Am I Overreacting (Re: Preschool)?

[HLAuburn]

I realize this is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's been bothering me all day.

A little background...DD (just turned 2) has been a little sick for about the last week (since we got back from germy Universal ). Sunday she was much better (no fever) and yesterday she seemed back to 100%.

She goes to a Mother's Morning Out program once a week from 9-12 while I volunteer at my older DD's school. Today when I picked her up, one of the teachers says "A has green snot, I don't know if she's sick or what...". When I got DD, she had dried snot all over her face. Literally from right under one eye down her cheek was caked with crusty snot - TMI, sorry!

At first I felt bad, like I was being scolded for bring a sick kid to school, although I honestly thought she was well. If they were concerned about her spreading something, they could have called me to come pick her up and I would have been there in 5 minutes. Then I thought maybe the teacher was just informing me in case it was something new and I didn't know. Either way, she obviously was aware if the snot and no one could take a few seconds to wipe her face?! They change their diapers and I know they have wipes in the room, so it seemed a little neglectful just to leave it all over her face.

What do you think?

 

[Magic Mom]

I think if that's the only concern you have about her welfare there, then I wouldn't sweat it. Maybe they just noticed it or got detoured by a more pressing issue and weren't able to get to it.

However, if there have been other instances where you feel they aren't keeping up with her hygiene needs, then maybe you should talk to the director.

 

[NikitaZee]

I worked at a pre-school while I attended college, and our center had pretty clear rules about this kind of thing. Every single child was to have a fresh diaper and clean hands and face when picked up at the end of the day. Our boss would have given any if her employees a talking to if a child went home with dried snot all over his/her face. I wholeheartedly agreed with this policy.

 

[mamacatnv]

Green snot does not = sick kid, the woman is not a pediatrician.
I'd let it go.

 

[Hannathy]

You can wipe a 2 year olds nose and face and one good sniffle and a handwipe by the child and snot can be spread all over the face in about 10 seconds. Now multiple this by the 12 or so toddlers in the room during cold season and to keep them all fresh faced you would have to have them one on one with an adult and a box of wipes.

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

She was probably just letting you know in case it was a new thing. Our school district policy says that green nasal discharge is a reason to keep/send a child home. Regarding her messy face, that should have been wiped. I work in a special ed preschool class and our kids aren't very good about using tissues. They usually end up with snot all over their faces, hands and sleeves. I try to keep them wiped up, but sometimes it's just too frequent to completely stay on top of it. I don't like to send kids home with dirty faces or hands, but it does happen once in a while. However, if a child had green nasal discharge that was running down her face and required such frequent wiping, we probably would have called the parent and asked that the child be picked up.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

You can wipe a 2 year olds nose and face and one good sniffle and a handwipe by the child and snot can be spread all over the face in about 10 seconds. Now multiple this by the 12 or so toddlers in the room during cold season and to keep them all fresh faced you would have to have them one on one with an adult and a box of wipes.

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

This

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

I would have cleaned the child's face, in fact I HAVE done it in my classroom. No big deal, I just wash my hands afterwards. It's just not right to let a child have dried snot all over their face like they were a thing instead of a person.

 

[inkedupmomma]

I think that is disgusting and their job to care for your child. Meaning wiping her face when she has snot on it. SMH. Send in a box of tissues or wipes next time she goes, and say politely, if it's not too much trouble do you think you can wipe DD's face instead of leaving snot all over it

 

[HLAuburn]

You can wipe a 2 year olds nose and face and one good sniffle and a handwipe by the child and snot can be spread all over the face in about 10 seconds. Now multiple this by the 12 or so toddlers in the room during cold season and to keep them all fresh faced you would have to have them one on one with an adult and a box of wipes.

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Normally I would agree with you, but the way it was dried and caked on there made me think it had been there awhile. There are 2 adults in there with 6-7 kids, and they were in the process of changing diapers when I got there, but they hadn't gotten to DD yet. Maybe they would have cleaned face up when they changed her diaper.

But if I were babysitting and the parents came home to a kid with snot or food or something all over them or sitting in a poopy diaper, personally I would be embarrassed!

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[MrsPete]

They could've wiped her nose a hundred times during her stay . . . she could've been perfectly clean up until 30 seconds before you walked in, and then one good sniff/exhale could've created the mess you saw.

It's the nature of snot.

If this is the first time you've had an issue, and if it's your only complaint, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure there were plenty of times when my kids were small that -- had someone judged my parenting upon that one moment -- I looked pretty bad, though overall I did a pretty good job.

 

[handinpocket]

They could've wiped her nose a hundred times during her stay . . . she could've been perfectly clean up until 30 seconds before you walked in, and then one good sniff/exhale could've created the mess you saw.

It's the nature of snot.

If this is the first time you've had an issue, and if it's your only complaint, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure there were plenty of times when my kids were small that -- had someone judged my parenting upon that one moment -- I looked pretty bad, though overall I did a pretty good job.

Nope the child would not have had snot dried and caked on their face if it had JUST happened.

 

[sunnyday123]

I'd be annoyed, and I'd say something. Runny nose is one thing, but all over her face and dried, no way. It's not like they're doing laundry and dishes-they are there to watch kids, and only that.

 

[Michelina]

I would have said something, that is disgusting. The fact that they told you she had snot means it was noticed and should have been cleaned up. Fresh, wet snot is one thing but not that much, all caked and dried on. Blech!!!

 

[tiggersbombed2]

Dried snot on her face would have ticked me off, unless perhaps it was right after nap time and they just hadn't gotten to her yet for diaper change. If she was playing a while, yeah, the dried snot would annoy me.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Did they actually use the word "snot"? If they did, that would have ticked me off. How unprofessional.

 

[luvsJack]

Green snot does not = sick kid, the woman is not a pediatrician.
I'd let it go.

Actually the health dept. says it equals infection (clear is allergies, green infection) and that parents should be alerted. Green snot plus any other symptom (low grade fever, pain in ear, etc) means the center should call the parent to pick up the child.

OP, it would bother me too. Even on the playground, our caregivers kept kleenex and hand sanitizer. Kid has a runny nose? They wipe and then sanitize their hands and the child's hands. And we too expected the kids to be clean when they were picked up. If she has a runny nose when you take her back, just explain how she went home and ask if they can keep an extra eye out and keep it off her face and hands.

 

[rie'smom]

I realize this is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's been bothering me all day.

A little background...DD (just turned 2) has been a little sick for about the last week (since we got back from germy Universal ). Sunday she was much better (no fever) and yesterday she seemed back to 100%.

She goes to a Mother's Morning Out program once a week from 9-12 while I volunteer at my older DD's school. Today when I picked her up, one of the teachers says "A has green snot, I don't know if she's sick or what...". When I got DD, she had dried snot all over her face. Literally from right under one eye down her cheek was caked with crusty snot - TMI, sorry!

At first I felt bad, like I was being scolded for bring a sick kid to school, although I honestly thought she was well. If they were concerned about her spreading something, they could have called me to come pick her up and I would have been there in 5 minutes. Then I thought maybe the teacher was just informing me in case it was something new and I didn't know. Either way, she obviously was aware if the snot and no one could take a few seconds to wipe her face?! They change their diapers and I know they have wipes in the room, so it seemed a little neglectful just to leave it all over her face.

What do you think?

Green snot according to our ped means watch for developing cold, sinus infections, etc. Her face should have been cleaned and i would not take my child back to that place.
I want to say too that I guess Disney World is super germy because we've been sick there the last 3 out of 4 trips.

 

[disfan07]

I'm split about this.
I worked in a preschool/daycare with infants-5 year olds.


Personally, if this was a one time thing, I think you are over reacting. If you want, just mention it to them and see what happends but personally, I dont see it as that big of a deal. If there were more incidents like this than maybe it's more but I think saying that it was neglectful is pushing it a little bit.

Timing doesnt always work out the way you want it to at preschool for whatever reason. As much as you try to time everythiong perfectly so that you have changed, clean kids before all the parents get there, sometimes it just doesnt happen. We have had lunch, snack, etc run behind and have been in the middle of changing and cleaning kids faces/hands while parents were picking up.

 

[princessmom29]

Normally I would agree with you, but the way it was dried and caked on there made me think it had been there awhile. There are 2 adults in there with 6-7 kids, and they were in the process of changing diapers when I got there, but they hadn't gotten to DD yet. Maybe they would have cleaned face up when they changed her diaper.

But if I were babysitting and the parents came home to a kid with snot or food or something all over them or sitting in a poopy diaper, personally I would be embarrassed!

Thanks for all the replies!

OK, 4 years of working in daycare taught me a couple of things
1. It actually only takes a couple of minutes for snot to dry on a kid's face. At that point it is like trying to scrub off super glue. Believe me, we tried to get to it before that point, but it didn't always happen.
2. When ther are 7 kids and 1-2 of you, sometimes things just have to wait. I cannot leave the child whose diaper I am changing to tend to the child that just sneezed. I will get it ASAP, but need to finish what i am doing first. They just cannot do it "like you would" becuase they have 7 little ones, and you have 1-2 that small at a time