To take DD, who has conjunctivitis to birthday party?

[Snufflebabe]

My little girl has conjunctivitis, a runny nose, and teething pain. We all haven't slept in 4 nights, so a bit shattered. She is fine in herself, and this is day 3 of being on eye drops. The doctor said it was really contagious.

It's our friends DS birthday today, and Dd is invited. I explained yesterday she was under the weather.

Aibu to take her along? It would do her good to get out and have a play, she is 18 months. Plus, it would do me good too.

Any advice? Thanks.

Havnt read all the replies, Im presuming as she is on drops its bacterial conjuctivitis as oppossed to the viral type.

Anyway prob doesnt really matter!
So wrong that nurseries let kids back so soon, madness. Unless the eyes are not discharging it is still very infectious.

In answer to your question NO. you just dont know if there might be a child who is immunosuppressed or a newborn or elderly person.

It can last up to 72 days according to our nursery. So yes, keep her at home, don't let her out and take the next two and a half months off work

Is it really that contagious?

I used to be a CM and in the guidelines I had it said that we weren't to take a child while they had conjunctivitis, so I never did.

My friend who is still a CM brought her son to toddler group the other week. He had RAGING conjunctivitis, his eyes were bright red and swollen and were weeping down his face! She had refused drops from the Dr because of a reaction that her eldest had had with them. As she is a childminder and I'm not anymore, I thought that perhaps the guidelines had changed and maybe it wasn't that contagious.

Luckily my DD2 didn't catch it (I would have been pissed off if she had because that put together with her teething would have pushed me over the edge) but reading this thread makes me really angry with my friend irresponsibility!

Hello,

yes it is that contageous. It is like a cold, a child touches the discharge, touches a toy, another child touches the toy blah blah.

The HPA guidelines are just that: guidelines. They also say no exclusion for dysentery but I'm blowed if I allow any child into my setting with dysentery, thank you!
I get very angry with doctors trying to dictate who I should admit into my childcare setting. They so often get it wrong: "toddler diarrhoea" that is passed round all the others; the non-infectious conjunctivitis that everyone else catches; the chest infection that was missed 3 times; the oral thrush that the doctor didn't recognise.
It's not up to the doctor or the HPA who I admit: it's my home and therefore my responsibility for all the children. They don't have to cope with looking after the child, plus all the others, plus the additional cleaning and disinfecting. Or the irate parents whose children have caught something from another child while in my care.

HPA may say send your kids in to infect other kids because it's "just" a minor ailment but the AAP says keep them home until they are symptom free. I agree because conjunctivitis is a real pain and I don't want my family to get it. I'll keep my kids home so that your family doesn't get it and hope you do the same. Given that medical advice is ever changing, I think we should be doing the considerate thing (for our unwell children and their peers)

www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/eyes/Pages/Conjunctivitis-Pink-Eye.aspx

Yes Yabu, although I can see why you want to go. At 18 months she has no concept of not touching her eye and will be rubbing it, touching toys etc, other kids will touch them and touch their eyes. Dd had it when she was about 2.5 and the utter nightmare of having to pin down a screaming child whilst I put her drops in was something I never wish to do again for either of our sakes. if I found out that someone had knowingly brought an infected child to a party and my dd had caught it, they would def be getting a piece of my mind!
Please for everyone else's sake keep her home, she won't realise at that age that she is missing the party. Why not arrange to go out to soft play with birthday boy and his mum next week when she is all better.

Well, it is up to you to judge I think. It's hard to say without seeing her eyes. My DD just had it. I kept her out of the creche for 2 days and when she woke up on day three her eyes had been completely discharge-free for more than 24 hours and were no longer inflamed at all, so back she went and we went away with loads of friends and their babies for the weekend.

I had a cream this time (over the counter) that basically cleared in a day (with a lot of eye rinsing with saline solution as well), though it is vital to continue anti-b treatment (if that's what it is) until two days after you are certain the symptoms are gone. I don't take it lightly at all by the way - the last time DD got it, I caught it off her and it took four doctor's visits, three different treatments and a month and a half to clear it.

tanith, I'm not sure if you understand the guidelines. The HPA advises 48hours exclusion after any diarrhoea or vomiting, so I can't see how they recommend no exclusion for dysentery.

The HPA guidelines can be found here:

www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947358374

Most conjunctivitis is viral, so drops aren't even needed. I love the Mumsnet idea though that it is only bacterial infections that are contagious! Colds are viral too, should we exclude children from nursery every time they have a cold as well?

YABVVU It really annoys me when people bring their kids out with bugs and illnesses (except colds etc). It's selfish. Glad you are not going now.