Is this child neglect?

Question

My nephew is only 19 months old, I get visitation of him every other weekend so far this month he has had a sinus infection and was on three different kinds of meds for that then he had an ear infecton and was on three different meds for that and now he has a sever chest cold and is on two different meds for that what would be causing him to get so sick so often he has never been this sick befor they got custody of him.

Answer 1

Children seem to get a lot of colds and infections at this time of year. If he is getting medication it doesn't sound as if he is being neglected. He is at a prime age for colds and infections. My grandson, who is 26 months old, has had several in the last few months, and he certainly isn't neglected.

Answer 2

I am wondering what meds for an ear infection he was taking? I have never heard of kids taking more than one antibiotic at a time, and I am a mom of 4...
As for the being sick part, he may have had a cold that caused the sinus infection and the ear infection. Happened recently with my 3 month old, her cold started ear infections and an eye infection. As for the chest cold, it is cold season, I know my 4 have been sick every month since school started in September.
When he was not getting sick, maybe he did not have contact with as many people as he does now? I know that has a huge effect on how often my kids come down with colds and flu.

Answer 3

Well that is not child neglect! Kids get sick and there is nothing we can do about it. the good thing is he is on med's for it. I have a 1 yr old and she is sick all the time and I go to the doc all the time!! I understand what you are saying but as long as they are giving the child food clothes a good place to live and are not neglecting it they are fine if there is anything else that is a sign like he is nasty and they are not bathing him or things like that that that would be neglect. But being sick is normal kids are diff. and some get sick all the time and others are fine!!

Answer 4

A lot of my friends' children are sick right now. Sometimes it goes in waves like that, and there have been a lot of colds going around. Since the child is on medication I would hardly call it neglect. Obviously he has been taken to a physician, presumably 3 different times recently. It sounds like the parents or guardians are doing the best they can. Unfortunately it is sometimes unavoidable. Is he in daycare or preschool? That will increase his chances of getting sick often, because the kids pass the colds/germs back & forth to each other.

Answer 5

It could be suspect that a child is getting sick that often...however those particular problems sound related...sinus infections can lead to ear infections and chest colds. It could be that the original treatments werent being followed. That may not be exactly child neglect or abuse but its definately an issue that needs to be addressed for the health of the child

Answer 6

I wouldnt jump to conclusions just yet. Though it is good that you are concerned...

1st off, have the parents/guardians check their home for mold. It occurs more often than people know, and can continue to cause neverending health issues. Especially in babies.

As well, this childs immune system is obviously low after the first attack, so it may have caused him to be sensitive to other diseases.

Neglect is doing nothing to help, sounds like they are giving meds to try to help the baby get better

But I am curious as to WHERE the sickness is coming from. They need to evaluate their home, their friends, or where they take him/her repeatedly for to find exposure

Good luck

Answer 7

I would say yes, except that they are getting medical care for the child. The doctor should alert officials if anything is suspect. There are a lot of factors for how often a child gets sick. Someone said smoking, also, how often is the child out in public? Just going from the childs home to yours, it's picking up germs.

Not to start anything....but who has custody? Are you "looking" for problems?

Answer 8

Do they smoke in the home? This can cause all of the infections you have mentioned and can prevent him from going away. If they are doing something that is harming the health of a child, then yes, it is neglect and could be abuse. Maybe when you have the child you could take him to a good pediatrician for a Well Child check-up.

Answer 9

There could be a lot of things. If there is a lot of illness's going around and his immune system is down he is going to catch things. I have two boys, ages 9 and 6. Mine go back and forth...one gets something and then the other catches it. But being on that many meds is not good. They need to make sure they are disinfecting everything he is around, bedding, toys, cups...things like that. That is a lot of meds to be on in a short time.

Answer 10

the stress of everything that poor little guy is going through can weaken his immunu system. it can effect his sleep, his eating habits, and therefore effect his immunse system and weaken it. if i heard that he was sick and hadn't been taken to the doctor, nor was he fed or baithed then yeah, i would say it was neglect. but the baby could be exposed to germs or something and me getting sick because of that. it could be anything. when my daughter entered preschool she got just as sick and missed a good third of the schooldays being sick! it was just that she was exposed to so many germs, ate less in the cafateria than she would've eaten at home, and lost sleep having to get up so early in the morning compared to what she was used to! the child is fine. at least he is on meds. it could be worse!