There is nothing scarier than leaving your child with a caregiver. Whether it’s a daycare, school, or even a family member. This becomes even scarier when there is something wrong with your child.
Whether your child suffers from a chronic condition or they are simply struggling with allergies or illness these tips and tools can help you prepare caregivers for what is to come. These help keep your child safe from medication overdose, correct medication provided and proper healthcare.
For Chronic Conditions – Create a Standard Packet of Information
Your packet should contain medically-driven resources you have found online. These should
be understandable for all of the individuals who will give care to your child (teachers, family, friends, sitters, daycare, etc).
Your packet should include:
- A cover page specific to your child’s information containing a summary of their medical history of their condition, including its name. Include signs and symptoms you notice when they are beginning an episode or flare of their condition.
- You should also be including dosage charts for medications. Be clear about when and how your child should be medicated.
- Provide directions about when or if your child should be sent home. With fever conditions, this needs to be very clear. Most institutions will send a child home with a fever, however, if your child’s condition is not contagious and chronic you need to be clear about when they can stay or leave.
- Contact information for yourself and/or other adults who would be picking your child up.
- Include a page of reference links for online sources.
- Print out 2-3 articles that pertain to your child’s condition so the caregiver can read about it in a medical perspective to understand it’s entirety.
I have created a sample template for you to use to create your own packet at home. You can download that here (4 pages to complete and then attach your printed articles for reference).
For Sick Kids – Acute Medical Conditions
If your child is sick with a contagious illness but isn’t running a fever they may still be allowed to return to daily events and activities.
Tips for Dealing with Sick Kids
If your kids are still throwing up, experiencing digestive upset in the form of diarrhea, or has any type of skin rash they should not be returning to childcare or be with other caregivers. You do not want to continue the spread of illness. If your child has a severe cough the same thing applies.
However, after several days and marked improvement you can send them again. They might still be medicated. It’s important to provide a printed sheet of what the child’s condition is (from an online source or using one of the sheets from my download above), as well as a medication chart so they can properly understand the medication schedule.
It’s important to share information with your child’s caregivers. Whether it’s chronic or acute illness you would never want a caregiving mistake to cost your child their health or their life.