AIBU to keep DC off school with stomach bug going round during heatwave?

[Flora1985]

Hope everyone's coping with the heat okay.

I've just heard there's a stomach bug going round my DDs' school - several kids in their classes have been sick and sent home today, and apparently a couple more were sick yesterday and over the weekend. I have emetophobia so stomach bugs really freak me out at the best of times but I've worked hard on it over the years and now always send my kids into school regardless and just hope they don't catch it. However, with this extreme heatwave (it's forecast to be 38 here today and tomorrow) is it sensible to send young children (DDs are 2 and 4 - one is in the nursery and one in reception) into a setting with a stomach bug doing the rounds? It's hard enough to keep young children safe from risk of dehydration during a stomach bug in normal conditions but when the house is this hot I'm really worried about how I'd keep them sufficiently hydrated and cool if they were to start vomiting etc. in these heatwave conditions.

AIBU to consider taking time off work and keeping my DDs at home for the rest of this week? So far their attendance has been 100% so I wouldn't do this lightly but I'm really worried about dehydration risk with a stomach bug in a heatwave.

Am I just letting my emetophobia and health anxiety get the better of me here or would mums without these conditions also consider this option?

Thank you

I’d say definitely keep them off.

I have to say that I don’t think it’s reasonable to keep kids off school because they might get ill. I understand your concern but there’s always something doing the rounds. I’d only keep them off if they actually were ill.

Are you going to take time off work and your kids off school everyone “there’s a tummy bug going around”? I don’t think that’s a long term solution for something that’s going to happen fairly frequently.

Oh don’t be such a snowflake, they will never be in school if you keep them off for every bug!

What will you do if they actually get the bug next week? You will have used up the excuse.

No I wouldn’t.

Thanks for your replies. I did specifically say I would usually send them in but the difference here is the extreme heat e.g. risk of dehydration from a stomach bug is much more severe during 38-39 degrees! That was the question I was asking about - I wasn't asking about whether you would send them in if there was a stomach bug going round at any other time of year when an extreme heatwave wasn't a factor