To take DS to stay and play?

[TinyMystery]

DS has a cold. Very snotty, coughing, but still full of beans. We’ve got to walk into the village to go to the post office anyway (30 min walk) so seems mad not to also go to group and see our friends. Am I being ‘that mum’ if I take a child full of cold to a baby group though?

You’re going to take him, aren't you, OP?

Aren't the stay and play places, softplay etc etc the place where they always catch bugs anyway? My child always caught bugs when visiting these place, it's just the way it is.

I'd take him. In my experience stay and plays are full of snotty kids and adults. If the risk was that high they'd stop them for the winter.

Vomiting, diarrhoea, (even one-off D&V), temperatures, contagious diseases (MMR type things): stay at home, and emerge in about a month's time.

Colds, coughs, snottiness: normal routine.

I agree with this.

A month? Life is for living surely. I can't think of anything worse than being trapped inside for a month with a toddler.

Ah mumsnet the place where you are supposed to send your kids to school no matter what unless they're asystolic
Then in the next breath do not leave the house unless they're wearing a hazmat suit if they have the merest sniffle
Cracks me up
I'm intrigued what these parents do if one of a number of siblings has a cold
Make him live in the shed lest he infect his siblings
It's a cold not bubonic plague

A month indoors for a bug
How do people like this survive

if you didn't take a toddler with a cold out they'd probably have to stay in the house all winter

Toddlers don’t have colds all winter. You can take them out without being in close proximity to lots of other children. Maybe if more people chose to do that, there wouldn’t be so many toddlers with colds.

Aren't you infectious with viruses before symptoms?

And yes most people have better things to do than quarantine themselves for every sniffle.

I didn't see the bit about the month! That's bonkers. I was agreeing with the distinction between a cold and other illnesses

I'm intrigued what these parents do if one of a number of siblings has a cold

It’s one thing to be in an unavoidable situation, quite another to be so blasé about the health of other people’s children in a situation that is entirely avoidable.

Ah mumsnet the place where you are supposed to send your kids to school no matter what unless they're asystolic

School children aren’t toddlers, less likely to be climbing all over each other and sticking things in their mouths.

School is a requirement if you are enrolled, with an acceptable level of attendance.

Not remotely the same as whether or not the OP should take a poorly child to a playgroup.

I’d take him. Snot, coughs, colds are par for the course. If he was really miserable with a high temp then I wouldn’t. My 3 year old has been snotty with a cough for the past 6 weeks!

Good decision to not take him OP. One toddler's cold is another toddler's Upper Respitory Tract Infection. My friend's toddler was in hospital for three nights with a collapsed lung after someone brought their toddler to baby group and he caught it. You just don't know how badly another kid will catch it when they're small.

It's a different story to me when they're child sized - three or four plus, but toddlers? They're really fragile. Don't do it. Or at least ask all the other mums first and be prepared to accept a no.

I remember overthinking this when on maternity with PFB. Now she's 1.5 and permanently snotty from nursery. If he's in good form, go. Any of the babies with older siblings will be constantly exposed anyway, and for the rest it is just a cold.

Germs are an inevitable part of life. I mean if you have specific medical issues you might need to take precautions but you can't expect everyone else to put their life on hold for the sake of some sniffles.

If its just a cold, I'd go. If he's been very unwell with a temperature indicating a nasty virus then I wouldn't.

Lock him in the house OP and paint a red cross on the door for good measure.

You can't stay in for a cold if he's otherwise feeling ok (eg no temperature, not over tired etc).

Stomach bug, chicken pox etc of course you stay in. Run of the mill cold with no fever, business as normal.

Oh FFS. "A month" was hyperbole. I surely didn't need to put "lighthearted" after that one.

I meant, obviously, if your child has those things, keep them at home until they're ok again and aren't likely to pass them on. I didn't mean you need to check off 30 or 31 days on a calendar (or 28, or 29, in case anyone feels the need to remind me about the existence of February).

Sigh.

With some of the germphobes on here you never know

@Sowingbees maybe if people didn't take their kids to infect other kids then all of those people wouldn't have to suffer through work with a cold. I hadn't had a cold in 5 years, started working somewhere where lots of coworkers have little kids and I've had one 3 times this year.

SnuggyBuggy. I am not among them, so am full of righteous indignation to be associated with them.

I'm torn. You can't put your life on hold for a common cold, but it's still thoughtful to not knowingly spread it around if it can be avoided.

So, I guess I'd stay home, or just take him to an outside play area to get some fresh air (which will probably do him the world of good).

My apologies WhiffOfBath, anyway I need to go and boil wash my bedding and scrub myself with bleach

Hope he feels better soon OP. Everyone seems to be full of a cold this week!

Think it is best not to go to the play place though, as it's just the worst place to pick up germs if kids are coughing/sneezing all over the equipment. I know other kids might do it, but that doesn't mean anyone with sense has to make it worse!