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.

That's right. Our nursery has told us that so long as the child feels well, isn't feverish or having d and/or v they should come in. So hacking coughs and dripping snot aplenty.

tholeon i hear you as my DS2 has Cystic Fibrosis and colds are the bain of our lives but he has to live his life with his condition and cannot be kept in doors forever. Would be impossible anyway as he never sits still. You are right good hygiene is best wash your hands use a tissue then bin it.
But baby snotty kisses are a right of passage which cannot be avoided.

When I went to my baby group last week, both me and ds ended up with sickness and diarrhoea. I realise with children/babies, it's hard to keep germs completely at bay but it doesn't make me happy that someone took their ill child to a social event.

A cold though is a bit different, it's easier to cope with! I kept my child in whist he was ill last week but I wouldn't just for a cold.

YUBU.

Green snot = no longer contagious to others, as yucky as it looks. From a microbiological point of view. Their most contagious stage is when they look perfectly fine...and then have a fever later that day! Virus has been brewing.

I can understand one's heart sinks if they catch a cold just during an important occasion, eg a holiday or a wedding. And of course, it's horrendous on the rare occasion they get ill enough to have to be in hospital. If you don't wish baby to get ill before something important, then am afraid quarantining the well baby before he/she gets ill is the only answer. Asking other people to quarantine their own babies is counterproductive, as the incubation period is usually over. Cold and flu viruses survive for ages on surfaces including doors, floors, chairs, tables, soft toys (from a few days ago). And that's the viruses from the adults alone.

If you need baby to stay well that week, you could try bringing your own laundered playmat and toys to the mum and baby group (and refuse to let your baby touch other toys, and don't let him/her ride in the supermarket trolley either) .....but doing this everyday for the first 6months of their life would be very OTT! - and ultimately doomed to fail. Time to stock up on the Calpol and the Vicks or Eucalyptus oil (quite effective).

ugh, kipperandtiger, your post is convincing me to become agoraphobic!

The annoying thing is, I spent £30 on vit c+zinc, echinacea and various potions a couple of weeks ago in order to try and stave off colds, all to no avail.

yabu. Is this your pfb?

Indigo - how can you be so sure you got d and v from baby group? Did you not come into contact with any other people/surfaces prior to becoming ill?

Yabu.

Sure, if a kid has a temperature, they should be snuggled up at home and taking it easy with the odd foray into the fresh air. But general mild ailments, bah, I'm afraid it's business as usual.

yanbu

I agree-people should stay home till the snot stops being green. I now leave any playgroup if I see a snotty id as due to asthma my son ends up in hospital every time he gets a cold.

People just put themselves first- as in they feel like going out so do regardless of spreading it.
I have to say people are pretty thoughtful in the States and cancel playdates when their dc has a cold- the mums who bring snotty kids to group activities get the looks and so they should.
Stay at home when your child is green with snot-going out is inconsiderate.

cherrysodalover - genuine question - what will you do when your son starts nursery/school? Or do you plan to school him at home?

When you realised how poorly this germ-baby was, did you not offer to stand in so the poor child's mother could take him home to bed???

Didn't think so.

You could have been the perfect stand-in, and saved all the other babies from a fate worse than tissues. If you didn't come up for it, can't complain that no-one else stood in either.

Oh, yabu.

I honestly think that that reason for us all being totally terrified of our DC being ill is due to over sanitising everything - I'm dead old I am and years ago snot being wiped on you wouldn't have been a major issue ...a bit yucky yeah but not life threatening

My kids play in muck most days whilst gardening - but oh no gasp! they are likely to contract toxoplasmosis!!!

They touch their friends during everyday play ..Arrrgh they are going to get impetigo/nits/the mange

Unless your baby/child is at adverse risk for some underlying illness then you really have no need to worry - kids get sick and pass lovely illnesses around - it makes their immune systems stronger ....jeez I remember being taken to a pox party in 1977 and it was fab - apart from the lasting scar on my nose

YANBU. I have asthma so every cold I catch could potentially be very serious. People who go to work or socialise when they have something contagious are bloody selfish

As far as school goes, I've found that dds have fewer colds now, and they don't have such an effect on them, even the asthmatic one. Ds goes to nursery two mornings a week and I keep him off if he is really snotty, but he has underlying issues. Short of smearing him in antibacterial gel when we go, there isn't much I can do if someone turns up with germ ridden lo.

Well, hazeyjane - you'd have to ban the adults from seeing you as they carry more bugs home from work, the bus/trains, etc. I think you and your child/ren must be ok as they've obviously had more exposure to adults. IMO we only ever caught colds/flu (where there was an easily identifiable culprit!) from grownups and much older children......it is really not common for babies to catch bugs off other babies, unless they are in very close contact.

Lol.....actually my mother and baby group didn't involve much play between the babies (well you know they don't play with each other at that age, they just interact with their mums) and we all brought our own toys to amuse our own kids. It's only when they are over one and they go to toddler groups specifically to play with the communal toys - I think you have to accept then that those toys and equipment have had every conceivable germ on them, and the kids build up immunity to them eventually.

Actually, medically, there is no evidence that zinc/vit C/garlic/echinacea per se prevent colds/flu. The only reason why people seem to feel they work is probably because those who take them start looking after their health more carefully. Adequate sleep (at least 7h) and decent general nutrition ( fresh fruit, veg & meat; less alcohol, less junk food) is probably more helpful. And if you are under stress, more sleep and fresh air + light exercise.

Small children and adults with moderate to severe asthma shouldn't expect the rest of the world to quarantine themselves - the most contagious period is just before symptoms appear so even if people wanted to, they wouldn't know when they are most infectious. Avoid crowds (incl crowded rooms) and in winter or cold weather, get more fresh air and avoid being cooped up in crowded rooms/trains with no open windows for long periods of time.