Please, leave your sick kid at home!
To all mums,
If your child threw up last night’s dinner or had the loo permanently stuck to their bottom last night, PLEASE DO NOT SEND HIM TO SCHOOL.
I don’t care if you asked him if he wanted to stay home and he said no. I would want to get out of the house too if I was faced with the choice of helping a grumpy mummy with the growing mountain of laundry the size of Everest or playing with my friends.
The thing is, when you send your sick child to school, they spread their germs. They don’t do it intentionally – they cough or sneeze and the virus suspends itself in mid air, non discriminate on where, or on whom, it lands.
Then other children get the sick bug, and they in turn get their siblings sick, and their parents. Soon the whole town is sick is and throwing up in unison and there is a run on paracetamol at Tesco .
Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not a neurotic mother. When it comes to the common cold and the ubiquous runny nose, I’m the first to surrender to the inevitable. All children in the UK would be home schooled if they stayed home each time they were congested.
But the throw up bug is one of my pet peeves. No one likes to be sick. It’s so humiliating.
The BBC Health site suggests that children are kept home for at least 48 hours after symptoms dissapear.
I broke the news of the presence of the sick bug to one the mums in reception class. She has a new baby, and just got him sleeping in four hour stretches.
Her eyes got wide and her forehead crinkled, clearly not enamored with the prospect.
I keep my sick kids and home and I wish you would do the same.
Photo credit: unklejman
Paula - Kidorable Raincoats | 4th Jan 11
I could not agree more! In the build up to Christmas my daughter kept picking up nasty coughs and colds. Each time she recovered, I thought ‘oh well at least it’s out the way for Christmas’ and sent her back to pre-school. To my horror there were so many kids there who looked awful and were clearly too ill be in pre-school. It was no great surprise that my daughter picked up illness after illness throughout December but luckily made a full recovery in time for Christmas! Keep your ill kids and their germs at home to recover please!
bigwords | 29th Dec 10
so true. and it gets me so grumpy when they tell you after your child’s started vomiting – “Oh yes, so and so had that too.” Aaaarrrgghh!!
good to finally check out your blog, pop over to bigwords if you ever get a chance x
Sparx | 27th Dec 10
Absolutely… and parents should stay out of the office as well. I hate it so much when a colleague shows up sick; especially for a meeting which is inevitably in a confined room.
A friend of my son is going through chemo at the moment and her parents have had to become absolute fascists about not letting other children around her when they are ill as she catches everything so quickly. It’s really made all of us locally a lot more aware of how fast these things spread and how long they are infectious.
Part Mummy Part Me | 23rd Dec 10
Goodness, yes it’s really doing the rounds isn’t it? My big girl has had it, I’m just hoping the baby won’t get it.
Thing is, it’s likely that kids are infectious before they develop symptoms and most parents would presume that once symptoms have disappeared the kids are Ok to go back to school (but as you pointed out with the government link they’re still infectious). Surely people can’t send a kid who is throwing up to school? Mine could barely get out of bed..
lisa | 21st Dec 10
Yes, yes!!! One of my huge pet peeves. Our school district requires that you keep your kid must wait at least 24 hrs.after fever/vomiting/etc., . I haven’t heard of the 48 hr. thing though, I need to look that up. I wish more parents would follow the guidelines. I realize it is tough if you are working,but sheesh.
And the worst part is if you have a family member who a very weak immune system, you are endangering their health.
Childcare in Eastbourne | 20th Dec 10
That is very true. My son got a really bad cold the other day at school; he had to be at home for a week until he was completely recovered. Same thing happens if not worse with lice, they are really easy to pass from one kid to the other. Watch if you have other kids because the might get them as well. If that happens there are special shampoos and combs that will kill the lice. For us, the mums, is good to wash our hair with vinegar.
CherishedByMe | 20th Dec 10
This is a huge bug bear of mine!! Selfish people don’t realise how awful it is when a bug goes around all six of us. I am really strict about the 48 hour rule with my own children.
Helen | 18th Dec 10
A good point, very well made. The same applies when they have headlice too!
Susurem | 17th Dec 10
I totally agree!! As a teacher, It is a nightmare when the kids are poorly and we have to ring the parents half an hour after school starts to come and get them again, or the bug just goes round and round and back to my house… as a parent, I would hate to think they were at school after missing sleep due to vomiting all night! My by stayed home with Daddy today, despite his protests that he was fine now (Daddy’s protests, not baby’s). Anyway, well said!
xXxX
Sian - Mummy Tips | 16th Dec 10
Well said.
Metropolitan Mum | 16th Dec 10
Completely with you no that one. Lily had an eye infection, a stomach bug and the flu, all in the past four weeks. All picked up at nursery. Grrr!
educational supplies discount Mary | 16th Dec 10
Nice post,
Thank you
Crystal Jigsaw | 15th Dec 10
Couldn’t agree more. I get sick of parents (my sister’s one of them) who sends their kids to school coughing and spluttering, snot running down to meet their lips, flippin’ disgusting! So wish teachers would just ring parents immediately and insist that child be kept home. I guess as some parents have to work they tend to send their sick child to school whatever. My sister does just that and it really annoys me, too.
CJ xx
Knackered Mother | 15th Dec 10
Well said! (And what we’re all thinking)…
notesredshoes | 14th Dec 10
Cannot wait for this joy and childcare :-). Sorry to hear!
… btw, my blog has moved to http://www.notestoselfplustwo.com – hate to lose you as a reader. I have added you to my new sexy blog roll.
Little comp for those that re-subscribe and make me feel less lonely on my new url 😉
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Happy Christmas x
Honest Mum | 14th Dec 10
I hear ya! My little one (11 months) got gastroentiritus and chicken pox from a playgroup-a double whammy. Nice.
I understand colds etc are inevitable but nasty tummy bugs mean babies and children at home with only the chance of infecting their nearest and dearest and not everyone else’s kids and their dog. I agree. Thank you and goodnight.
www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawnciCxKcTHp4vX6b11yYGFM2iwh9kdNr1M | 13th Dec 10
Good for you for saying out loud loud what we have all been thinking!! It drives me mad. For ALL of the reasons above, and also for the poor teachers who are not supposed to be there to hold our children’s head whilst they vomit. They are there to teach.
All for Aleyna
xxxx
Expat Mum | 13th Dec 10
Our school had to be closed for a few days last year as there were so many older kids coming in with flu. Really ridiculous. Now, everyone has to report to the nurse when they come back from a sickie, and she takes their temp and makes sure they are fit to go back to class. It really, really drives me up the wall and it’s one of the few things I can put my hand on my heart and say I never do as a parent.
(And I understand that people have to go to work – it cuts no oce with me when it’s a serious bug.)
Rachael (Tales from the Village) | 13th Dec 10
When I had norovirus earlier this month I was told that you’re still shedding the virus for 48 hours after you last throw up – so when I hear of people sending their children back to school because they’re driving them mad, it makes me want to scream. And yes I agree with Antonella about the head lice. Grrr. You can tell it’s the end of term, we’re all grumpy!
Antonella | 13th Dec 10
I totally agree. And please let us mothers also know when your kids are at school with headlice and contaminate us all!!!
Rosie Scribble | 13th Dec 10
I agree. If my daughter’s ill, I’d want her with me anyway. Hard to know when she is faking it at times, has to be said, but if she’s throwing up I’d want her at home, naturally.
Miss Behaving | 27th Aug 09
I agree too.
I seem to remember as a kid that when we had a cold/bug whatever, we were off school for about a week, we went back when it was well and truly over. These days people seem to send their kids back to school/nursery/daycare the minute the fever has gone down.
Aside form the contageous aspect, the body needs time to regroup and recover.
vidkkingg | 20th Jan 09
all i can say as a concerned father is….i totally agree
Laura McIntyre | 28th Nov 08
Im all for not keeping kids off School but could not imagine sending a vomiting child in . I do get paranoid even with coughs and colds as i don’t want other kids to get sick and for the parents to blame me
Liz@VioletPosy | 25th Nov 08
Here, Here! My daughter’s had the winter vomiting virus twice in 4 weeks. Good advice.
TooManyHats | 25th Nov 08
Yes, keep them home from school, church, dance class, etc. None of us want it and you would not want it if my kids had it. One thing we all need to learn not to share. Timely advice.