To take sick child on hotel break?

[Bookoo]

Family hotel break planned for the last 6 months, first since before now 2yo DD was born. We’re due to leave in the morning for 2 nights.

3ish hour drive away, planned activities included swimming / full day at outdoor attraction / eating out / outdoor play park.

Wellies & rainsuits are packed for DS4 & DD2.

DD has come down with croup, today, and has been treated with steroids at out of hours GP.

Temperature has been up & down, her mood the same. Wavering between full of beans & snuggled on a knee, not eating much but drinking plenty. She’s sleeping peacefully now but obviously we can’t know what the night will bring.

We can’t reschedule, it’s paid in full. If we don’t go know I have no idea when we will get another chance.

AIBU to even consider still going?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

YABU - stay home, your child is ill
YANBU - crack on

Does your household insurance by any chance include travel/holiday insurance? If it does, if dd isn't well enough, you should be able to get your money back and rebook later this year.

I would go (unless you live in China and are going by another form of transport that isn't a car).

One of you can stay in the hotel room if your child isn't well.

I would go. Steroids are amazingly quick to work and you should fine your lo is a lot better tomorrow.

Are you planning to stay in the room with her the whole break? I'm not sure other parents on holiday will appreciate you passing croup to their kids

Travel insurance? Essential even for UK travel.

You seriously don’t mind potentially infecting a whole hotel? How bloody selfish of you.

Work commitments / school holidays are making it very unlikely to be able to go later in the year again.

Travel insurance not applicable either unfortunately. It’s now or never!

Good to know steroids work quickly, thank you - I’m surprised at how well she’s sleeping already so fingers crossed!

Of course we aren’t planning on staying in the room the whole time. GP informs me it’s not particularly contagious unless there is prolonged close contact. The only real risk is to DS who will be with us whether home or away.

No you can’t go. It isn’t fair on your daughter or other people who don’t want a sick child around them.

Travel insurance should cover it anyway.

Sorry but your DC is sick and contagious for 3 days stay home you can't seriously be considering taking them swimming

I should add, definitely no swimming for her now regardless.

“Potentially infect a whole hotel.” Dear god.

No. Don’t go. Spend the time at home and let DD get better in peace. It’s far harder dealing with a poorly LO away from home where you have more of what you need to hand and greater control of your environment.

I hope she recovers quickly.

It's not particularly contagious to adults as it's rare for adults to get croup but you could potentially infect other children in the hotel. She will be contagious usually until the fever is gone although she will probably pick up quickly now she's had steroids and you can expect her to be a lot better within 24-48hrs.

The main two concerns here, for me, would be that she may get worse and you'd have to seek urgent medical advice particularly if she was having trouble breathing. This is easier done when you're close to home and know what medical facilities are nearby. The other concern would be secondary infection, it's not uncommon to come down with things like an ear infection or chest infection immediately after having croup. One of my DC has had croup several times and gets an ear infection each and every time.

I'd keep an open mind and see what she's like in the morning. If you contact the hotel and explain the situation they may be flexible in allowing you to move the dates, T&Cs will always say that its non-refundable and non-transferable but a lot of places can and do alter dates at their own discretion depending on circumstances.

Croup isn't contagious. Not in the sense that a child with croup can give other people croup anyway.
It's basically a side effect of a virus.
Shes not going to infect a whole hotel. Shes not going to infect anybody. And the steroids will have solved the problem.
Go.
And I say that as the parent of an immunosuppresed child.

It’s extremely contagious for the first three days. If your gp really told you that they’re talking bollocks.

DS had repeated attacks of croup that needed steroid treatment and it worked amazingly fast. He was generally pretty much back to normal next day and our doctors gave the same advice you've had about contagion. I would go.

If you have an immunosuppressed child you need to clue yourself in, Whitelisbon

Croup isn't contagious. It's a reaction to a virus. Whilst the virus is contagious croup isn't.

Steroids work very quickly most of the time.

If she sleeps well tonight and seems ok in the morning I'd go.

Make sure you find out where the nearest out of hours gp and a&e is to your hotel to give you peace of mind.

Very interesting conflicting opinions, thanks all.

“If your GP really told you that they’re talking bollocks.”

Yeah, they did really tell me that. 🙄

My main concerns have been echoed here tbh -

I genuinely wouldn’t want to pass it on to another child but as I understand it, it’s unlikely.

Access to medical care if needed is a worry, she wasn’t having trouble breathing but had that characteristic rattle, bless her.

I did contact the hotel this eve and they can’t help unfortunately.

I appreciate all the input, we’ll see how she is in the morning and take it from there.

I consider myself 'clued in', 74 NewStreet by the various doctors at Alder Hey who said what whitelisbon and I have posted above.

It’s extremely contagious for the first three days. If your gp really told you that they’re talking bollocks.

And for the vast majority who catch it, it manifests as... the common cold. Croupy isn’t an individual virus, it’s the way in which mostly HPIVs (but also some other infections) cause inflammation in the larynx.

Unless you are suggesting never going on holiday with a cold, you are being alarmist and illogical.

*croup, not croupy. Have clearly typed ‘croupy’ too many times in the last 8 years...

Its not the contagious aspect that would bother me, but the fact that its just so much easier for all concerned to have a sick child at home. Their own bed, you have all the supplies you need where you need them or at least know the nearest chemist if you dont, your own TV and sofa for them to snuggle up on. Being ill away from home is not a good idea!

2 of mine had dreadful croup. Coughing at night, fine during day. They never passed it to the other 4 despite living together and sharing a room. It often came on as a secondary thing to a previous cold etc.

I’d go. X

When DS has croup (bad enough that we had to go to A&E), he recovered within 6 hours of the steroid and the effect of the medicine saw him through to the end of the virus I’m guessing, as he didn’t have a resurgence of symptoms.

I’d see how she is in the morning, and if her temperature has gone and she seems well, I’d go. Just make sure you take any medical notes, red book etc with you in case.

One of my DTD had croup a lot when she was young. I was also told that it was a side effect of a virus, apparently small children have a floppy larynx which is what swells and causes croup. Sorts itself out with age which is why children grow out of croup. She may very well be contagious but likely to be bog standard cold type virus. IME the steroids kick in fast. I'd go tbh and just be careful make sure she stays warm and has enough fluids etc. Ibuprofen at bedtime as it's an anti- inflammatory can help as well