To cancel meeting new friend and her children

[Cheeseandapple]

Because DD has a cold? Meant to be meeting a friend with her 6 month old and 3 year old later today. My 5 month old has a cold - don't know what the etiquette is. I would think it's just a cold so shouldn't be a problem meeting by worried she'll be annoyed I've brought poorly DD out as she won't want her 2 getting it.

Can you not just give her a call and give her the option?

I’d just tell her. Some people (like me) wouldn’t be bothered, others might have good reason for wanting to avoid.

I'd contact her to ask how she feels about it. Usually my friends say it's fine

Text her and ask? Just a quick msg to say baby has a bit of a cold, happy to meet later but would you prefer to rearrange?

Just text. She might say "no worries so have mine!" Or she might say let's leave it. But either way it's her call then.

she has a 3 year old - i bet she won't mind.

Give her the option to cancel. i've met up with friends whose kids have been sick and it's been a real pain, because my kids ALWAYS caught whatever it was they had.

Don’t make assumptions, give her the choice.

If I was your new friend, you might not know that turning up with a simple childhood cold could plunge me into 3 weeks of respiratory hell. I have lung issues that mean I’d be unable to care for my kids while I was strapped to my nebuliser a few hours each day.

Even people who have seen me go through pneumonia (which started as a cold caught by my kid at kinder) merrily turn up dripping snot. I could just cry when it happens.

Yep. Ask her. I would bat an eye lid at a 5 months with a cold and wouod worry about jynown dcs catching the cold either (they would have been likely to have one themselves anyway!)

Just send her a quick message checking she's OK with it.

Always tell them and give them the choice to cancel. I'm looking after someone else's child today and text to let them know they were still welcome but my child has caught a cold.

Message and ask. I'd have cancelled and would really have appreciated you asking

Definitely message and ask if she wants to go ahead. And thanks for having the decency to wonder, rather than just turn up, for some of us catching a cold can be very serious.

Give her the choice. I wouldn’t cancel now but might have done a year ago when my youngest had some serious health issues.

Neither is the wrong etiquette. Just ask!

Pfft wouldn't bother me.

But then I'm of the old school belief that if my kids catch the odd cold it builds up their immune system and longer term it's better.
Give her a ring.
Unless you LO will be miserable going out?

My child had a cold from September 2017 until March 2018 pretty much constantly. I wouldn't even have considered not going about my daily activities.

I would text her and ask if she wants to go ahead in the circumstances. She probably will, because she has a 3 year old and knows the score -colds are everywhere anyway.

I’d be pleased you asked and would come anyway. Good to have the option though in case a child is asthmatic or something.

But then I'm of the old school belief that if my kids catch the odd cold it builds up their immune system and longer term it's better.
Presumably because they didn't keep putting your child in hospital.

OP just check. The liklihood is she says it's totally fine - she has a germy 3 yo after all but for a first meet I'd err on the side of caution. Next time you'll know

Ring her and ask. Personally I wouldn't mind because its just a cold. But my sister used to get annoyed by 'sickly people/kids spreading germs to her kid' and rather cancel!

To be honest your kids would be unlikely to pass on a cold now as usually colds are passed on when the symptoms are not even apparent to the person who develops it initially...

But definitely give her the choice.

@SleepingStandingUp - naturally if someone is immunocompromised, or has CF or chronic asthma it's a totally different ball game.

I'm not cavalier with other people's health at all, but in the main being in the same room with a snuffly baby is unlikely to have terrible consequences for children in perfect health.

I'm just responding to the off old school bit Wind. I had people tell me that whilst looking at my oxygen dependent baby - oh germs are good for them! My own cousin suggested he'd be better off getting chicken pox at 2 than when he's older

Just tell her so she can decide.

Thanks everyone - it's all new to me but will always ask in the future & have done today.