Children's nurseries.

I feel so bad for working families now. Unfortunately most of the childcare burden still falls on the mum. They are usually the ones getting the phone call to come pick up little Johnny or Jane because of the runny nose. Very rarely do they call Dad.

My daughter and husband have a very well balanced relationship. She works a government job from home, and he has his own business with some flexibility so they do manage to work things out. It's doubly hard for them since they live quite far away and have no family nearby. There have been a few times where I have commiserated with my daughter, she was close to tears but they are doing their best.

This was from a study "Women in the Workplace":
Seventy-six per cent of mothers with children under age the age of 10 say childcare is one of their top three challenges during COVID-19, compared to 54 per cent of fathers.

Same at my grandson's nursery. It's not at all 'over the top' and I'd be appalled if they were not taking stringent precautions to protect their staff, the children and the families they all go home to.

I know that nurseries have to be careful but I think this obsession with Covid testing for every little thing is totally over the top.

NotSpaghetti

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.

Because people are tired of their lives being interrupted. Same reason so many are acting as though the pandemic is over.

They are over it.

I’m with you, as annoying as it is, being on top of it is better than allowing a super spreader event.

As others have rightly pointed out, the Nursery is stuck with guidance it has to follow and that’s that. My problem for the OP is that these aren’t Her children but her Grandchildren. As grandparents it’s all well and good to be able to help out, either regularly or intermittently, but surely after raising our family we’ve earned the right to have a life afterwards? The OP is saying that she can no longer plan to do anything which is frankly ridiculous and far too restrictive imo! What about the parents responsibility for their own child? Yes it’s blooming inconvenient at times but if they’re in childcare or school then you’re free to plan your day as you please. If you have accepted certain days, school holidays or the odd emergency then so be it, but don’t give up your retirement to be chained completely to your grandchildren unless that’s absolutely 100% your wish.

Loopy1906 I'm sorry but your reply correlates with your name.

You can't diagnose covid19 from hearung a cough. I don't know where you have been since January 2020 but every single person who tests positive for it has different symptoms and many no symptoms at all.
I agree in some people like your son and myself when i had it the cough was terrible. But when my GS had it the only sign was a blister on his toe.
All nurseries can do is keep on doing what they're doing. It's not a guessing game. And at least the test results come back pretty quick.

Lateral flow tests are only meant to be used by people with no symptoms, anyway.

Apart from the results being less reliable than those of a PCR test, the results would also be wide-open to misuse too if they were accepted as 'proof' of being covid-free, because there is no way of knowing if the person claiming it is their result is the person who did the test. I can see many a desperate parent/ grandparent doing this test themselves rather than putting their young charge through the ordeal!

I am dreading my dgd having to do a test.
Before lockdown, she was regularly off nursery with something or other (which she always kindly shared with ds and I), so now she has finally gone back, it is only a matter of time.
I am 100% sure that she would not cooperate with a test ?

Covid often manifests like a cold in young children.

Loopy1906

Apply if you can for the test kits government send out. It’s a box of 7 tests with results in 30 minutes. Test each day, show nursery the proof as it’s ridiculous what they are doing, it’s cruel also as your grandchild is gonna start thinking they have done wrong. I think they can tell the difference using common sense. It would be a violet continuous cough. My son caught Covid so I know how vicious that caugh is.

Lateral flow test is not as accurate as PCR so you need to get a PCR if the child has symptoms to allow attendance at nursery. Unfortunately not all children have a violent continuous cough like your son. A child at GC nursery had much milder symptoms, tested positive and resulted in GC and others having to isolate.

Loopy1906

Apply if you can for the test kits government send out. It’s a box of 7 tests with results in 30 minutes. Test each day, show nursery the proof as it’s ridiculous what they are doing, it’s cruel also as your grandchild is gonna start thinking they have done wrong. I think they can tell the difference using common sense. It would be a violet continuous cough. My son caught Covid so I know how vicious that caugh is.

We have been doing those tests but the school will only accept a per test result done at an official test centre. Therefore we see no reason to keep subjecting our Grandchild to the lateral tests.

Apply if you can for the test kits government send out. It’s a box of 7 tests with results in 30 minutes. Test each day, show nursery the proof as it’s ridiculous what they are doing, it’s cruel also as your grandchild is gonna start thinking they have done wrong. I think they can tell the difference using common sense. It would be a violet continuous cough. My son caught Covid so I know how vicious that caugh is.

It's not about being lazy, it has been incredibly stressful for those of us who work in the childcare sector, trying to keep everyone safe and well. I confess to being guilty of sending children home if they have a temperature or a cough (but not just a runny nose if they are otherwise well). It is a very fine balancing act, and is causing huge anxiety amongst my staff. We are all doing an extra hour of cleaning when the children have left, too. And many may not be aware, but childcare staff rarely earn much above the minimum wage.

As has already been mentioned young children pass things on very easily.

My daughter works at a Pre school where they appear to be more relaxed about sending children home and she has ended up with Covid probably from a child there as she does very little else and is extremely careful.
There are two sides to everything

Younger DGS sent home with a temperature last Friday which was down by evening. He wasn't allowed back to nursery on the Monday, his brother couldn't go to school so they & their parents had to have tests & all were finally declared clear on Tuesday lunchtime. Annoying but necessary

I work with a class of 32 4 year olds and at present there are precise guidelines to follow from the Health board. Persistent coughs/sore throat or a temp then the child has to be sent home.

Necessary precautions the pandemic is far from over

Well it may ease in time but for the moment this is what we are told to do to protect ourselves and our family. I’m 61 and glad all this in place as it shows nurseries aren’t being forgotten about as we have been previously. No funding no back up thanks Boris!

It will be legislation from each education authority to protect themselves as well as others. Covid has presented some interesting new rules.

My GC nursery is more cautious now. They sent a letter to parents which apparently had also been sent out to primary school parents too. Basically any cold symptoms need a test as children don't always show the classic signs. GC has had several tests as she has asthma and colds always lead to coughing. She has no problem having the tests. DD tells her it is a little tickle and she doesn't seem to mind. Also DD insisted on getting out the car at the test centre to carry out the tests on her and the staff moved well away while they were being completed.
I think it is part of ensuring community safety and while inconvenient needs done just now. Especially with uncertainty over variants.

It’s a horrible test for little ones to have. Dd works from home and gs is in nursery 3 days a week. He was sent home with a runny nose from nursery and not allowed to return without a negative test plus gd is at school and sil works so off dd went to testing sight. Gs is not yet 2. He was distraught at having the test which dd had to do twice as he had a nosebleed from it. Then dd’s car wouldn’t start as the battery had flattened as she had to have the hazards on. She was warned it may come back as an insufficient sample but fortunately it came back negative. It is something nurseries have to do for the sake of all their charges but I do feel sorry for the poor little mites who need testing several times, and the poor parents or grandparents who have to administer the test.

Dgs (9) has recently had Covid, caught from a classmate. He has underlying medical conditions so we were very worried but apart from a runny nose and low blood sugars he was fine. Quite a few of his classmates and a couple of parents also caught it but fortunately DD didn’t. Schools and nurseries do have to take it seriously.

I am in the same boat, my son and DIL both have just started new jobs in a new town where they have no family or friends yet and the daycare will only allow 1 symptom if 2 develop my granddaughter will be sent home and for a Covid test. I’m the closest family but a 2 hour drive away, I have agreed to help , when I can, but do feel some stress to not plan things in case I get a call , she’s been in for 3 weeks and so far I’ve gone up once for cough and runny nose and stayed a week . It’s stressful for everyone until enough people have 2 doses of the vac. Maybe then some of these protocols will lessen.

Itsawelshthing we have stopped testing little one too as he was completely hysterical the second time and DD2 had to climb through to back of car - not allowed out and take him out car seat and cuddle him for 30 minutes till he calmed down. None of the times he has been unable to go to childminder has he had any Covid symptoms. First time he got tested during 1st lockdown he ended up in hospital with tonsillitis not Covid and was quite poorly. His tonsils are seriously huge!

Unfortunately we have to do this as this has been deemed our fate and others if we do not abide by the regulations. We cannot accept a home test and have to have the real test done and we accept them back into nursery on the acceptance of this test. We have to protect our children and staff and as my nursery got shut for a month after catching COVID we think from two babies related we will be enforcing this for some time.when I was off work I didn’t receive my normal pay just the ssp which didn’t go very far, we need to survive and progress and this is what we have to do no matter how inconvenient it may be.

My DGS's Nursery accepts children as long as they don't have a persistent cough & temperature is below a certain level. DGS had a cold last week but still went to Nursery as the staff were happy it was only a cold, his brother also had a cold & went to School . I think it varies from Nursery to Nursery & School to School, some may be displaying a little more common sense in interpreting the guidelines