Caring for a risky child

[sunnydays]

I have a 3year old in my care who had seizures at the age of one due to fevers...she hasn't had any in over a year. She wasn't in my care at the time when she was having seizures. Even now I check her temperature daily with the forehead swipe thermometer I have and she naps right at the bottom of the stairs where I can here her best. That said, if I were in your shoes and the child was actively having the seizures, well, I don't think I would be comfortable caring for that child. The risk is just too high. My situation is different in that she hasn't had one for a long time and she is older so more able to tell me if she is feeling off...and the times she has had a fever recently, there were no seizures. These things make me incredibly nervous. The thought of child dying at naptime while in my care, no matter if it is my fault or not, it would destroy me on every level. I would not be able to provide daycare anymore even if I found parents who wanted to put their kids with me...I would be a nervous wreck. The sadness and guilt would eat me alive. So....me personally, I would probably tell them parents that I could not continue to care for this child at this time and suggest a nanny. Good luck!

[sweetness852010]

My daughter who is three has them. She started at 13 months old. Its so hard to see a child seize. I couldnt imagine leaving her in daycare. I was suppose to go back to work and put her in daycare but i thought what if the daycare staff or provider hasnt seen this before and would panic what if they turn for one sec and she would have one. My choice was to stay home and do daycare at home. Luckly i my daughter hasnt had a really bad one with the daycare around. Ive always notice the signs before she would have one. Attached to my leg, warm but not burning, not eating and the big one if she seems like shes staring off in space. I give her advil if any one of those signs. You do get a "gut feeling" when she is about to.

As for the daycare i am very strict to ALL my parents about my sickness in my care. They can not come into my care if they are sick and just a low grade fever they are to be sent home. Same with my daughter if she is not feeling well i tell the parent i cant take them. Just incase i have to go to the hospital. The hospital will tell you if she has one for more then three mins to call 911 or if you see her blue and gasping for air. Its not a pleasent! And very scary!if she was someone elses kids i wouldnt feel comfortable!

[Monday 2 Friday Mama]

I have to weigh in on this post. IMO I'm in a unique position to comment since I have epilepsy (diagnosed at about the same age as your dcg) and I am a caregiver. My best advice to you, and to this child's parent's, would be that until the seizures are completely under control (seizure free for 6 months) the child should not be in a daycare environment. Once the parents and doctors have identified what triggers this child's seizures, and established an effective drug therapy program, you could then assess whether the risk of caring for this child is too high for you to take on. My personal thoughts/take on the situation go something like this: if anything was to happen to their child while she was in my care, I would be terrified that the parents would go after me legally. I'd worry that my daycare could be shut down, I could lose my livelihood....all that kind of stuff. Another concern that I haven't seen commented upon here, would be how are the parents of the other children in your care going to feel about their young children possibly witnessing a seizure/paramedics arriving. Children are very tolerant, and they can be taught to understand almost anything. However....I would understand if parents felt that this might be too upsetting for their child and they chose to place their child with another caregiver. (heaven help you if you happen to have parents who are not well informed about seizures and have antiquated, ignorant or hurtful opinions about epilepsy/seizures )I would also want to talk with the parents about what would happen if their daughter had a seizue while she was in your care - specifically, the fact that she will be transported to the hospital via ambulance on her own since you will have to remain with your other daycare children. They may not have thought about this. I fully appreciate the monkey wrench that this development has thrown into their back to work plans. However, the reality is, that their "plan" has changed radically and they should seriously consider taking the next few months to get a better understanding of their daughter's condidtion and how to effectively manage it before they plan on leaving her in someone else's care.

[gcj]

I'd be too nervous. To get out of it politely, I'd be perfectly honest and say that yiu can't guarantee adequate supervision for a special case like this. It sucks for everyone involved, but I wouldn't be comfortable.

How would mom have lived with herself if something had of happened during naps....how are you supposed to?=