I have an 8 week old son and will be opening up my in home day care monday after "maternity leave". The substitute that has been keeping the four other children that I normally watch has a son that swabbed positive for RSV yesterday. They are all coughing and have runny noses. I am looking for suggestions. If they are symptomatic "runny nose", "cough", low grade fever, do you feel it is ok for me to ask their parents for them to be tested for RSV before returning to my day care? I am concerned for my newborns health!
Thank you for all of your support it really helped solitify my decision to wait 7-10 days before opening my day care back up. I did have a mother tell me that "it was winter and kids were just going to be sick". She made the decision to change daycares. Thank you though and best of luck through the RSV season.
I think it is absolutely okay to ask the parents to get their kids tested. I would hope that any time a child is running a fever, they would be at home, not around other kids spreading their illness!
I would defintitely tell the other parents about it just to be on the safe side. I have 3 children and I watch 2 extras during the week. This past week my youngest (5 months) had congestion and ended up with a slight case of RSV. I immediately notified the parents when I left the doctor's office and they came right away to pick their kids up. The doctor said she will be better in 4-7 days.
A., I think that you definitely should ask the parents to have the other children swabbed for RSV. I am the mother of a 4 1/2 month old preemie and we are taking RSV very seriously. As a nurse you know the risks of this illness. I know you probably feel like you have an obligation to these other parents, but you also have an obligation to your baby. If you explain the risks to your little one, they should understand. Everytime I have a visitor to our house I ask them if they have recently been sick, it's always a little uncomfortable and I kind feel like I've become a nervous mother, but once I explain the risks to Jack, my baby, everyone always understands. Good luck, I totally know where you are coming from.
You have all the right in the world to ask their parents to get their children tested. This is the easiest time for your baby to get sick and your baby should be your first priority. They should all understand where you are coming from. Good Luck!
You have every right to be concerned. I have gone through that and it was not fun at all. My child had to be hospitialized!! Once diagnosed they cannot be around anybody for 1 week. My friend's daughter just went through this. SO all of the other parents should be informed of this other child, because more than likely it has been spread. Good luck!!
~S.
Definately be careful with RSV, my youngest son came down with RSV when he was just 2 weeks old and ended up right back in the hospital for another week on oxygen, meds, etc. When I brought him home from the hospital my other two boys had what we thought were just runny noses and coughs but turns out they had RSV as well but it doesn't affect older kids the same as newborns.
A.
Of course I'm going to have to agree with everyone, as we lived through the scare of RSV as well - my 2 month old was hospitalized for 11 days. Take any and all precautions!
If I were you I would ask them to have their children tested as well. Our 6 month old daughter was hospitalized overnight in December for rsv. I was told that they can be contagious for 3 weeks with rsv. From what I was told as well from the doctor, it does not take them being exposed to rsv to contract it. They can be exposed to a child that has just a cold and it can turn into rsv in the child that is exposed to them. I would not allow any child that has a fever into my daycare if it were me. Hope this helps a little
Angie
