When Your Family Is Sick-Cancelling Care Too Much

[Miss Lindsey]

My son got sick at his first day of preschool ...and I called parents to pick up kids. He seemed fine, never got sick again, so I had care again the next day. He hasnt eaten almost anything for 2 days now, so I feel like I need to take him to the dr or at least focus more on his drinking and healing from whatever this is. With 4 kids, there is no way for him to rest, and very little nurturing available from Mommy. Cancelled care again today. I am off on Fridays anywau, so we habe the weekend to get better. My concern is that I habe 2 other kids that have been exposed, and could fall ill at any time...including myself. If its strep or a cold, I ususally just isolate them and check on them periodically. With a pukey bug, I am cleaning, and trying to watch out for dehydration, so I usually cancel. But I am already getting a bit of flack from my parents about not being available.

I just dont know what else to do. I feel like my kids come first, but I also understand the hassle it is for my parents to make other arrangements. Am I out of line for cancelling when my kids are ill, or do I just need to do what I gotta do and hope the parents figure out how to deal?

[laundrymom]

I isolated my kids. 4 of them. I've closed unexpectedly 5 times in 24 years. 3 illness. 1 nephew born @ 24 weeks, 1 thought I was in labor. I think parents need to be able to count on care. If I canceled that often I'm sure it would effect enrollment.

[Zoe]

When my own kids are sick I have them go into their rooms for the day. If it's something contagious, I give the parents a heads-up but stay open. They understand that their child may be exposed and if they get sick then they will have to stay home. But like I said, my kids are separated from the group completely and I take care of the sickies as well as the daycare kids.

[mom2many]

When my 3 kids were little and got sick, I would just isolate them in their rooms and care for them, while staying open. I couldn't afford to close my doors and was afraid of losing clients if I wasn't dependable.

I would always give the parents the heads up and let them know I had a sickie home with me, but as long as they were isolated, everyone was always fine with it. Fortunately my kids were pretty healthy, so I don't remember it being a big deal. I also had my husband take them to the Dr. if that was necessary, so that enabled me to stay open too.

I can totally understand why you would want to close in order to care for your own little guy while he is sick... especially since he is so young. That is a tough situation to be in. You just have to decide what is best for you and your family and find a balance with what's best for your business too.

[daycare]

the thing that you have to realize is that kids are contagious before they even show signs of being sick. There really is no sure way to stop exposure of germs among the kids. I have been open 8 years and I have never closed for an illness. I think you need to turn the tables and think about what you would expect if you were a working parent with thier child in a DC. Would you be able to call of work right away? Would you be able to afford taking a day off and how would it affect your job? If you did have alternate care, how much would you have to pay someone and could you afford that?

I think if you were to close to much that you would have issues keeping kids.

Like every business there are pros and cons and one of the cons of doing home daycare is that your children will get sick from others in the DC and you will still have to reamin open.

I would not close unless it was something really really bad ...

Sorry you little one is sick and I hope that they get better soon.

[Sunshine44]

I agree that you should stay open unless it is something really bad. If my daughter was vomitting, I may close because I'm not sure I could handle her throwing up that much and having to clean it/deal with daycare kids. But anything else, I'm open.

[Christian Mother]

My son was sick quiet a bit the first 2 yrs with bronchitis and colds but when he got tubs he hasn't been sick in 6 yrs. Every once in a while a slight cough but nothing for me to take a day off for. The same goes for my 4 yr old daughter she's never been extremely ill like doctor call or ER to take a day. I've been lucky i guess. Most of my kids here are healthy. I have one little guy who has a low immune system and get sick pretty quickly if he's contagious his parents have to follow my phb and keep him home for 24 hrs or until he's fever free for 24 hrs. I try to be flexible with illnesses as much as I can but it's hard to take care of a sick child yours or theirs when you have other children in your care. I guess it depends on whether you are able to spit your time and not get over whelmed while watching your little one while he's sick and the other daycare kids.

[JenNJ]

I think you are closing WAY too much Don't be shocked if parents pull their kids this time or the next time this happens. They (understandably) do not want to use their sick/vacation time for YOUR sick child.

I have closed only twice for illness in 4 years. Once bc I had a terrible GI bug and literally texted parents from the toilet. Once because my daughter had surgery and she unexpectedly needed to spend time in the ICU.

For colds, flus, stomach bugs, etc. I do not even alert my dc parents. I separate my child to the living room or their bedroom depending on the illness (daycare has its own area), sanitize everything, and move on. Kids don't need as much doting as moms think they do when they are ill. Kids need fluids, food, and LOTS of rest. My days are actually easier when my kids are ill :: They sleep for 8+ hours, .

I would think long and hard before closing for something like this again.

[AnneCordelia]

I also stay open when my own kids are sick.

[Sunshine44]

I agree with JenNJ! I have not closed in the three years I've been doing this (knock on wood), but I would if I really had to.

I would agree that my kids are easier when sick (usually). I think put them in bed, bring a tv to the room and you are good to go.

[mismatchedsocks]

I dont ever close for sickness, even if I were sick I would leave it up to the parents to decide to bring or not. i think we are all prone to catch what the kids have and vice versa, even if i were to send home when someone threw up, the germ is still there and was there before he threw up.

In 11 years, I had a baby on Saturday, was open on Monday, father died on friday, opened on monday, and daughter was in hospital for 2 days, didnt close but called to tell the families and they all decided to keep kids so both my daughters dad and I can be in hospital. I think closing too much would be a huge red flag for me.

however i hope your little one gets better soon!

[iheartkids]

(knock on wood) I haven't ran into this problem yet but I have thought about it. If my kids are sick with something pretty contagious (beyond the common cold) then I will inform the parents of the illness and let them choose what they would like to do. Even if a couple decided not to come and a couple decided to take the risk it would relieve a little extra time so I could care for my child during daycare hours. That way it makes both "kinds" of parents happy (the ones who are very paranoid about germs and the ones that are not so concerned and would like to get to work).

[daycare]

What I have done in the past as well is if someone has come down with the ful or something like this I will send an email/text or post a letter saying your child was exposed to another child in care that is ill with the __________.

This way I leave it up to them if they want to bring their child or not... I am not going to close every time me or my kids get sick...

[Miss Lindsey]

Ok. Think maybe I need to clarify. My son is only 4. He still can't figure out to get to the toilet or the bucket if need be, and is extremely clingy when he is ill. If I sent him to his room, he'd be terribly sad, thinking he was in trouble for being sick...which when he is sick, again, he's clingy and wants mommy. My older two are 9 and 7. I can isolate them a bit better.

Also, only 1 of my parents don't have good back up. One has a work at home dad, who is never opposed to watching the baby. The other one has 3-4 back up babysitters (who are stay at home moms), that can take over. And the 3rd has grandparents who LOVE the opportunity to watch their granddaughter, just don't want to do it full time. So, all of them were extremely understanding, and had an easy way to provide alternative care. The only other one, just doesn't have an easy back up sitter. She has family that can take a day off work, but needs to know before 5pm the day before.

I was not concerned about the germ part of things. I was more concerned with my son who has eaten nothing for 2 days, barely staying hydrated because he just doesn't feel like drinking, and hasn't moved from the couch in over 24 hours now. I've NEVER seen a bug like this, so I am unsure as to what to expect each day, but when he's acting SO ill, I don't feel like he can just be sent to his room and left while I tend to 3 other kids.

I don't intend on closing every time one of my kids is ill. This was an isolated incident, and I guess I'm just not used to the hard-core, work no matter what mentality. To me, that seems like the down side of choosing to use an in-home daycare rather than a daycare facility. The Facility is open no matter what.

Thanks for the input...it puts it into perspective a bit more.

[spud912]

Ok. Think maybe I need to clarify. My son is only 4. He still can't figure out to get to the toilet or the bucket if need be, and is extremely clingy when he is ill. If I sent him to his room, he'd be terribly sad, thinking he was in trouble for being sick...which when he is sick, again, he's clingy and wants mommy. My older two are 9 and 7. I can isolate them a bit better.

Also, only 1 of my parents don't have good back up. One has a work at home dad, who is never opposed to watching the baby. The other one has 3-4 back up babysitters (who are stay at home moms), that can take over. And the 3rd has grandparents who LOVE the opportunity to watch their granddaughter, just don't want to do it full time. So, all of them were extremely understanding, and had an easy way to provide alternative care. The only other one, just doesn't have an easy back up sitter. She has family that can take a day off work, but needs to know before 5pm the day before.

I was not concerned about the germ part of things. I was more concerned with my son who has eaten nothing for 2 days, barely staying hydrated because he just doesn't feel like drinking, and hasn't moved from the couch in over 24 hours now. I've NEVER seen a bug like this, so I am unsure as to what to expect each day, but when he's acting SO ill, I don't feel like he can just be sent to his room and left while I tend to 3 other kids.

I don't intend on closing every time one of my kids is ill. This was an isolated incident, and I guess I'm just not used to the hard-core, work no matter what mentality. To me, that seems like the down side of choosing to use an in-home daycare rather than a daycare facility. The Facility is open no matter what.

Thanks for the input...it puts it into perspective a bit more.

I wouldn't feel bad for closing. I've closed twice in one year for my own children's illnesses. I guess my thinking is why am I so strict on parents to keep their kids home when they are ill, yet my children are ok to be around dc kids? I want my dc parents to respect my policies so I give respect back and try to minimize the exposure. My children are both under the age of 3 and I cannot isolate them.

I have to admit, though, I do specifically choose families who have flexible jobs and/or back-up care. I never close for pre-planned appointments (my mom is the back-up in that case). I also have been looking for a back-up child care facility in the event I do have to close.