to think that you should stay home if your baby has a cold

[lucindapie]

I went to a mums and babies group for first time two days ago, the leader of the group's baby had a cold, and was sneezing and dribbling snot all over the place, now I've woken up with a sore throat, headache, generally feeling crap!
i know she was the leader of the group so kind of had to come, but could she not have got a substititute so her baby wasn't spreading germs everywhere!
In her words the baby was 'getting over a cold' but I don't think this applies if he is still contagious! I am so pissed off.

OOO do get a grip OP. My god it is only a cold ffs it will not kill you.

YABVU. i've got two, and if i was stuck at home any time one of them had the sniffles, i'd never leave the damn house. your post made me quite cross for some reason actually, including your follow up. Babies have and spread germs, if you want to steer clear in winter, you're likely the one better off at home. The doctor told me the first two winters are the worst, and after that their immune systems toughen up.

a cold is nothing, wait til they get the vomiting bug/hand foot and mouth/slapped cheek/ chicken pox etc. There's so much more in the world of highly contagious illnesses to look forward to.

OP, how do you know you got your cold from the baby at the group? Were you in a protective bubble from all other people bar the mother and babies group?

I know this is going a little against the grain here, but I feel a bit the same when I go to a baby group and a baby with a hacking cough is drooling snot all over a toy that ds picks up and shoves in his mouth. I am probably a bit hyper sensitive to it because he gets so ill when he gets a cold. He has just had 2 in quick succession and it feels as though we haven't had any sleep for 2 weeks, plus he ended up in hospital with the last one.

On the other hand, I have 2 dds who are in yr R and yr 1 at school and accept that a certain amount of snottiness and germs goes hand in hand with school, but then by that time they are a bit more able to deal with it.

I find all the 'ffs' and 'bless' comments a bit patronising.

YABU, as on this basis I wouldn't have left the house since 3 September.

Microserf Yep- did the HF&M last week. What fun that was !!

hazeyjane

tbf a hacking cough or other bad symptoms aren't the same as a cold with a snotty nose, that would annoy me too if a child was obviously still very ill.

YABU

HTH

DD1 is 2.5, if I stayed away from groups every time she had a snotty nose, I would be stuck at home roughly September to March every year.

YABU, and a bit PFB. You will look back at this with a wry laugh.

Yabu.

I also think you should offer to help with the group

I know I am being unreasonable, btw and you are right, Justa, I am more wary of going to playgroups, partly for this reason. I went to one last week because I was meeting a friend there, and there was a little boy streaming with thick green snot, looking pale and red eyed, crying and coughing, and I just thought, 'why have you bought him here', he just seemed really miserable.

Anyway, my views on this aren't to be trusted, as I am having to snort coffee grounds in order to stay awake and entertain 2 bored dds, whilst carrying a screaming, snotty ds!

Shall we all presume that the op has contacted the group leader and volunteered to run the meeting for her the next time her baby is ill?

Of course they always do!

YABU. Sickness or fever and I'd keep them home but not because of a cold. I would be very surprised if the leaders child was the only snotty child at the group.

If you didn't get that particular flu virus today, you would have got it some other time. Get as many colds now, whilst your baby is still small - believe me. You don't want to get ill with colds when you have a toddler running around the house.

People have even been to groups with hacking coughs around here. There is a virus going around that starts like a cold but the cough lasts 3-4 weeks. That's a long time for a child that is otherwise well not to be out.....

HazyJane, in that case UANBU about ANYTHING you are entitled to be considered reasonable as hell under those circumstances

Phew, thankyou, Hungrydragon - the only way I have survived the afternoon was venting on this thread!

I know that post cold/virus coughs go on for weeks, I think dd1 had one for about 3 years after her first cold, but there is a difference between that sort of cough and the spluttering, spitty cough combined with green snot that is fresh cold material.

Babies have colds approx 97% of the time in their first 2 years. You would be stuck at home for 24 months, going quietly insane. It's all challenging their immune systems.

Feartricks - "Old enough to manage their colds"....I reckon more like 20 years old for girls, for boys.....about 40 years old. Speaking from experience. Haha

Also meant to say that if you don't want to catch anything it's probably best you stay away from places where tons of kids are drooling over/chewing everything in sight whether they visibly have colds or not.

Ds now 2.5 was on a ventilator for 8 days as a small baby with a virus that would have just causedva bad cold in most, turns out he had a heart condition which was why he got so ill. We stayed in for months after we got out of hospital to avoid germs. He is well now but always snotty and yes we do go out unless he is not feeling well, feverish or non stop coughing. Are v conscious of need to protect vulnerable though and that one persons cold could cause serious breathing issues in another. Plus importance of trying to instill good hygiene issues ASAP. Op best way of avoiding germs is clean hands and not touching eyes and nose. So not nec minor silly issue but yes life must go on where poss.

you should be out there getting your little one infected as much as posible now because other wise when baby goes to nursery, and you go back to work you will never be there cos she will catch everything going. YABVU