Toddler Sneezes Super Snot 20 Times a Day

The good news is the child is sneezing due to allergies and this is not a cause for alarm as it is not contagious (but decidedly gross). My daughters both suffer from allergic rhinitis due to seasonal and environmental allergens and can sneeze with the best of them when not properly medicated or kept from thier allergens. I don't know if you can persuade this poor baby's mom to get her to an allergist so she can help her feel better all the time. Good luck.

Call the Dad, see if he'll do something about it. It sounds like allergies, but they just don't giver her the benedryl.

When my son get like that I first take him to doctor to make sure he has no infection.

If not then she always ( dr.) tells me to keep him dranied if not it will drain into his ears, and thoart. So spray a little nose spray and suck it out at least once every hour. He hates it but you have to. He is now 3 so he can fight me to do it. So I lay him on floor and use my legs to hold his arms down. So it does not hurt him but I can get everything out.

I would tell the mom you are very concerned about the child as well as the other children you are keeping. I would ask the mom to take her to the doctor and ask her not to return until she has a note from the doctor stating that she is well enough to return. This may not be difficult for the doctor to do because the child doesn't seem to be suffering from any illness (no fever, etc.) but at the very least, it will let her know that you are serious.

On another note, I think it is important to mention that the AAP does NOT recommend the use of benadryl in children that age. You're not likely to see a doctor support you on that issue. I would also recommend that you NOT suggest administering benadryl yourself. There are many, many instances of daycares getting sued because childcare-givers administered benadryl to young infants to get them to calm down and the children died. Most reputable daycares these days do NOT allow administration of benadryl to young children, with or without a parent's signed consent, because of this risk.

The reason the benedryl isn't working could be due to a misguess as to her problem. If she doesn't have allergies, allergy medication won't help. She is probably miserable if she is creating that much snot. I recommend letting the mom know that she needs to see a doctor to be cleared of any contagious illness before she can return to the daycare. She should provide a note from the doctor saying it is ok to be around the other kids. It is not ok for one parent to refuse to take her kid to see a physician and put all the other kids in jeopardy and possibly have all the other parents take off work when their kids get sick. If she is found to be contagion free, it is up to you to decide if you will have her in your care. If it is allergies, she needs to either consistently give her child her medicine or get a medicine that can help her. I have allergies and have to take my medicine everyday or it takes a few days to get back on track. Sounds like a pickle to me. Good luck!

you can tell her that due to the health reasons you just explained, and the danger to other children, you must have a doctors note before the child can come back to daycare. it is just not sanitary, and you have to consider the other children.

If it were my home daycare, I would definately have a talk with the mother and explaint to her that it has become a problem that affects the other children now, if she will not take action on the issue, I would tell her that you can no longer keep her child. It sounds harsh, but really --- the other children have a right to clean toys, and the snotty child really needs to see a doctor (which is not your problem - but her mothers problem to solve)

Sounds like she has allergies. The mom definitly needs to take her to either a ped. or allergist. It's really disgusting & aggrivating too for the mom to allow this to go on. The mom needs to know that her child may not be included if this keeps up. If Benadryl is out of the question (can cause allergic reactions, I'm allergic to it for example) then something else may work but she's allowing other kids to be put at risk by this. She needs to be made aware of that & if you have to disinclude the child, then so be it til the mom does something. I know you really hate to be that way but sometimes toes hafta be stepped on for the good of the remaining daycare participants. Just explain that you have to think of ALL involved, not just her's. Good luck!

My lord you poor woman! Is there ANYWAY to convince her mom that she absolutely MUST go to the pede???? It is apparent she has severe allergies and needs medical attention. Can you request giving her Benadryl yourself if her mom didn't give her a dose the night before? Maybe diplomatically explain how it is affecting your home (not to mention the other kids) and is unacceptable? I wish you good luck!

I don't know what to tell you. Sounds like you are doing everything I would do. She NEEDS to go to the Dr. It could be she is highly allergic to something and she could get fixed up in no time. Tell mom to take her to the dr. Not fair that little girl misses out due to sneezing. When she gets to school they won't put up with excess like that plus, sad but true, will get made fun of. Hope mom gets her help soon or teaches her how to sneeze w/o it getting everywhere. Best of luck to you!

I've dealt with allergies all my life. First I have to say that this little girl is miserable. It is mean of her mother not to get her to the doctor so she can be treated.

Secondly, it is not fair to the other children in the day care, not to mention unfair to you! While allergy snot isn't like that of a cold, it still has its own nastiness that could be being flung about the room. Having to throw away books because of it is unacceptable!

I think it is time to tell the mother that she can no longer use your day care if this isn't treated. I know losing a client means losing income, but if you don't do that you may start losing other clients who don't want their child getting snot blown them all day long.

That might be the wake up call the mother needs to take her daughter to the doctor. It is probably a very simple allergy to treat... she just needs to know what it is.

I am guessing that mon gives her benadryl at night and this is the rebound. You could ask her to discuss with the pediatrician the use of nose drops or round the clock anithistamines. eg Zyrtec or claritin. Since this has been going on for awhile and is certainly unappealing, it at least isn't contagious.
And if you feel that strongly, she may need aother daycare provider, but I am hoping mom will be motivated to solve the problem. Child must be annoyed by it too.
K.

I know you've received a lot of great advice. I just wanted to mention this. You have a responsibility to not only that child but to keep all your children safe. Whether it's allergies or not, when she is sneezing she is spreading germs and could put the other children at risk. I used to work in a daycare center, and we would not allow a child to return with a condition like that until they have seen a doctor and in some cases they would need to provide a note from the doctor.

Obviously this child needs something to help with the sneezing, they may be a safe prescription or over the counter med that the pediatrician can recommend. Some are 24 hour, like Zyrtek so the mom would be able to give the dosage at home. My son was on Zyrtek, but I think he may have been 3 at the time.

Hopefully it's just allergies and they will find a solution, but you shouldn't feel bad enforcing a rule to keep all your children safe. I'm sure her mom understands and respects that!

You may want to suggest to the mom that she try saline nasal spray. It's inexpensive. It will help flush out the allergens that are causing the problem. You can use it throughout the day.

Unfortunately, you can't demand that a parent administers Benadryl since it isn't labeled for use in a child that young without a doctor's supervision. I say that mainly because you don't want to get yourself in trouble if you were to demand it and the child were to have some sort of reaction. As a daycare provider, you can't administer against labeling without a doctor's prescription.

Even if a child isn't "sick" snot contains all sorts of nastiness. However, a child this age can certainly be taught to help contain their own cooties (i.e. covering their mouth and nose). There is a chance that she is having an adverse reaction to something in your home. She actually MAY NOT be sneezing that much at her own home.

My daughter had a perpetually runny nose (along with many of her classmates) and the daycare repeatedly denied any culpability and refused to investigate or make any modifications. Within 4 days of changing daycares, her runny nose dried up and she has been sick only once since April--and NOT with a cold/runny nose.

If you think this child needs to go to the doctor, by all means notify the parent and give a firm deadline for resolution. If they continue to refuse, then you really have no choice but to refuse them care. Just be as understanding as you can about them needing to find another facility.

It may be that the mom is concerned about allergy meds for such a young child. There is a natural product that I market with my home based business that has shown great benefits for allergies. She can try it risk free for 30 days and feel good knowing that is completely safe. If you would like more info, just let me know. I'll be glad to send you a packet with a sample that you can forward to her. This product also boosts the immune system, so it would be a great product for everyone in the house.

Hi J.,
Ugh- bless you....... I would have a serious talk with Mommy about the issue- sounds like something is going on with this little one...like she might have blocked sinuses etc- I would not risk loosing the other children I keep in favor of this one. If she took the child to a formal daycare center- they would insist she get something done for this little one or not bring her back. Harsh- but the others have to be considered as well as your energy constantly trying to "catch her"
good luck and blessings

We give our daughter Singulair every day and Benadryl as needed and she can still sneeze some nasty stuff. She's always done this so she learned at a very early age to blow her own nose. When she's gunky, we constantly ask her to blow her nose so that when she does sneeze, it isn't near as bad. Perhaps you can teach this little girl to do the same? I do agree with the others.... the mother should definitely put her daughter's health higher on her priority list.