Are you sending your kids to school or nursery with a cold?

[Courtney10891]

Hi guys,

My son has had a cold since Monday so we are now on day 6. Just snotty really hit the past couple days he has been coughing too. He's meant to start nursery on Monday. One of my friends said I shouldn't send him in if he's a bit snotty. The thing is if my son is anything like he was last winter he will have a cold every other week! Surely I can't keep him off every time he has a cold. What would you do?

Yes. Mine won't go in if they are exhibiting any of the three covid symptoms or if they are suffering so much with a cold that they need the rest at home.

Our school has sent a letter home saying if you would ordinarily send the kids in with a cold and they have a snotty nose, then to please still send them. Obviously if no snotty nose present, or they need the time off then keep them off, but it felt good to have some guidance about the usual sniffles kids get.

If they are just snotty, then yes, we are sending them in. As soon as they develop a cough or a temperature, we keep them home and get them tested.

watching, my son has a snotty cold with a very mild occasional cough (does this mean "continuous"?) and to keep him off for 14 days in the absence of being able to get a test seems excessive. What do others think??

Before corona was around I wouldn't think twice about sending him in with a snotty nose. He hasn't got a dry cough it's more a chesty cough that is worse at night when laying down.

Snot- yes

Cough- no- test or isolate

Obviously if it's a Covid symptom they don't go in, but some institutions are translating a mild occasional cough with continuous cough, which it isn't (our schools are saying continuous hard/hacking cough within an hours period).

Yes. Both DC have had a cold this past week (and I have it too and can confirm that it IS a cold - a snotty one too).

If he has a cough you need to keep him off/test.

Just snotty you can send him in.

@YouJustDoYou

Obviously if it's a Covid symptom they don't go in, but some institutions are translating a mild occasional cough with continuous cough, which it isn't (our schools are saying continuous hard/hacking cough within an hours period).

Mild, occasional cough can also be covid. Guidelines for testing are just 3 coughing episodes in 24 hours.

A cough after a cold is normal as the mucus drops down into the upper respiratory airways and throat. This kind of cough will be more of a throat clearing cough not a coughing episode which goes on a while. You can't keep them off for a every minor symptom. I think Covid in smaller children is more likely to manifest as fatigue/ headache anyway.

Yes I would and have, only keep off and test if one of the 3 symptoms. The fact that the other countries/research say that blocked and runny nose is a common symptom of mild/moderate covid is slightly concerning though.

just 3 coughing episodes in 24 hours.

A coughing episode to me would be continuous coughing for at least 10 minutes not a few coughs.

@MerryMarigold

just 3 coughing episodes in 24 hours.

A coughing episode to me would be continuous coughing for at least 10 minutes not a few coughs.

That's a very random and arbitrary line to draw though. The point of having guidelines is that we aren't all making up our own criteria.

When the symptoms started on the 14th I did try to book a test. I've tried every day for 6 days now and I haven't managed to get one. He ALWAYS gets a cough like this at towards the end of his cough. Like I said if I keep him off every time he has a slight cough he may Aswell take the whole winter off.

I need to know this too.
My 5 year old gets a cough with every cold. His brother has a cold too but no cough he never seems to cough with it.
His cold is mostly better now but he is still occasionally coughing.
I haven’t tested him (couldn’t if I wanted to) and I don’t think it’s a continuous cough, nor has he had a fever, but not sure if he should be going back into school.
I can’t ask the school as I fear they’ll say we have to isolate everyone which I am not willing to do when there’s no tests and these are his normal cold symptoms every winter.

The thing is, in most children covid symptoms are normal cold symptoms. Lots don't have a cough or fever.
Without a test you can't tell, and as the government has messed up testing, cases are hugely rising and we're heading back into more restrictions.

Mippi, it may be arbitrary but more specific than a coughing 'episode'. What is an 'episode' to you?

Might be more specific, but if it isn't helpful at diagnosing anything then what's the point?

I currently have a bit of a cough as a result of a cold and sinus infection I always get after a cold. I caught it as soon as I went back to work in preschool. I know it's a cold, it's the same as every cold I get. There was no temperature or coughing 'episodes'. 3 staff have had the same thing. One has taken 2 weeks off as she couldn't manage to get a test within a week of symptoms. If we were all off, we couldn't open at all. We can't possibly treat every cold and resulting cough at if it's Covid.

I mean, we could decide the criteria for testing is specifically "8+ coughs in an hour", which would make things an awful lot easier for parents and schools deciding on whether to get a test.

However, if it doesn't help distinguish the particular virus, then it's not actually useful in stopping covid spreading.

@Mippi

Might be more specific, but if it isn't helpful at diagnosing anything then what's the point?

It's helpful at making a decision whether to self isolate or not.

Helping you make a decision to self-isolate isn't useful if it's not identifying whether you're likely to have covid though.

But currently very little is identifying other than a high temperature. A coughing episode is not identifying at all.

You’ve clearly made up your mind, so not even sure why you posted really