Post puke exclusion period

[Meatshake]

Hi,

Advice needed from seasoned school goers!

My kid puked Wednesday evening, so she's got to be off school Thursday and Friday.

I'm fairly sure the puke was emotional/stress related- she'd got a bollocking at school and was really upset/stewing on it a bit. It all came out at bedtime- figuratively and literally 😷

As she's not allowed in school despite being fine AIBU to take her for a day out to Legoland or is that frowned upon?

Thanks

Not really sure about the message you're giving your child tbh. She will remember it and want to know why she can't go to Legoland next time she's off. Plus are you happy for her to tell everyone at school about it next week or will expect her to lie/cover up?

I wouldn't be too bothered about the infection control side of it though. I'm a single parent and I've definitely taken a poorly child out places before.

Norovirus is so highly contagious that there is the 48 hour rule for good reason.

Some will be lucky and only be sick once or twice. Others will puke for hours. There is no hard and fast rule other than staying the fuck away from others for 48 hours so it doesn't spread.

When I say I've taken a poorly child out places I mean the park for some fresh air or tesco for a pint of milk, not a full day out at a theme park.

@TwoLeftElbows

Sounds like you've made your mind up.

Rollercoasters will certainly stress test whether her tummy has quite recovered.

It's Legoland, not Thorpe park. Not exactly wall to wall adrenaline rides... 🤔

But you are telling her that if she is away from school sick that she gets treats.

@supercalifragalistic
She's 4, she'll have forgotten we went by Monday... We live next door and have annual passes so it's more like a day at the park than a special one off day trip.

Honestly the only message I can think I'm sending is "the school's rules seem a bit silly, let's make the most of it" 🤣

Please don't. She could easily have a bug. Don't go and spread it

@MrsTulipTattsyrup

But you are telling her that if she is away from school sick that she gets treats.

Yeh... Because she's not sick, she wants to go to school but school won't let her go. I'm not going to make her stay in bed!

I honestly don't think it would occur to her to pretend to be sick to stay home at this age. She'd much rather go to school and be with her friends, it's all new and exciting. She cried when I said she couldn't go back tomorrow, bless her.

YABU.
Sick bug going round here like wild fire. Kids (& parents!) are vomiting once and once only but as everyone's lije 'it's only once they aren't that bad' it's rife.
What's another day going to harm.

I’m sure you know if your child is actually ill or not. If it’s a bug they wouldn’t be fit to go anywhere anyway. At age 4 and if they were completely well I’d make the most of the day and go. But leave it til Friday in case anything else develops.

@Meatshake

School knows she puked.

She was sick once right after crying, then nothing since then. Not a doctor but it doesn't exactly scream norovirus to me. We'd also be 32 hours free since last puke by the time we actually got there... Not sure that's recent?

We had this when DS was in years 7 and 8. He would eat too quickly and then be sick and they would send him home and he miss school even though not poorly. We told him to go off to the loo quietly and only tell the nurse if he actually felt poorly. Then Covid hit. When he went back year 10 he was sick every day for the first week and was anxiety and I told the school I would not allow him to be sent home as it would just re set the anxiety. It passed.

I don't see the point in keeping a child off when it's not a bug but from eating too quickly or anxiety.

But you can’t be sure it’s never going to be a bug. The school has to safeguard staff and other students.

In primary school he got poorly after eating something at an ice cream parlour that the dish used obviously hadn't been cleaned properly and didn't go to school until 48 hours after stopped being sick and the other end

After that he's never had a bug (I haven't had a bug for years either just some food poisoning) but been sick with anxiety.

I know my child .....

My daughter pukes after a migraine. I
always tell school & they're always happy to welcome her back in the next day. Intuition will tell you if this is a bug or a one off. School might refuse to take her but you can explain & ask.

In what way does a 4yo get a bollocking?

@toomuchlaundry

In what way does a 4yo get a bollocking?

When they don't stop playing and help tidy up at tidy up time and get sent to sit on the mat by themselves.

4 year old version of a bollocking. Poor mite felt it keenly (she's usually a first-to-jump-up-and-help type)

Since i realised
Sick bugs can be asymptomatic too
And the 48h isnt long enough anyway.

Im going to be a bit less strict on adhering to the 48h rule. Also it's not like workplaces have the rule. The main difference is young kids can start vomitting again when they restart eating normally.
But also i bear in mind that d&v can also be covid symptoms in young dc possibly especially if there are cold symptoms.
Once once of the dc was six on the way to a theme park. We thought it was car sickness but it had never happened before. Dc was fine at the attraction. Then sick again in the car when we got home. Unfortunately though it did turn out to be a bug as dc was sick again a few times after. (But none of us adults or kids got it - symptomatically at least.

Also how many people adhere to the not swimming for 2w after d&v. Judging by how many people ignore covid rules then that one is probably fewer than 5%.

What’s wrong with watching Peppa Pig all day, cuddled up on the sofa? You sound like you have made your mind up but I wouldn’t do it. I have one child who is only ever sick once and another who was sick every hour for three days with the same bug.

I actually think this is a bit of a grey area because my DDs had tummy bugs and when she's had appointments in the 48 hour exclusion period and I've called to let them know to rearrange most tell me to take her anyway.

This is NHS but not always child specific clinics or areas of hospitals (one clinic we go to is shared with diabetic screening so lots of older people around.

I have a child who is sick even being in the wrong position post dinner. If she was at school and I followed the 48hr rule her attendance would be 50-60% which I don’t think they’d like.
If she’s gassy/ off colour/ the stomach contents aren’t at all digested/ runny poo or any other signs I’m more careful. But you can tell when they are well.

The view - what does the gp say about that? Or is the child very young? As surely repewted vomoting long term will rot teeth and affect throat.

*When they don't stop playing and help tidy up at tidy up time and get sent to sit on the mat by themselves.

4 year old version of a bollocking. Poor mite felt it keenly (she's usually a first-to-jump-up-and-help type)*

Our school gives stickers and praise to those who do tidy up, works better than putting those who don't on a naughty mat.

Well, sometimes a person does puke a little bit and they’re obviously fine otherwise - a little bit of puke and no other symptoms might suggest this.

If she seemed at all unwell with it, I would keep her at home and only go out to outdoor, quiet places.

When we were little, my brother used to be able to “make himself” puke (or perhaps that’s unfair and it was a stress reaction) whenever he was told off - it was so obviously this as he did it every time. So it does happen.

If she’s4 she’s not obliged to be at school anyway. So you can really take her any time.

Presumably she’s only just started school if she’s 4? Poor little thing being sent to a ‘naughty mat’ in her first few days just for not immediately tidying up! If you’re sure it was a reaction to feeling upset and crying I would take her. You could just tell her it’s the weekend, my 4 year old wouldn’t know if that wasn’t true, then she won’t know she’s out somewhere lovely on a day she’s meant to be sick at home - just in case it makes her want to be sick at home more often in future!

My eldest used to make himself sick at will/and or would feel sick at the slightest thing. He’s had x rays and all sorts to see if there was a physical problem. In the end I got a letter from a doctor to give into school to say unless he seemed ill he didn’t need to be sent home. He did up his ante for a while and started to be sick in bigger quantities in order to be sent home but one day I went to get him, saw he was absolutely fine in himself, and told him I wasn’t taking him home and the deputy head who knew him well backed me up and sent him back to class and it seemed to stop about then. I think he was about 9 at the time.