Daycare has bedbugs
November 2, 2018 7:33 AM Subscribe
Daycare provider (in home) informed us she got bit, was confirmed as a bedbug by the property manager. Daycare provider was told there is no infestation. My child has been cosleeping in that room at times. I have not noticed any bites on him. She keeps the diaper bag in a different part of the house. What do I need to do or be worried about or watch for here?
I would like to avoid pulling my son from the daycare altogether if that's feasible as he gets on well there. But I also do not want to bring bed bugs into my house. Daycare provider is about to undergo weekly treatments for the issue.
I would like to avoid pulling my son from the daycare altogether if that's feasible as he gets on well there. But I also do not want to bring bed bugs into my house. Daycare provider is about to undergo weekly treatments for the issue.
Wash all bedding and dry high heat now just in case.
Change his clothes and diaper immediately at getting home. Place shoes, clothes and such in plastic bags sealed. Preferably you would dry them on high heat first, but wash and dry HIGH HEAT 20 minutes ASAP.
That should be enough. Check crib and your mattress for signs of bedbugs, but you want go grab bedbug covers.
Stay vigilant for a bit.
It's possible that one of the other kids brought bedbugs, so this may be an ongoing issue for a bit
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:28 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Change his clothes and diaper immediately at getting home. Place shoes, clothes and such in plastic bags sealed. Preferably you would dry them on high heat first, but wash and dry HIGH HEAT 20 minutes ASAP.
That should be enough. Check crib and your mattress for signs of bedbugs, but you want go grab bedbug covers.
Stay vigilant for a bit.
It's possible that one of the other kids brought bedbugs, so this may be an ongoing issue for a bit
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:28 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
It seems I have a different risk tolerance that the above posters. This may be because I have lived through a bed bug infestation, but YMMV. This is very subjective and situational, so I hope you get lots of differing advice and consider it all. My own is:
Man, when daycares and schools get bed bugs... ugh, the worst. You're going to have to make a choice about risk vs. reward on this one, because the chances of you getting bed bugs in this situation are pretty high even if you try to follow protocols.
Every day he goes to that daycare, you are risking bringing bed bugs into your house. And since there are other children/families there, the risk of re-infestation is extremely high. Not everyone will be following protocol and no one can police it. You can be perfectly vigilant, but if little Timmy's parents aren't, bugs bugs bugs.
It sounds like the daycare provider herself is a renter (via your reference to a property manager). Think about how many parties are involved now in the clean-up. Of COURSE the property manager will tell your daycare provider that there's no infestation, that means he doesn't have to clean an infestation. It's in every company's financial best interest to assure everyone else that there is no infestation.
The provider should be sending out a letter informing parents of the bed bug finding, as well as outlining the plan to eradicate/treat the area, as well as the building adjacent units from the property manager because bed bugs don't just magically stay in a specific room. The property manager's phone and their info should also be provided for your peace of mind, if you want to call and find out. You should be made aware of treatment, what kind, toxicity, timing, etc. If you don't get this, I would personally pull my kid out. Not informing or minimizing the situation is the same as lying when it comes to my kid's health.
posted by juniperesque at 9:04 AM on November 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
Man, when daycares and schools get bed bugs... ugh, the worst. You're going to have to make a choice about risk vs. reward on this one, because the chances of you getting bed bugs in this situation are pretty high even if you try to follow protocols.
Every day he goes to that daycare, you are risking bringing bed bugs into your house. And since there are other children/families there, the risk of re-infestation is extremely high. Not everyone will be following protocol and no one can police it. You can be perfectly vigilant, but if little Timmy's parents aren't, bugs bugs bugs.
It sounds like the daycare provider herself is a renter (via your reference to a property manager). Think about how many parties are involved now in the clean-up. Of COURSE the property manager will tell your daycare provider that there's no infestation, that means he doesn't have to clean an infestation. It's in every company's financial best interest to assure everyone else that there is no infestation.
The provider should be sending out a letter informing parents of the bed bug finding, as well as outlining the plan to eradicate/treat the area, as well as the building adjacent units from the property manager because bed bugs don't just magically stay in a specific room. The property manager's phone and their info should also be provided for your peace of mind, if you want to call and find out. You should be made aware of treatment, what kind, toxicity, timing, etc. If you don't get this, I would personally pull my kid out. Not informing or minimizing the situation is the same as lying when it comes to my kid's health.
posted by juniperesque at 9:04 AM on November 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
The fact that your daycare provider is not taking this super seriously is concerning. I have lived through an 18 month on and off again war against bedbugs in my NYC apartment building and it was not until the entire building was treated at once that the problem was fully eradicated.
Bedbug nymphs are basically too small and too transparent to see, so one could easily hitch a ride home in a diaper bag and you wouldn't know it.
Bedbug eggs are not destroyed by spraying and they take 7 days to hatch, so your provider or their landlord must make sure the exterminator comes twice within 10 days to catch any bugs that hatch after the first treatment.
Bedbugs will happily travel through electric outlets or on a pants cuff and get distributed throughout a building pretty quickly, so even if your provider gets an exterminator if the rest of the building isn't treated the bedbugs will be back in a month or two.
As long as the provider and the property manager fail to take this issue seriously you will be at risk of bedbugs coming home and infesting your abode. You should definitely not bring any bags at the daycare into your house without emptying it, giving it a good shake and cleaning. All clothes in the bag and on your child should be taken off and run through a hot wash and dryer or at least a dryer every time you come home. Frankly I would be cautious about your own shoes and pants if you spend time inside at the daycare as a bedbug can crawl onto you without you knowing.
Most municipalities have "warrant of habitability" laws which state that landlords must keep dwellings vermin free. So if your daycare provider is getting the runaround from their landlord they should know they probably have recourse, up to and potentially withholding rent until the infestation is dealt with.
posted by brookeb at 10:02 AM on November 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Bedbug nymphs are basically too small and too transparent to see, so one could easily hitch a ride home in a diaper bag and you wouldn't know it.
Bedbug eggs are not destroyed by spraying and they take 7 days to hatch, so your provider or their landlord must make sure the exterminator comes twice within 10 days to catch any bugs that hatch after the first treatment.
Bedbugs will happily travel through electric outlets or on a pants cuff and get distributed throughout a building pretty quickly, so even if your provider gets an exterminator if the rest of the building isn't treated the bedbugs will be back in a month or two.
As long as the provider and the property manager fail to take this issue seriously you will be at risk of bedbugs coming home and infesting your abode. You should definitely not bring any bags at the daycare into your house without emptying it, giving it a good shake and cleaning. All clothes in the bag and on your child should be taken off and run through a hot wash and dryer or at least a dryer every time you come home. Frankly I would be cautious about your own shoes and pants if you spend time inside at the daycare as a bedbug can crawl onto you without you knowing.
Most municipalities have "warrant of habitability" laws which state that landlords must keep dwellings vermin free. So if your daycare provider is getting the runaround from their landlord they should know they probably have recourse, up to and potentially withholding rent until the infestation is dealt with.
posted by brookeb at 10:02 AM on November 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Does your child's carseat get taken into the provider's house? If so, stop doing that. If bugs crawl into it you could spread them to your car & home.
posted by belladonna at 11:01 AM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by belladonna at 11:01 AM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am pretty chill about most things. Bedbugs, though? Big pass. I've had students struggle with infestations in the past - depending on the situation, it can take months or years to eradicate those tiny hellions, particularly if one party is not taking every possible precaution. Sprays are only partially effective. The only way to really knock out an infestation is with high heat - the dryer is your friend here. Unless I saw a written plan of action from my daycare, I would immediately begin looking for a new provider.
posted by WaspEnterprises at 12:29 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by WaspEnterprises at 12:29 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
1) Check his bedding for any sign of bedbugs
2) Keep diaper bag outside of the house (porch, car?)
3) Change his clothes (ideally outside of house) as soon as he gets home; wash or freeze used clothes immediately.
posted by metasarah at 7:47 AM on November 2, 2018 [3 favorites]