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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To use judgement with the 48 hour rule....

24 replies

BarnabyBungle · 17/08/2018 10:45

When my children or myself came down with vomiting bug last winter we keep away from things for 48 hours....

However, my DD vomited during a car journey the other day. It was hot, she was using her iPad and the road was windy. After clearing up and a brief 30m rest before continuing our journey, she was completely fine afterwards. I judged she’d been sick due to travelling and not a virus. I didn’t ‘quarantine’ her afterwards as a result. I think I was being entirely reasonable... but would be interested to know what others think.

OP posts:

Bambamber · 17/08/2018 10:47

YANBU

My daughter is sometimes sick due to allergies. I don't quarantine her because she's not contagious.

Apehouse · 17/08/2018 10:47

My five-year-old vomits about three times a week. She would never get to school if I applied the 48-hour rule.
In a nutshell, OP, I support your judgement call.

ChessieFL · 17/08/2018 10:48

I would do the same as you OP

OutPinked · 17/08/2018 10:49

Ahh YANBU, it’s common sense.

My DS was sick once after over eating and leaping around, he was fine thereafter. I kept him off school the next day purely as a precaution but it was blatant he was fine. When I took him to school the following day, they called me up to say he wasn’t allowed to be in due to the 48 hour rule. I tried to explain what nonsense that was, they weren’t having it. Missed two days of work because of it.

paap1975 · 17/08/2018 10:51

Your child was travel sick, not ill with a contagious illness. You did the right thing

gandalf456 · 17/08/2018 10:53

My son gets car sick and it's fairly obvious so yanbu

SaoirseTheSeahorse · 17/08/2018 10:55

Yanbu. I think one vomiting incident in a hot car would make me think travel sickness rather than virus. I mean, I wouldn’t go and visit a newborn baby, an elderly person or someone undergoing cancer treatment, but I also wouldn’t quarantine in these circumstances.

IceCreamFace · 17/08/2018 10:59

My DS throws up very easily so I definitely use judgement. He'll always throw up if he's been on the swings too long or on a long car journey so then I wouldn't ever keep him off.

I still think you have to be cautious. For example my son will sometimes throw up when he has a bad cough (not because of a stomach bug - the coughing just sets off his gag reflex). In this case I think I'd respect the 48 hour rule if he had a temp or was generally unwell with the cough because you never know whether he has a stomach bug as well as the cough.

Sometimes he'll just puke once and be fine afterwards I do keep to the 48 hour rule then. 90% of the time it's been unnecessary but once it did turn into a really nasty tummy bug that took the whole house out of action for a week so I'm glad I was cautious!

DS has had a lot of time off school for the 48 hour rule I'm definitely not adding to it with car sickness!

garethsouthgatesmrs · 17/08/2018 11:04

yes, this is car sickness, sometimes you know what has caued the sickness and it's not a bug. If you turn out to be wrong then next time you will be more careful

PsychoPumpkin · 17/08/2018 11:07

I’d do the same as you in those circumstances.

If I’m in any doubt at all whether it could be a bug I do stick to the 48 hour rule though.

In your case I’d be 100 percent sure it was carsickness

arranfan · 17/08/2018 11:17

We had a lengthy bus journey to school back in the days when smoking was allowed. I usually had ENT infections so the combination of the lengthy irritation to my sinuses plus the ear infections meant that I probably vomited in school 2-3 days a week.

There are definitely times when you have to trust your judgment as to the likely cause of the sickness.

Fresta · 17/08/2018 11:19

Who suggested you should quarantine her? School? What would you even mention travel sickness to school if she was fine 30 minutes later?

enjoyingscience · 17/08/2018 11:24

Totally reasonable. It's happened to us before, and if the child is fully well when they get home (i.e. out of the car), and for the rest of the day after that, I won't apply the 48 hour rule. Travel sickness isn't catching.

AuntieStella · 17/08/2018 11:27

Once you know your DC has travel sickness, and the throwing up occurs during/immediately after a journey, and they have no sign that they are otherwise ill (temperature, diarrhoea, listlessness) then I wouldn't apply the 48 hour rule either.

Just like I didn't when there was a small chuck up after a violent coughing fit.

But I would always go for time at home if they had symptoms of an infection. Better for their recovery, as well as not loosing them to spread it further.

AntoinetteOuradi · 17/08/2018 11:28

I'm an emetophobe in spades, but would still think this was ok, OP!

fleshmarketclose · 17/08/2018 11:30

Yes completely reasonable. Dd vomits when she has a migraine,I don't quarantine her for that it is completely different to a sickness bug. I might mention that she'd had a migraine to school but I wouldn't elaborate that she had been sick as a result,

5000KallaxHoles · 17/08/2018 11:34

I've discussed this with school in some great detail. DD2 suffers chronic constipation (various medical reasons behind this) and overflow diarrhoea plus constantly fiddling with movicol doses sometimes means you overshoot the sweet spot and make things somewhat... fluid.

They are fine (I've taken it to the Head to confirm) with that being ignored with reference to the 48 hour rule as it has a clear cause behind the runs and I would think that the OP's sort of scenario is very similar in that kind of regard. As long as we are confident it's constipation/medication related we're fine to send her into school... or she'd rarely bloody be there!

SpiritedLondon · 17/08/2018 11:34

My daughter gets travel sick and she absolutely cannot read or watch an iPad in the car. As soon as she is sick though she's absolutely fine. ( feels hungry etc). Twice she's been sick in the back of cabs which are in sight of an airport when we've been going on holiday. I've been left sitting there holding a pile of puke in my hands trying to avoid getting a clean up fee. Subsequently I now have bags, wipes and a change of clothes in my hand luggage when we go away.

SpiritedLondon · 17/08/2018 11:36

Sorry forgot to say YANBU - it's easy to tell the difference.

Hidethecrisps · 17/08/2018 11:37

My daughter gets childhood migraines (diagnosed by doctor and more serious things ruled out) which cause her to vomit, Very sensitive to light and she feels dizzy. She gets them in the morning but she goes back to sleep for a few hours then wakes up feeling absolutely fine so I send her in to school. So yanbu, you know your child and can make a judgement call in the circumstances. As pp said i agree probably be best to avoid anyone especially vulnerable just in case it did turn out to be something though.

helpfulperson · 17/08/2018 11:52

Generally I would say it is fine to use this common sense approach but please also be sympathetic towards schools taking a harder line.

We've had norovirus rampaging through schools and parents going 'oh it's just travel sickness/too many sweets etc' so I brought him in'. And we have no way of knowing who to believe so on Health Protection advice refuse to have anyone who has been sick in if there is sickness in the school.

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 17/08/2018 12:00

I read the title and was going to get sll shouty...but actually I think it's fine. If any chance of a bug then I keep mine home 24 hours. If had a cough for a few days and get into a massive coughing fit that makes them throw up a bit then I don't (as long as they're otherwise fine). Where it's clearly car sickness, I don't. So YANBU in my opinion

SnugglySnerd · 17/08/2018 12:06

Ds is sick at the drop of a hat. Especially in the car. He's fine straight afterwards and wants to eat so I wouldn't keep him at home. If he was sick more than once, off his food or upset then I would.

NicoAndTheNiners · 17/08/2018 12:07

Yes, totally agree with you.

The school rang me up once because dd informed them she’d been sick the day before but I’d insisted she still come to school. They were fine once I said she’d been car sick and was otherwise fine.

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