My fault ?

[Secondtimearound]

So this winter has been a long , cold and sick experience for one of my dcm with twins. Seems like we are constantly 'discussing' how each of us gauges her children's colds.
I am fully aware colds happen , I have been dealing with the coughing , wheezing and general malaise of dck .
What I am getting really tired of is being blamed for it !! Almost every pick up there is a comment made , I know you are all familiar with them !!!!
"They are always sick here ," how many other children are sick " (was none but I'm sure they will be ) "no one is sick at our house " !!!
Today I could feel , the tension ! I am smiling at her thinking , drat !! No one waiting for a spot !!!!!
I'm not sure if I should just address the situation ? I would like to keep the dck , they have just turned 2 , and it's hard to fill the days I work .
So reality is I keep smiling !!!!!
Today we are watching a movie ( not the norm ) as the twins are really not feeling good and have spent the entire morning crying and whining .
She has my contract , but amazingly they are perfectly healthy at home !!!
So I needed to vent !!!!!!

[bright sparks]

I would definitly address it if it is an ongoing thing. She needs to stop making this snidey comments and come out with it and then move on. This cold and flu season has been particularly bad and it is not uncommon for children to be ill with a cold all year sometimes. It sucks that the kids feel crumby but its reality and blame is not helpful and really unless you purposely infect someone, which really who does, then it is nobodies fault that her children are sick, it just simply is what it is. If she says anything again I would take that opportunity to just say that it is what it is and its not nice to see any of the dckids ill but that you are feeding the healthy fruits and vegs in the hope to knock this cold out and before soon spring and summer will be hear. If she goes on with herself I would just make a comment along the lines of how it sounds like she blames you for their illness, and see what her comeback is to that.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Agreed, the snarky comments need to stop. I would say "It's winter and in dc illnesses travel fast and often. That is why it is important to follow my sick policy. I have been giving food and drinks with lots of vitamin c in hopes that this will help. I disinfect weekly. I am not sure what else I should do. Do you have any suggestions?"

[cfred]

I've not had this issue with my clients at the new house. Of course, I'm always talking about how everyone's sick out in the general public...and they are. Unless she's living in a bubble at home and never going out in public, I"m not sure what she expects. I also tell everyone at the intake interview that their kids are going to get sick - a lot. Despite disinfecting every week and doing everything I can, the fact is that kids get sick. They know going in that it's going to happen.

[bright sparks]

I wouldn't disinfect weekly either just monthly unless there is D&V or multicoloured bogies flying when little ones are sneezing

[5 Little Monkeys]

Sometimes I disinfect monthly but my kids don't cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing (no matter how many times I ask/show them lol) and they all put toys in their mouth (drives me crazy!). I also like to do toy rotations and I clean the toys before putting them away so they are clean for the next time). I am used to daily disinfecting from working in centres so weekly/bi-weekly disinfecting is a breeze. Last year I didn't disinfect as much and the kids were constantly sick. I have increased my cleaning this year and have had hardly any kids sick. It's been great!! (knock on wood!!)

I am not a clean freak though and the rest of my house is never disinfected LOL

[Secondtimearound]

I'm abit OCD on cleaning ! I admit !!! It's my pressure and stress reliever ! So you can imagine !!! Lol
Thanks for the advice !!!! I didn't trust myself this morning to reply !!
Dcm just told me Sunday they rented a bouncy house , sick on Monday ? Now I'm not a rocket scientist but ....... Not one other child is sick here ! No runny noses !! I have told dcm that !!
But I guess I should confront , I think I will ask if she really thinks I'm infecting them !! Lol

[bright sparks]

Clean toys weekly and even daily when mouthed but cleaning and disinfecting are different and disinfecting to frequently can contribute to poor immune systems in children. Soap and water is generally enough.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I use the words disinfecting and cleaning for all the same thing. Sometimes I am using disinfecting wipes, sometimes bleach and water sometimes soap and water. Depends what toy it is and how often I've done it.

[cfred]

I used to work in daycare centres and weekly is the standard. I just stayed with that. By the time Friday rolls around, the toys are well goobed up again. If 143 passes and we have to follow DNA, everyone should prepare themselves for the likelihood of having to disinfect weekly. It's really not a big deal...takes a couple hours. I like the way it smells afterwards too