Y Can't Daycare Workers Clean My Kids Nose!

I would think about it before bringing it up. I understand sending a kid with a little bit of a runny nose, but if its this bad he really shouldn't be there. They may have cleaned it multiple times but couldn't keep up with it. It's possible that the people working there are a little annoyed that they had to deal with snot all day. Also, I think it is always best to keep a positive attitude with people who take care of you kid all day.

teach him to wipe it himself.
if he's so snotty he can't keep up with it, he should be at home.
khairete
S.

My kids didn't go to daycare and they were still a mess when they had colds at that age. If I couldn't prevent it at home, with near constant wiping, I doubt they can do it in a daycare setting with a roomful of kids to chase around. I'd guess that they probably do clean his nose often.

I am a little confused by all of this. Your child had hives and was vomiting on 2/23, you took him to daycare on 2/25 and he threw up at the end of the day, causing you to pick him up early. The daycare said something that upset you about having to clean it up. At this point, you knew he wasn't feeling well enough to be at school, but you were still bothered by her comment.

Now 3/12, he has a cold and was still in daycare. There was so much snot in his nose he couldn't breath and you are going to say something to them for not wiping his nose clean. It sounds like a lot of snot. It sounds like your son needs to get better before returning. Aren't you more concerned with the reason the respected daycare didn't call you to pick him up?

Something tells me you don't get it and you are going to send him back to daycare, with more snot, and you are going to tell someone off.

If its a sick-child daycare... I'm shocked & appalled. They should be adminning meds, pushing fluids, and cleaning up all bio-wastes. That they're not even wiping his nose shows extreme substandard care.

__________

If its NOT sick child daycare, why on earth are you taking him in when he's sick?

"Its just a little chest cold / everyone gets them" (grrr) cost me over 30k 2 weeks ago in hospital charges, having to drop out of school this quarter, etc.

Most schools / daycares have a no sick child policy... That includes nose wiping as a "They should be home, not infecting other kids here" shedding virus. I'm extremely unimpressed with a school that allowed a boogery child to stay on day 1, and to be dropped off on day 2.

What's merely SNIFFLES in some kids = life threatening asthma & pneumonia in their peers.

If this school doesn't send sick children home...

1) Hope your kid isn't the one who'll spend weeks & months in the hospital
2) Expect to be sick all year long as the sick kids who keep being allowed to stay keep infecting everyone else.

Ummm why is he there if he's sick? Shouldn't he be home?

I don't understand why you keep sending a sick kid to day care so he infects everyone else.

Why are you sending your kid to daycare if his nose is so disgusting?
I mean really? You are sending him to get everyone else sick!
Nasty noses are just that, nasty. I hate cleaning other kids boogers. blech.
If his nose is crusty and he can't breath than that means that his snot is yellow and probably an infection. If it was clear, then that's a cold.
You should take your son to the doctor.
L.

Unless this is a sick daycare,why the heck is he in daycare if he is so congested and snotty? If he is that bad, he should be home with you.

Have you asked them if they will help encourage him to wipe his nose? I would send him with a package of boogie wipes and then show him how. GL

Eh, at 3 I agree that your son should be taught to wipe his own nose and not use his sleeve. And I also agree with some of the other moms when I think if its dripping that bad, he should be staying home....especially if he isn't capable of handling the wiping on his own.

My guy is 3 and I knew this but just asked him who wipes his nose at school. He looked at me puzzled and said, "Me. I wipe my nose." He has since he started preschool in September. I taught him to blow his nose. They have had to wipe themselves when they go potty as well since they started in September.

Is it daycare or preschool? Because in preschool they believe in the child doing it themselves. And even if it's daycare they may feel he should be doing it. Because he's 3.

I know people can be squeamish about wiping snot...but if that's your line of work, you ought to expect it! Sorry about his poor nose...maybe bring a box of nice soft tissue and say, "Here, I thought I would bring these since Jr. has such a bad cold! His poor little nose!"

**Guess I didn't notice his age. My two year old can blow and wipe her own nose...I make sure the box of tissue is where she can reach it, and she uses it when she needs it. Teach him to do it himself, and still send that box of tissue. ;)

**I'm going to hop on the bandwagon, here. I didn't really think about it, because my kids aren't in daycare or school so it doesn't apply to me, but everyone's right...your guy should be at home, not around a bunch of other children. It does kind of irk me...your attitude and people who do what you are doing are the reason my first child got pertussis.

You are admitting to a whole bunch of folks that you are neglecting to keep your child home when he is sick. Consider that before you blast the daycare workers. You should be the one keeping his nose clean.

Sorry, but I worked in a daycare and would get really mad when parents dropped off their sick kids. The poor kids were miserable all day and then the other kids would end up sick, too.

Are you able to keep him from wiping his nose on his sleeves when he's at home? Because when my boys were that age no matter how much my husband and I tried or how many times we told them, those long sleeves are just so gosh darn convenient that they didn't care about the 4 or 5 boxes of kleenex I had scattered around the house.

If he was really congested when you picked him up, he probably has a bad cold. Does he already know how to blow his nose? My 4 year old is starting to get pretty good at it, but my 6 1/2 year old is really still learning. If he doesn't know how to blow his nose, no amount of wiping is going to help him be able to breath.

I would be willing to bet that the teachers wiped and cleaned his nose several times today, but if he has a really bad cold (and it sounds like he does), it won't take long before his nose is a mess again.

It is frustrating, but it's more colds at his age that are frustrating. Daycare workers can only do so much. He will learn how to deal with this more, but he's so little.

My 4 year old attends daycare, and they do the best they can. But at home I have trouble keeping up with his nose if he has a cold ... and I only have 2 kids!

I get that you're upset, but I really don't think this is a battle worth fighting. Remind your son to use a kleenex (or ask for one) when it bothers him. It's something he is capable of doing, but if he's anything like my boys it will still take some time.

Ditto Gidget's remarks. My 3.5 yr old is ALWAYS wiping his nose on his sleeves--he's just too fast for me to be able to get there with a tissue before he's wiped it. And then it hardens, and yeah....

I'd work on teaching him to use a tissue, and also get some Boogie Wipes, which are saline-soaked wipes that can clean away the crusty boogers without difficulty.

I have to agree with the other posters here. A three year old needs to be wiping his own nose and if he is that sick maybe he should be at home.

Well, not being able to breathe out of his nose is not a nose wiping issue, it's a bad cold.

Having worked in childcare for a number of years now and having my own kids, I would day that they probably do wipe his nose many times a day. I have had kids in my care whose noses run so much that I could literally wipe them ever 2 minutes. Do you have any idea how difficult it can be to wipe ONE child's nose that many times while also caring for a handful of others?

Having said that, I do my best to keep kids clean. If they are sleeve wipers I change their shirts, if they are snot smearers I wash their faces. I would not send a child home with a snotty face or crusty nose.

Some kids don't like having their noses wiped and it's much more convenient to have a sleeve right there to use than to stop playing and ask for or get a tissue. Some kids will run away at the sight of a kleenex coming their way. This is a teaching issue as well. At 3 he should be learning to wipe his own nose and NOT wipe it on his sleeve.

Before you come blasting in the door complaining about this issue on the 3rd day of your son's care there, I'd take some of these things into consideration. Unless you've been able to be present and observe that they are intentionally being neglectful of your child's nose, I'd probably go easy on it.

He's 3? I think you should teach him to wipe his own nose. And now's the time. Teach him how to hold a kleenex, how to blow from one side, while holding the other. Then the other side, etc.

They are not his mother, sorry. I wish they were more observant and also take the time to teach him, but apparently not.

at 3 in day care they are supposed to be able to handle self care.. independent in the bathroom.. get a kleenex and wipe their own nose if it needs wiping.

when I worked in day care our 2 year olds were taught to get a tissue if they needed one.. each teacher has about 10 kids to watch and care for.. simple things like wiping noses.. dont take that long per nose.. but if you wipe 10 kids nose all day. you dont have much time for anything else.

They don't want to clean his nose ( contagious germs) they can ask him to get a kleenex but won't do it for him.How can you be upset that they aren't wiping his nose he is 3 he needs to learn how to do this himself by his parents.How can you send a sick child to daycare?What comes out of the nose ends up everywhere & has germs that are picked up easily buy others as he touches his nose then other objects in class.He may not have a fever & your going by the guidelines but come on here we know when not to send sick kids to school regardless of the guidelines sometimes they need TLC at home

I used to clean my grandsons nose all day and still some days he went home looking like I never touched him. Just that winter wet nose. It was insane. Always felt so bad but it is what it is.

Were you upset about his former care? It seems maybe you have unrealistic expectations or that this place is not as great as you thought. I watch 5 kids (2 are my own) and through the day I let the older ones know when they need a nose wipe or when it is so bad they need to use a wet paper towel to get those lovely crusties...What is the teacher to kid ratio there?

1. Get the child to the doctor to ensure that he doesn't have a sinus infection, and to get a prescription nasal decongestant.

2. Start working with him to teach him how to properly blow and clean his nose. It's a process and you won't be able to teach him overnight.

3. When you take him back to daycare, give him the decongestant at the start of the day so he can spend most of his day with clear nasal passages.

4. Talk to the daycare provider. Let them know that he's congested, on medicine, and you're working on teaching him to wipe and blow his nose properly. Ask that they help you continue the training at daycare by guiding him when he needs it, and helping him to finish cleaning up so he doesn't have boogers everywhere.

I think that your child's daycare will be more inclined to help if they know that you are doing everything you can from your end too.

ETA: Dana, over the counter decongestants are not recommended. Prescription decongestants are still available and safe when given as prescribed by the doctor. The main problem with OTC decongestants was that parents were overdosing their kids.

I cannot tell you how often I say, "Not your sleeve!" to my own child. I would work with him on using a tissue, find out where the tissues are in the room and point them out to him, and tell the teacher that you are working on him at home on the snot thing, but could they also please help him keep his nose wiped? Also, if necessary, pre-treat your kid. Saline or Claratin (as appropriate,talk to the pediatrician) before he goes to help him with his cold. (At his age, there are few OTC meds you can give him.) And if he's really sick, he needs to stay home. I agree not to go in guns a blazing. Be calm.

Why doesn't he know how to wipe his own nose -at least a little bit? Why send him to school sick? Practice more with him at home where you can let him do the wiping. If his nose is constantly running then you can't expect the daycare to provide round the clock wiping service. Sounds the pediatrician is who you need to speak with.

because we are busy taking care of an entire class of kids and sometimes we don't have time to stop what we are doing to wipe their nose every 5 minutes. If your child is sick, then he needs to stay home and not get everyone else sick. I am a preschool teacher. I work with 12 2 year olds and they ALL can wipe their own noses. Your son is 3. He should already know how to wipe his nose.

Don't speak up too harshly--your baby is there with them when you leave, in a huff!

Sorry but I only would wipe my own kids nose. Get a box of training kleenex and show him how do it on his own. Poor kid.

I have wiped so many noses working at daycare/preschool it was ridiculous.

Sometimes, people do get busy (leading an activity, taking care of problem-solving, etc) that they get to their nose way before we do. Thus, the sleeve problem. Or the kids are busy playing and don't want to stop, because they know that after wiping the nose comes hand-washing. Some kids fuss and run away when they see you coming with a tissue. Some kids will actually fight you on this one. (It's happened to me, more than once.) AND some kids arrive this way, with the snot-crusted nose, from home.

Add to this the classroom combining at the beginning/end of the day, the tired kids needing more help, tired teachers--- * I am not saying it's right*, but that is what I've seen in my time working with kids. Not excuses, just observations. If Tommy and Trevor are busy wrestling each other down over a matchbox car, the kid with the runny nose doesn't get the attention in that moment.

That said, had your son been in my room, in my care, yes, his nose would have been clean. I am a stickler about that stuff. AND I make you wash your hands after you wipe it!

I tried very hard to make sure that I looked at each kids face as their name was called to go to the front desk or it was clean when I saw mom or dad drive up. I figured the last thing they saw that morning was how they let their kids look for the day and they should have a somewhat clean faced hair brushed kid when they get them picked up. Maybe the teacher isn't feeling so hot either, if this is not normal then I'd just ask them to make sure he's clean off when you pick him up.

OR stop by the directors office and ask her to clean his nose for you. That way she can see it first hand.

low pay/low service job

I get it, and our daycare gets it too. A runny nose, or a persistent cough isn't reason alone to keep a kid home from daycare. If that were the case, we'd be at home with DS from October - March, as he's had one or the other during cold season. Their line in the sand for sending or keeping a kid home is an elevated fever, measuring high initially and an hour later, or two bouts of vomiting or diarreah.

As for nose blowing. Our daycare tries, indeed we try too, but our little one thinks that doing a nature blow, the wiping his face on something/ anything, then grabbing a tissue and wiping the snot off that surface is hilarious. You've got to be really quick to keep his nose clean.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

If he has that much discharge and it is discolored then he needs to see a pediatrician. If it is more clear allergy discharge then a little Benadryl and or other OTC antihistamine would go a long way.

Since you just started this daycare I would not become 'that' parent so soon. It could make it a very long, couple of years for you.

How many kids to adults in this place? If it bothers you so, do not vent to us, tell the day care. You pay good money and expect certain things....communicate it to who ever is in charge.

There is no real reason except it is unpleasant for them. Of course they should be encouraging kids to blow their noses. They do that by holding the tissue for them and helping them. LOTS of three year olds have not figured out that the noise of blowing is made by blowing out, not in and just don't do it right. And yes, they should be gently cleaning his face and applying protective lotion around his nose. However, he will still likely wipe his nose on his sleeve and that only takes an instant. If kids had to stay home from school when they had colds, this country would likely lose millions of productive work hours a year because parents would need to stay home too. A snotty nose is not a reason to keep them home if they are otherwise feeling well. Also - most cold medications are no longer recommended for children so I would NOT use them.

When you ask them, they say it's the "rule" But when you ask to see the "rule book" where it states this, they can't tell you. It's just the "rule".
It's so silly, I mean, wipe the kids nose and wash your hands idiots!
I think it's mostly because it's college kids who have never had kids, and think snot and poop is gross. My daycare is very good, and mostly will wipe noses, but sometimes my daughter comes home with snot sleeves. And she is five and DOES know how to wipe her own nose. It's just not a priority for her to get a tissue when the sleeve is right there ya know?!