Risks at home: How to deal with contagious children

[MrsHookey]

School has called to say my child has been in close contact with a confirmed case and now my child is saying they have a sore chest and throat. How can I reduce risks to myself and the other child?!

I guess it depends on the age of the child. If they're little and need cuddles, you're unlikely to avoid it.

If they're older and can rest in their own room, then meticulous cleaning and handwashing from others may help.

But if they're complaining of symptoms, they will have been infectious for the last two days and there's not a lot you can do now.

Prepare for the worst: batch cook what you can, make and freeze some sandwiches. Ring your neighbours and prepare them to deliver supplies

Fingers crossed the rest of you are asymptomatic

Rest in their own room with unlimited screen time (to keep then occupied) and the windows open, but door closed.

You take food to them, and remove detritus that gets cleaned or thrown away immediately. Clean loo after they've used it, and they bathe shower last, and you clean after them.

Even if you don't usually disinfect, wipe down all high-touch surfaces (because it's possible another one of you is already brewing it up) and have windows open.

Don't mix with other people - not because it's forbidden (unless/until your DC is tested and a case confirmed and you are formally required to isolate) but because you might be incubating it already. But if you do, and for all essential trips out (getting a big shop in might be prudent) be assiduous about socially distance. Think of 2m as the minimum, not the target.

How old are they?

We've discussed this scenario re our 9yo. Assuming they're not very poorly, old enough to rest in their room with the door closed and window open. Food brought to them. We have 2 bathrooms so one would become exclusively theirs.

With a younger child who needs help with toilet, washing etc I don't think it's possible.

Annoyingly the door has had to be removed as it had split and it was swinging on one hinge. He is eight.

Thank you! I will get going with the dettol!

Wear a mask around them. ( As a result of looking into covid19 I read this reduced the chances of parents catching flu off their child and have decided to do this in future!)

Keep windows in the sick room open as much as possible.

We had this scenario. You can't not touch them at all, because that would be too tough on littlies.

But:

• they stayed in their room
• they got food delivered/collected and I washed their dishes separately
• they put all their clothes in a plastic bag not in all the random places they usually leave them
• own towels etc
• cleaned bathroom after they used it
• windows open
• their own books/games/dvds not just shared normally.

It passed. It is dull but it passed.

I spent a fair amount of time sat on the landing just outside talking to them, reading to them, telling jokes! I didn't make them shut the door so they weren't cut off from noise (our house is quite open plan so you can hear the lounge from the bedrooms) and the rest of us didn't for example play a favourite game without them!

I think it worked as only two of four were ill, but could of course have been asymptomatic. Except I am usually the most affected by colds etc.

Reducing viral load is worth doing as a milder infection is better than a stronger infection.

Oh I should add, they were a bit bored of course but don't remember it as a terrible time.

I think a kind thing is dialling down slightly what goes on in the rest of the house, to limit the feeling of missing out.

@RepeatSwan that's heartbreaking, imagine talking to your child from the hall?!

Child has autism. I just have to try my best and get them to bin tissues etc. Usually child likes to climb into my bed so trying to discourage this.

When we all got (we are pretty sure) COVID in March wild horses would not have kept my autistic 5yo away from me, he is a meds and fluids refuser when he is unwell and needs to be monitored constantly. He spent every night in my bed for over a week, and my husband or I would alternate sleeping in his. Yes we all got sick, but we had all accepted that would happen.

Unless one of you has a specific underlying condition, the "risk" to the rest of you is pretty miniscule. I'd isolate as a family for the appropriate amount of time, but there is no way I could bear to do some the things recommended thus far. They aren't a proportionate response

My 7 year old would probably be happy to lie in bed and play on his ipad, watch netflix or read but if he didn't want to be alone then he will be lying on the sofa with a quilt like normal times. My 4 year old will be clung to me like a little monkey like he always is when ill. I will just have to risk getting it too! Teens would probably be okay in their room but younger children need comfort when poorly