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Home > Blogs > Adventures in Motherhood > Archives > 2008 > October > 28 > Entry
Sick kids: When to send ‘em to school and when to keep ‘em home?
It’s another frantic morning. You’re scurrying to get ready for work, inhale two cups of coffee and pack the diaper bag and/or the lunchbox when your child comes up to you and says: “Mommy, I don’t feel good. I’m too sick to go to school.”
Hmmm. You do the quick check. Nothing too alarming. But your child certainly isn’t his or her usual energetic self, either. It doesn’t look like you need to call the doctor, but what about school? Daycare?
What do you do? Do you call off work and keep your child home (so the child can rest and not spread germs to the other children)? Or does it seem like this is just a case of the sniffles and not enough to justify your child missing a day of school?
At some point, most every parent will have to make this choice — and you never have a lot of time to think about it. No doubt, it’s an important decision.
Popular medical resource site WebMD offers these general rules of thumb:
Fever: If your child’s temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, keep your kid at home. While at home, encourage your child to drink plenty of liquids. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours (without medicine) before returning to school.
Mild cough/runny nose: Send ‘em to school or daycare.
Bad cough/cold symptoms: Keep your child home and call the doctor. It could be a severe cold or possibly bronchitis, flu or pneumonia.
Diarrhea or vomiting: Keep your child home until the illness is over, and for 24 hours after the last episode (without medicine).
Sore throat: A minor sore throat, don’t worry. But a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and upset stomach. Keep your child home from school, and contact a doctor. Your child can return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.
Earache: Keep the child home. The child needs to see a doctor.
Pink eye: Keep the child home until a doctor has given the OK to return to school. Pink eye is highly contagious and most cases are caused by a virus, which will not respond to an antibiotic. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require an antibiotic; your doctor will be able to determine if this is the case.
Rash: Children with a skin rash should see a doctor, as this could be one of several infectious diseases.
Dayton Children’s Medical Center also offers the following advice for parents to help them make the right decision:
If children have flu symptoms, they should not go to class, says Sherman Alter, MD, director of infectious disease at Dayton Children’s. Symptoms include: Rapid onset of fever, headache, muscle aches and fatigue, and cough.
What to do if your child has flu symptoms (besides calling the doctor)? Dr. Alter says the best way to treat children who have the flu is to make sure they get extra rest, drink plenty of fluids and eat light, easy-to-digest foods. Parents can also give children an acetaminophen or ibuprofen for the fever and aches, but should not give their children aspirin. In some cases, it is normal for the flu to last a week or longer.
In October 2008, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association announced that children younger than age 4 should not be treated with over-the-counter cold and flu medicines. Parents should consult their physician for treatment options.
Some flu prevention techniques: Dr. Alter recommends parents and grandparents should get a flu shot to help prevent them from passing the flu to their children. The flu vaccine is now recommended for all children who are 6 months to 18 years old, with an emphasis on vaccinating those aged 6 to 59 months. It is very important to vaccinate children with medical conditions like asthma, diabetes and immunologic abnormalities.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that children who have never received the flu vaccine before and are 6 months to 8 years old need two doses of the vaccine for protection (vaccines given four to six weeks apart). Caregivers of children under age 5 should also receive the vaccine.
Even if you follow all the precautions, a child may still come down with the flu.
Other flu-prevention techniques: Some tips, beyond flu shots, to help prevent the flu from Hila Collins, RN, infectious disease nurse clinician at Dayton Children’s: Wash hands when they are dirty and before eating or handling food. Spend about 20 seconds washing hands. Do not cough or sneeze into your hands. Do not put your fingers into your eyes, nose or mouth. Nose picking and eye rubbing can be linked to nearly every respiratory illness.
Parents, share your strategies for coping with sick children here:
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Helpful tips
Comments
By Curly
October 29, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this
I would suggest that things that are contagious, such as lice, also be included in the “stay home” list.