If I hear another parent tell me that their child's illness is just because they are teething, I think I am going to scream! In 12 years of working with infants and toddlers in daycare, I have heard just about every imaginable symptom put off to "they are just teething". And I am sorry, but for the most part, it is complete and utter bull shit!
Teething DOES NOT cause high fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes or whatever other symptom that I have sent your child home with. If your child is not eating or sleeping normally, it is NOT because they are teething. IT IS BECAUSE YOUR CHILD IS ILL!!!!
Yes, if your child is an infant or toddler, there is a very good chance that they are teething when they exhibited the above mentioned symptoms, but teething is not the cause of them! I can't stress this enough, your child has a fever, is vomiting or has diarrhea because he or she is SICK!
Don't listen to your mother or grandmother when they tell you that every child gets a fever when they are teething. Chances are that when they were raising their children, the belief was that teething caused other symptoms, particularly fevers, but things change. People once thought the world was flat, remember?
It is now known that teething only causes slight low grade fevers (less than 100 F), drooling, excessive chewing, redness and swelling of the gums and slight pain. If your child has any other symptoms, even if you know they are teething, please take them seriously and realize that this is a sign of illness and that they need to see a doctor.
And DO NOT assume that as your child's daycare provider, I am an idiot. I can tell if you child is ill. Chances are, he or she spends as much if not more awake hours in the day with me than with you. I can tell if they are in pain or discomfort. I am going to notice if they have a fever. You may be able to dope your child with infant tylenol or advil but you can't hide the fact that your child is miserable and pale. And I am not for a second going to believe that anything other than mild discomfort is "just teething".
And DO NOT flat out lie to me and say that your child is just teething when you have taken them to the doctor and you KNOW that they are sick, especially when I know full well that there is someone who can look after your sick child while you are at work. You may be a nice, cheerfully person, you love your son and seem to be a good mom, but you just dropped a few notches in my book.
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