to think babies with viruses should stay home.

[Bracknellshockatabag]

Going to keep this quite vague in order to avoid outing myself.

I attend a baby group weekly-after attending this week myself and my DC have both been ill, having caught a virus. On FB earlier today I discovered several group attendees discussing their babies ill health and how they were getting over a virus. It's quite clear we caught it from them. AIBU to expect ill DC to be kept away from a group? I worry it might be PFB syndrome but I'd be interested to know if I am valid to be a bit peeved.

[HallowedMimic]

But babies are I'll so often, you'd never go anywhere.

Anything contagious and gastric would keep us at home, but a normal cold virus would not even register.

[FuzzyOwl]

I would keep my poorly child home but you'll rapidly find that some children are frequently ill from one thing or another and some mothers rely on getting out the house to go to baby groups for their sanity. You often can't tell your child is ill until after the contagious period has begun and some people prefer to build up their child's immunity by exposing them to things at a younger age.

[Rosae]

Ditto to previous poster. It felt like my lo was constantly under the weather with something last winter. I stayed away for high temperatures and funny tummies but if I'd have waited for perfect health we'd never have left the house.

[wayway13]

It depends on what it is. If DD has a sniffle and is happy WITHOUT Calpol then I'll still take her out. If she is poorly enough for Calpol then she needs to rest and we have a house day with a buggy walk for fresh air if she's up to it. I'm lucky that she has rarely been ill (maybe 2 or 3 times in 3 years). I base it on her - is she well enough to go?

[Sirzy]

Is a hard one. In an ideal world yes they should, but realistically that's not going to happen.

A virus made Ds critically ill as a baby - but that virus was caused by the same thing as causes the common cold. Sadly you can't avoid these things.

[blueturtle6]

We stay away when ill, I'd expect other to do likewise. I get the need to get out but at the expense of another child and parent .

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Babies get an average of 12 viruses in their first year. You'd never leave the house! Tummy bugs are home time but a sniffle? No way!

[Toocold]

You can catch a virus anywhere, what would you do if you had multiple children and had the school run to do? I get stay away for chicken pox, or properly ill with flu or sickness bug but a cold, no.

[NerrSnerr]

Depends on the virus. If we stayed home every time my daughter got a cold we'd have never left the house.

[Prawnofthepatriarchy]

Lots of illnesses are infectious mostly before the child has symptoms. Ok, people shouldn't be taken clearly unwell children anywhere but if you stayed home for every sniffle you'd never go out.

When mine were tiny I asked my GP if I was taking them to see her too often. Oh no, she said. Very small children can be in and out of the surgery like a fiddler's elbow!

[Discobabe]

Depends how ill they are. Raging temp, throwing up, very obviously unwell then yes. A bit of a cough/cold/sniffle/low temp but no major symptoms and not requiring calpol, no.

[Crunchymum]

Agree with PP.

If a child is clearly ill / has a temperature / needs medicine / has been sick and or has diarrhoea then they need to be kept in.

A cold / general bug then no. Young kids spend most of winter with the sniffles.

I say this as someone who had their PFB hospitalised after they developed a viral induced wheeze (he was in for a week!!! That was 3 years ago and touch wood hw has not had anything anywhere near as bad since!)