To take toddler with constant colds to park/softplay?

[ThePoisedOpalBird]

Just interested in other opinions as we are at the time of year where my toddler has a constant cold until April!

Is it okay to take him places like the park, soft play etc when he has a cold?

He pretty much has constant snot, cough and sneezing from September-April. Last winter I was pregnant so we didn't go out a lot. Now he is a very energetic 2.5 year old who needs to be doing stuff to stay happy.

I just wanted to check it is acceptable to take him out places when he has a cold? I don't have friends to ask what they do with their kids.

So any input on if it is socially acceptable to go park, softplay etc with a snotty, sneezy, coughy toddler please!

The etiquette on this has really changed since Covid. Our child was a toddler when Covid started. Before that the attitude was ‘you’d never go anywhere if you wait for them to be germ free’ if they were fine after a dose of Calpol then they were good to go.

Hi Op, my young toddler gets a bad cough with a cold or even when she gets teeth! It lasts months. In the early days I stayed home with her, avoided all her classes and groups. She was just congested, no snot but a bad cough. Nov to March then a small break in March and all through summer. I took her to an ENT (privately) and its inflamed adenoids. He said medication for it wasn’t licensed for under 2 and if she wasn’t thriving doing all the things she would normally do he would then look at removing/medication etc. I was concerned she was missing out because we avoided baby groups-going out in general as the cough was so bad! She isn’t quite 2 yet but it is settling and most importantly when I am out and I see a snotty kid I don’t panic like I used too.. because of someone else brought their kid out then mine is ok to be out too. I still proceed with caution though!

Vomiting, diarrhoea or a temperature then no.
A snotty nose and a cough - fine.

Colds are a fact of life. I wouldn’t go sacrificing your soft play time OP - they are germ factories as it is! No skin in the game here, mine is too old for soft play now

If he’s accepted into nursery he’s well enough for groups/ softplay … nurseries follow nhs guidelines as to whether children should be at home. Coughs and colds are par for the course. A high temp is a no, 48hrs after sick bug is a no.

My daughter has a snotty nose for months of the year. Shes fine. Sometimes she has a cough to go with it. Last year it lasted months and docs confirmed she was fine. Definitely didn’t keep her home. She’s not have been to school this year if a snotty nose and a bit of a cough was enough to stay home!

Genuinely I think I'd be chatting to the doctor, or asking for a referral to ENT or allergy testing. That isn't normal for a toddler to be snotting and coughing from September to April.

Do you live with damp? Sure there's not any hidden black mould (behind a wardrobe for example)
This is not normal, IMO.

Doctors say its totally normal for his age and wont refer for allergy testing.

No mould or damp in the house.

Yes. Kids get colds. They go round nursery so you can’t isolate them for a common cold

Park when fairly quiet is fine, soft play no, not fair on other families

I work in EY’s and I would say that most of the children have colds, runny noses at the moment. They come in nursery if they dont have a temperature, if they become unwell during the session then we take their temperature and act accordingly.
You cant stay in with a busy toddler and baby, outside is good if its not cold, soft play if its cold. All children need to build their resilience!
Our DD has had a couple of passing colds since going to 6th form in September, she cant stay off, shes on the buses, in town, cinema -all costs a fortune ! 🤑

Also in the same situation here- same age and the runny nose is here until spring now too..
I will still be going to all those places as long as they are well enough. You know your child and when they are really unwell. If no temp/ nothing like chicken pox or HFM etc/ doesnt need calpol/ child is running around bored like normal then yes go out!
If calpol is needed, sleeper than normal, temp etc then have a chilled day at home instead.
You wont be the only one that's for sure!

My child was snotty every day between the ages of 2 and 5. We did not ever limit ourselves or stay in.

Children get bugs all the time and denying your child something when the same thing is rife at school is ridiculous.

I think this is odd.

How can you declare your child ALWAYS has a cold/ snotty from September to April when they're only 2.5?! They've not been around that many winters.

Surely you mean you just had a bad winter last year? Before that they were a baby.

I have 3 under 6 and snotty noses aren't normal for toddlers to have constantly. I think maybe look into what he is eating/ household routine/ cleaning products etc to see if something is triggering him.

I'm surprised at lots of these answers. Our toddler recently started preschool and has a snotty nose. I mentioned it to staff and they said all of the children are the same right now. I would definitely take him to soft play if it was our thing.

Don't take him if he isn't well in himself but if it's just a persistent cough or snotty nose then fine.

2 winters yes. His first winter we ended up in a and e as his cough was so bad and then last winter as well was constant.

And lo and behold September this year and he gets a cold and has had a snotty nose since.

He has no issues in the summer so we know its not diet, cleaning, household routine.

Outdoor activities are fine.
No to Indoor activities - baby/ toddler groups are a no.

Softplay is just one big germ factory so tbh I would probably let them do softplay because normally you end up with something after going to softplay anyway.

Try and get him on multi vitamins - it makes a difference with my DC regarding colds and illness.

I get a snotty nose every year at this time amd then sinus issues throughout winter. Its the heating in the house and car. It dries out the lining in your nose and then your body produces extra watery snot to try and fix it. A humidifier may help.

Heating isnt on yet in house or car so I don't think that is his issue but I will keep an eye.

I'm surprised at the number of people saying it's not normal for toddler to have cold pretty much constantly through the winter. All mine were like this. The main cold when they feel ill only lasts a couple of days but they all have a cough and a runny nose for a couple of weeks but which point they have picked up another bug and it starts again and that's the preschool years but means they are hardier and don't get so many by school age.

Also, as hard as it is when working and juggling everything. Try and get him to rest - a couple of extra days off nursery until fully better, it can just give the immune system time to recover a bit before the next bout comes.

Sometimes children can end up getting very run down and then they just end up with back to back colds all winter. Whereas if you can give them a break from nursery for a week or so, it can just give them time to get properly over a cold. You might have to rope grandparents in or take AL though to facilitate the break.

What I used to do with eldest DD was have 1 week off (late November - usually last week of November into early dec- when they were just getting everything set up for Xmas). Then have the week doing nice Xmas pottering about - looking at the lights/ moving Christmas displays at the garden centre. Early bird father Christmas visit when there isn't huge queues. Day out at local attraction that is now jazzed up for Xmas. It didn't feel like such a waste of AL as you are doing lovely Xmas bits but also gives that week break for the immune system to recover - plus you are not in all the stupid long queues and crowds for everything Xmas themed.

If it is just a a bit of a runny nose and a mild cold, I take mine to nursery, soft play and to outdoor parks. We wash hands before eating, after being outdoors/softplay, after toilet and I use antibac gel after leaving the toilets in public
places. Temperatures/persistent coughing etc, no I wouldn’t want anyone else to catch it. If I stayed in every time one of mine had a cold, we’d never be out. We are the family that pass a cold between us constantly between October-April. DS does have allergies and a constant runny nose to be fair, I think he didn’t have a runny nose for July and August then we were back to it come September. DD picks up everything from nursery and brings it home. It’s just one of those things, your child having a cold is annoying and sometimes causes sleep deprivation and it feels like I’m buying a bottle of calpol every other week but it’s just a cold and it’s building their immune system.

I'm at home so he doesn't have to go nursery but we tried this last year and as soon as he went back he caught another cold 🙈 so as long as he is fully happy in himself we just let him go nursery as otherwise he would never be there in the winter.

This is interesting Op.

so from a mum point of view, mine went to nursery (Covid babies) got sick. Sent home, repeat. Norovirus, bronchitis, tonsillitis, chicken pox, slapped cheek, scarlet fever. You get the drift.

I work in a playgroup. We have kids there who constantly stream with snot. Mine never did this. It was more sick, home, better, sick again.

i have one who coughed particularly badly from April every year, we now think as she’s grown out of it. It stopped by July. She took montelocust and had an inhaler. Possibly nettle pollen. We live on a farm. So no issue with hay and straw.

do you have pets? That are naturally inside more in the winter?

I don’t know the answer but as someone who freaks out at bugs and germs after the battering we have had, I would agree a runny nose is not a stay home one.

No we haven't got any animals in the house so we know that isnt an issue.