When to Keep Your Sick Child Home From School

When your child's in preschool — and still building an immune system — it might seem like he's susceptible to an endless stream of colds. Germs are just a part of preschool and day care that all moms have to deal with, readers say. But how sick should your child be before you decide to keep him home from school?

That's the question moms Bethany G. and Esther D. are wrestling with. "I really struggle with when to keep my kids home from school activities when they 'may be' sick. How do you decide?" Bethany wonders. Esther's questions are more pointed. She wonders what other parents do when little ones have mild symptoms, like a runny nose, and whether it's OK to send them to school even though they can spread germs.

Many members say symptoms like fever, vomiting, or diarrhea make the decision to keep your child home from preschool clear-cut, and the United States Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) backs them up, advising parents to keep kids with flu-like symptoms home for "at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines," and "even if they are using antiviral medicines."

But when symptoms are less prominent, parents are left to their own guidance. So when should a mildly sick child go to school, and when should he be kept at home? See some of the most common viewpoints below.


Source http://www.popsugar.com/moms/When-Keep-Your-Sick-Child-Home-from-School-27334665