to take DS out and about when he's off school because of sickness?

[cornflakegirl]

DS1 (6) was not well after school on Wednesday - he was complaining of tummy ache, was quite hot, and fell asleep on the sofa for an hour. He threw up in the middle of the night. School have the standard 48 hours after D or V policy, so he's off school.

However, by yesterday morning he was fine. No more vomiting, eating fairly normally, although he didn't do anything too strenuous. Today, he's still not allowed into school - would it be unreasonable to take him to soft play or something so that he's not just stuck in the house?

cornflakegirl: I shall be as delightfully friendly and helpful as the posters on a different forum on MN yesterday who said "why should anyone do your research for you" and "there's a wonderful thing calked google".

(PS - I needed to vent that - I'll see what I can find. So far only the Aussie guidelines (me as ours, on official site, but underpinnings not clear). Additional care is required among children because their immune system has not encountered so may pathogens, so they get ill more often. And smaller children are much more likely to put things in their mouths (including their thumbs). Behaviour amongst adults at an office is far less unsanitary than toddlers in a ball pool - and during school hours, the place will be wall to wall toddlers).

TBH, because I am a shit mother and the weather is lousy I'd use this as an excuse to "look after" ds.

Insert dvd's, get out toys, ignore housework, arse about on Mnet and drink coffee all day, all in the name of caring mother

babyheave - I've already said that I agree it wouldn't be fair to take him to soft play.

But I am still really interested in why we feel able to make decisions about whether our DCs are healthy enough to do stuff, except in the case of D or V.

AFAIK the recommendation is 48 hrs because that is the longest a bugs germs can be passed on. Some take less time, but it would probably take longer than 48 hrs to identify the bug anyway.

Please don't take your son anywhere, some germs can linger on hard surfaces (swing chains at the park? seesaw handles?) and please avoid shops. As honeydragon said, there are people out there who are very badly affected by d&v bugs.
A day at home won't hurt him or your dh, and might just stop his germs from being shared around the community.

she's at work, her dh is home with a 1 year old and the boy who is off sick

You wouldn't BU to tke him out if you absolutely had to get essentials (no food in the house etc.) and the alternative would be leaving him home alone.

You would be VVVVU to take him to soft play, yes. 48 hour rules can be irritating 'tis true, especially if it seems like there's nothing wrong with your child, that doesn't mean there isn't.

I am not a doctor and so this is not factual but my common sense allows me to hazard a guess that D&V infections hang around longer than say a temperature which is utterly measurable and you can judge whether you are better based on how you feel, whereas with D&V you can feel better but still pass on germs.

I suspect in offices they worry less because as adults it is assumed that we wash our hands after the toilet, are generally more hygiene aware and less likely to put things in our mouths/lick weird things/put our hands somewhere disgusting and then taste it etc. (although a lot of pen sucking goes on in offices so if there is pen stealing as well it could go round...)

Because, cornflakegirl, D&V viruses are one of the most contagious viruses out there, and have the ability to put people who are in at risk groups - even those who are healthy - into hospital very quickly because of the risk of dehydration.

YABU to take him out. DS1 had something similar a few weeks ago and it turned out he had chronic constipation. OK, it's not infectious but I'm really glad I did keep him home because he'd not kept a meal down for ages and his immunity was weakened.

I am not an expert but vomiting bugs are massively infectious and as children (particularly younger ones) are supertransmitters of bugs I would keep him home. It's only two days of being in. Not long really.

Could school email you any work for him?

I wouldnt take him out if it is noriovirus its so contagious even from touching hands.
My son has hand foot and mouth because of someone taking their child out while they are contagious and its bloody annoying . Think of others one more day in wont hurt.

Government Infection Control Policy Document - one PCT's policy document from 2010.

It covers hospitals and other healthcare settings, old people's homes, schools, nurseries and other children's settings.

Yes, exclude for 48 hours from last vomit or episode of diahorrea (unless, I suppose you've had a sample cultured, diagnosis proved, and alternate authority cited for different length quarantine).

Soft play area - indoors, shared equipment, children in close proximity and able to touch each other - would definitely be a place for concern for transmission of infection.

meditrina

I have googled, but I didn't find anything other than guidelines (as you say, without clear underpinnings) and anecdote.

And I take your point about ball pools.

Honey - if it were just DS1 at home, I would completely agree with you. But trying to do stuff like board games or lego or craft with DS1, without DS2 destroying it or demanding attention, is really hard.

To add: Yes, the virus hangs around for a long time, and its spread is limited by frequent, thorough hand-washing (not alcohol gels, which generally are ineffective), and by not putting your hands to your eyes or mouth. Children frequently have their hands in their mouths, and are not known for being the best hand-washers in the world without supervision. Softplay = a terrible idea. Anywhere else = still pretty bad.

YABU. I'm currently sick. The reason I'm sick is because a friend came over 24hours after she had last been sick. She said she felt fine and was clearly eating fine when with me. I'm now sick. She must have still been contagious. You haven't got a clue if your son is still contagous.

Well, cornflakegirl, what other common childhood illnesses are there? Measles and mumps are rare because of vaccines, colds and flu etc are different because a) you can tell when the child feels better and b) the viruses are in wide circulation and mutate all the time anyway, so an enforced exclusion rule for these would be pointless. So that more or less leaves chicken pox, and there is a rule for that - spots must all be scabbed over. I think it's pointless to go getting your knickers in a twist about why D&V is treated "differently" .

cornflakegirl: our posts must have x-ed! See link in my previous, it has HUGE number of references to al the evidence anyone could possibly want.

Cornfield girl - some parents need to be told not to bring their dc in after d&v because they are ignorant and take their dc in anyway.
Children can function with a cold, yes they feel grotty, but it won't potentially close a school down.
When you have a sick bug, it spreads so easily from person to person, it obviously needs more control than other illnesses.
A local nursery had to close down for two weeks and have a complete deepclean when 85% of dc and staff all came down with rotavirus (?) because certain parents lied through their teeth that their dc were fine. One parent was given a written warning about bringing a vomiting child into nursery.
Threads like this really piss me off. Dh is otherwise healthy, but is hit like a ton of bricks by tummy bugs. It takes him weeks to properly recover.

Cornflake girl you obviously know better than everyone else and are not going to listen to anyone else so carry on and do what you like but I hopeto god no-one falls ill from it.

And actually, the more I read this, the more I think it's a windup.
No-one is stupid enough to take a child to soft play because they are not allowed back at school. Are they?

You were BU at the start of the thread and become more so as the thread has gone on.

DS2 has bowel issues and often has liquid poo. It's not a bug as it can be part of his 'problem', however, we still have to keep him off just in case.

I think you know the answer by now.

School don't want him because he may well be contagious. Soft play won't for the same reason.

I sympathise with the stir crazy child though.

cornflake- But I am still really interested in why we feel able to make decisions about whether our DCs are healthy enough to do stuff, except in the case of D or V.

Because although you can make the decision that your son is recovered and healthy (and i trust your judgement here, of coure you know that he is feeling better and you can make decisions, such as he will now be able to eat family meals/chocolate as opposed to dry toast etc) You CAN judge that he is now fit to play/ be active.
BUT you CANNOT decide whether he is still carrying the infection. you CANNOT decide if there is still a riskof infecting others. Im sure he feels well, but that doesnt mean he is not carrying the bug with the potential to spread it.

I think some dp do take dc who are officially off school sick to soft play and elsewhere. I know when my dd was small and we went to toddler groups, mothers with toddlers would occasionally bring along older (school-aged) dc to the groups saying "Oh X is off school sick"

I wondered about it at the time. Can't say I appreciated it tbh. So IME yes, people do this kind of thing

meditrina - thanks for the link.

ZZZen - I have taken an older dc with me to a toddler group - a couple of times when he was off school with asthma attacks, another when he was off having had a minor operation.
I don't know anyone who would knowingly take an infectious child out and about.
Who are the people who do this? Come on, own up