must be allergies as I suffer the same and have to take a antihistamine daily.

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This, I think, is a global frustration, as COVID was. Here in the US it is the same. My oldest had a low grade fever and had to stay home for 3 days until I could get a negative test result even though I knew it was not COVID. More school missed this year.

I am thankful that both my teens can now get vaccinated with the Pfizer shot. They are both 1 shot down. I don't see this scenario letting up until younger kids are able to get the shot though.

I keep telling myself that we have to go through, not over or around. Doesn't mean that it doesn't stink.

I think all nurseries and most schools are doing this.

It is frustrating for parents, but surely it is better than risking the epidemic accelerating again?

I know we have been told that young children don't contract covid-19, but this may not apply to all strains of it. They certainly seem to be able to pass it on to adults, as many nursery school teachers have been infected while at work.

The nurseries and schools have very precise instructions from Public Health and from the Local Authorities. They have to follow them to the letter, it can't be one rule for one child and one for another, frustrating as it may seem. They are not making the rules up. It is difficult, but hopefully things will improve over the next few months.

Not the nurseries fault in a pandemic. Hopefully won't last for much longer. Imagine if they weren't so cautious and infections spread. This is a modern plague and a dangerous illness for many. Better safe than sorry.

Most nurseries have stayed open through covid, they are following government guidelines and if a child develops a temperature whether it be for a cold or teething etc.,they have to follow the guidelines, please don't blame the nurseries, this has been a very testing time with new things to take on board almost daily

I agree it is over the top and unfortunately many nurseries seem to be the same. Fortunately our DGD's primary school don't panic at the sight of ordinary sniffles: people still have allergies and common colds.

CatNurse, I think it would be reasonable if you planned some things and told your daughter/son in law you wouldn't be available those days if he got sent home.

We used to rapid test my grandson twice weekly. However this was not enough when he was recently poorly. As he had a slight fever we had to take him for a PCR test as the school nursery would not recognise the negative result of the rapid lateral test. As this is invasive and really upsets him ( he has had 3 Pcr tests since December) we have decided not to carry on the rapid tests. Why should we when the results mean nothing? It really is annoying xx

Young children do catch Covid. One 6 year old in my DGDs class caught it and now has damage to their heart. Child had no underlying health problems before was fit and healthy.

Why are so many saying it's "over the top". No one knows what an individual child's cough or other symptom is regarding Coronavirus.

I would want to know that my child's/grandchild's nursery was responsible and cautious.

On the one hand one can say the nursery are being careful however on the one hand one could say they are being lazy and have their own agendas. Our own 3 children all went to a hospital nursery in the 70/80s in those days we paid £45 per child from 8 am until 1pm. Per week. As I was working permanently on night duty my husband would take them to nursery and I would collect them at 1 pm. Fast forward 25 years. We were taking our grandchildren to nursery £20 per hour Monday to Friday. I received phone calls asking me to collect one of our grandchildren because they “ keep sneezing” or have a cough or headache. I told the person in charge of the nursery if they cannot cope with children sneezing or coughing perhaps they should not be looking after young children who are going to do those things building up their immunity. She never phoned to collect the child again and all was fine.

This is just how it is, and I for one am glad. I have made it very clear to my daughter and sons that if the children are ill I won't be doing childcare. We have to look after ourselves as we get older. Children can have no symptoms of Covid and are rarely ill, but we as grandparents can be quite ill. Same testing and policies in schools from what I hear from my children and spouses. Be grateful that the nurseries are being stringent. I don't suppose the staff want Covid anymore than we do.