11 month Daughter unsettled at Nursery

[nat_84]

Hi Everyone,

My daughter goes to nursery ONCE a week, she has gone x3 times since her settling in period and today in the 2nd time ive been called to collect her!!

Her settling in period was fine and her first full day she was fine. Last Monday she was ill with a Viral Infection but today she was fine in the morning but they have rang me saying she is teary and has a slight temperature!!!

Have had to ask my mum to get her at 1.00pm.

This is a bit of a joke, isnt it the nursery's job to settle and comfort her so she settles in?! I cant pick her up every time i drop her off and am i expected to pay for these days?!?!

Will obviously speak to the nursery tomorrow.

DO you think i'll have to look for other childcare options like a childminder on a more regular basis so she settles?

[Nik315]

I'm not sure if I read correctly but it seems like you sent your daughter to nursery with a viral infection. If that is the case then I'm really not surprised that you had to collect her and if she is running a temperature today then again I can't really see your argument. If your daughter is unwell then the nursery have an obligation to all the other parents to ensure that their children are kept as healthy as possible. You will encounter the same problems with a childminder as well, I regularly have to send children home because their parents constantly send them when they are clearly unwell which then gets passed to myself and the other children I look after. I hope your daughter gets well soon and also remember that she is at the age where she could suffer a certain amount of seperation anxiety.
Kind regards
Nik

[nat_84]

I can understand the last time we were sent to get her as she was later diagnosed with a Viral Infection but she was absolutely fine today, she's been on antibiotics and is clearly back to her normal self with no temperature.

Regarding seperation anxienty - how are we supposed to deal with that when it comes to nursery and work?

[Nik315]

In my experience the seperation anxiety only gets better over time as the child gets used to a different routine. It sounds a bit like the nursery are adopting the "any old excuse" policy, if you are sure that she didn't have a temperature this morning then they are obviously ill equipped to deal with a crying child, my youngest cried every morning when he started pre-school for about two months but eventually he got used to it and now barely remembers to say goodbye. I don't envy your decision now as finding a childminder that you are comfortable with can be a bit of a minefield as well.
Kind regards
Nik.

[nat_84]

Thanks Nic. It's really difficult, i can't afford to take time off work (i've been off for nearly a year with the baby and then a knee operation!) and im only mon-wed.

Im lucky enough to have my mum for two days a week (and on hand when i need her in emrgencies like today!) but fear this schedule is too unsettled for her at this age.

I will start weighing up my options and speak with Daddy and Nanny tonight and get something sorted!

[Nik315]

Good luck nat

[bednobs]

I think you are not giving the nursey enoughh time. It is perfectly possible for your daughter to not have a temp this morning, but then for her to be unwell with one this afternoon. As you or your mum havent even seen her yetm i think its a bit early to critisize the nursery - she might be even more unwell by the time you get her and then the nursery would have been right to call you

[nat_84]

She's fine now she's with my mum. i think its what Nik said about Seperation Anxienty. She has got VERY clingy to me the past two weeks and as soon as we got into her nursery room she was upset (knowing i was leaving!).

The nursery were two staff short, which is a bad sign in itself! So no wonder why they didnt want my daughter crying every two seconds.

I dont know, its difficult. The main thing is she isnt ill and i think it was a call of desperation as they were short staffed so couldnt give her the attention she needed.

[tigwig]

Hi nat I am a nursery nurse in a baby room so I know exactly the situation you are in. There is 2 points to this basically the first with your daughter being ill. Any nursery will have an illness policy and it has to be adhered to for the sake of your child and other children and even staff. Where I work if antibiotics are prescribed the child must have 48hrs off nursery to make sure they are still not ill. Babies being sent home with a high temp are given calpol and if it has not reduced in an hour then a parent is called.
In regards to the unsettledness then we certainly don't send babies home for that! (there would be none in if we did!!) The problem with babies attending nursery for only 1 day means it takes a lot longer for them to settle in and some never do. A week is a very long time in a babies life and at the age of 11 months your daughter will be extra clingy anyway. You just have to persist. Talk to the staff, arrange a meeting to discuss your worries. If you don't feel comfortable with them then look for alternative childcare. Nurseries should be a good experience but I am not impressed with you saying they were 2 staff short. There must be a 1 staff member to every 3 babies at this age do not be fobbed off with excuses about this. In my view any nursery who allows ratios to be wrong wants reporting to Ofsted. Let me know how you get on.