Would you go to playgroup if your LO was sick

So wasn't sure where to put this so mods feel free to move this


OK so DS has never been in childcare and we have never really been to playgroup or had much social interation with other kids and last week I plucked up the courage and went to playgroup and tomorrow would be the 2nd time. I am almost 95% sure DS picked up a cold from there (there was a snotty nosed kid there and DS couldn't help himself and helped himself to the other random kids snacks that was laying around) so he now has a cold and I am not sure if I should take him or not?? any advice welcome.



I am also suppose to have an ABA meething this week and even more hesitant to go because I don't to infect other people's children but isn't this how they build up their immunity?

confused please help

If he's in the middle of his cold, I wouldn't take him to playgroup or ABA meetings.... I like to consider the other parents and kids. But in saying that, it's hard to know when your LO is infectious and when they aren't! After all, some kids can be spreading cold germs when they don't even present with symptoms themselves? :dunno: so it's a hard one.

If his nose is running badly then yes I would stay home. It's hard though esp when you want to get out of the house!

Good luck :D

If its yellow out their nose, I stay home. If they are coughing up a lot, I stay at home. If they are running a temp - stay at home.

Everything else I usually see how they are the morning of, and if they are happily running around with no need for drugs - then I go.

I am really weary of taking my child out at all when she's sick. I feel it's inconsiderate but that's just IMO. I mean if she got sick because another child had a cold then I really don't mind but if she was the cause then I'd feel guilty. I have also heard of women taking children to playgroups when they have chicken pox but if that happened when I was there I'd be fuming. I haven't had chicken pox and really don't want them at my age.

If sick, no I don't go. With a cold, like Arimeh said... yellow (or green) snot shows infection so no way. With a cough, not so cut and dry. Oskar has had a lingering cough before but been given all clear from doc. A cold is usually a duration of 5ish days... 5-7 I think. If right at the end and not gross snot then I would. If just a little bit of clear and hardly wiping/running then I would. However, usually I don't have to worry cos we end up missing 2 wks cos Elijah gets sick from Oskar lol. So by then they're both over it.

Oh and I get peeved when people take obviously sick kids to interact and mix with other kids! Yes, it builds immunity but I think that we should get the option to which we decide to either mingle or not with other sick kids. Once there what choice do you have?!

How long has he been sick?

I wouldn't... Think of it another way - when your sick do you want to be out and about or home chilaxing?

Just also - your son's cold might not worrying him the slightest but might make serious complications to the next person that catches it...

No I wouldn't. And after being on the receiving end of peoples carelessness when it comes to infections and bugs with my kids I wish other people would follow suit.

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If its yellow out their nose, I stay home. If they are coughing up a lot, I stay at home. If they are running a temp - stay at home.

Everything else I usually see how they are the morning of, and if they are happily running around with no need for drugs - then I go.

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We had a mum with Cystic Fibrosis in my first PG. She told us that this was the best way to help her avoid infections. Clear snot with no cough never bothered her. Catching a bad cold could put her in hospital so we were all aware and made sure that more than 1 of us had keys so that if one of the kids was sick we could reduce chances of her catching it.

I am almost sure he isn't infectious as his snot seems to have dried up but just didn't know what to do cause I was a bit annoyed to see the yellow snotty child but what could I do I didn't want to leave. I also don't want to make anyone else's kid sick either.

Will see how he is tomorrow, thanks ladies for your opinions.

I had a mother at playgroup the other week say to me after my DD had been kissing and rubbing her face into her daughter (my DD is very affectionate :lol: loves kids) she said "oh you better not let her get too close as she's got a bit of a cold" :o :o

I'm like thinking "why the hell did you bring her then and tell me after 5mins????" :wall:

No! Dd1 was a prem and got sick really easily everytime she had a cold she got bronchiolitis which eventually developed into asthma. Our gp suggested we try and avoid kids with green snot. Hard at daycare but a so called friend really frustrated me as she was always visiting when her kids were sick instead of cancelling. We went to qld with them and her kids were sick and had a rash but she didn't tell us poor dd ended up in hospital!

This is such a tricky ones,

as everyone else in my group brings sick kids regardless of sickness to playgroup, and then I kept mine at home.. well then i get back there when my kids are better and they end up sick again....

so i think its a loose loose situation, you do what you think is best!! As others I know for a fact in my group bring their kids weather sick or not.. or gastro or not..etc..

I dont take my kids anywhere if they are sick (other then to the Dr's) , for two main reasons #1 being that if my kids are sick i think they are best to be at home and try and get over the sickness and
#2 ... I dont like to share bugs with others so think it's only fair that i stay away until the kids are all better.

with my mothers group, when we just have one child each, if the kids had a cold, it was ok to still come to group as that was a group decision, gastro no for obvious reason, but our kids hardly got sick, but when second children started arriving the rules sort of changed as a lot more was at risk, two kids sick isnt fun, so we avoid group if the kids have a cold, plus after i had DD i had a PPH and needed blood transfusions, i was told to avoid sick people, so everyone was more wary of spreading germs!

i wouldnt go if your worried

I wouldn't take him even if he had a clear runny nose. Often it takes a while before the clear runny nose turns yellow or green - during which time you could pass it on.

I also agree that illness manifests itself differently in different people. DS had a cold a week back. He was just coughing, but really happy. Both DH and I caught it from him and were both pretty sick.

That was a lesson for me and really does make me think twice about exposing him to anyone else in future - even if I only suspect he may be getting sick.

I wouldn't take my kids if i knew they were sick. Especially if they had a tempreture.

BUT, my DD had a continual runny / blocked nose for 6 months due to enlarged adenoids. It was not contagious. Also, some kids get hay fever and have a runny nose, again not contagious. So somebody looking at her might have thought she was ill. If you are concerned that another child is sick, ask the parent.

Its not nice when kids get sick but in reality evertime they come into contact with anybody there is a chance that person could be coming down with something and not even know. I try to minimise my kids getting the germs into their system, like with those disinfectant hand gels etc, but kids will be kids and they will get sick.

If it is green stay home, if it is clear then it isn't generally infectious.

DD has a chronic cough due to respiratory issues, so we do go to things when she is coughing, but if there is any hit of snot we stay away, still makes me feel horrible when she sounds like she is coughing up a lung, but now we know it isn't infectious most of the time, unless she gets a respiratory infection, then it is a lock down.

See how he is in the morning and make your call then :hug:

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so i think its a loose loose situation, you do what you think is best!! As others I know for a fact in my group bring their kids weather sick or not.. or gastro or not..etc..

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OMG my jaw completely dropped open! If I was in that group... and this is me... I would be high tailing it out of there because I think that is HIGHLY irresponsible - particularly the gastro bit. It's been so bad in the past year... I've never heard of so many people getting sick with it. It stays around because of people like that!

Kelebek.... just today at playgroup - what do you know... kid with YELLOW snotty nose! I swear if we get it in our house AGAIN I'll scream! I just had DH and both the younger boys sick not last week but the week before and cost me about $100 by the time the doc and anitbiotics etc were all paid for! Yep... ab's were about $80 for all of them.

Depends!!

If fever, misrable, bad runny nose, cough or gastro nope no way.

But if just a slight runny nose and otherwise happy and playful yes I do. I know myself I have had a runny nose for about 8 weeks that comes and goes during the day and I am otherwise well just annoying runny nose.

My group no one turns up with sick kid any more than what i allready discussed above about runny nose.

Its respectful to not infect others!

Depends on the "cold" if it's a bit of a runny nose then we still go out. If it's green snot we stay home. If it's a slight cough (as in only a cough every now and then not constant) we go out. If it's constant coughing we stay home. If they are running a fever I always stay home and Gastro is a def stay at home... vomiting and diarrhoea is NOT fun when out and about! I've already had a few accidents in the car from Brendan (3) as he gets gastro quite a bit and very suddenly too.

i get sooo angry if people turn up to playgroup with sick kids. it is so inconsiderate!

someone turned up to my MG with a kid with hand, foot and mouth disease once and of course, ds1 ended up getting it- just a couple of days before a holiday that we'd had planned for months.
i honestly think it is so rude and inconsiderate.

DS gets a cold pretty much everytime we go but ive never seen a sick baby or toddler so i dont know it happened twice in a row he got better then we went to PG then he got sick again this has been the only time he hasnt gotten sick

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i get sooo angry if people turn up to playgroup with sick kids. it is so inconsiderate!

someone turned up to my MG with a kid with hand, foot and mouth disease once and of course, ds1 ended up getting it- just a couple of days before a holiday that we'd had planned for months.
i honestly think it is so rude and inconsiderate.

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OMG are you serious that is pathetic!!! That is sooooooooooooooooo contagious!

i know! dh was livid

i know the OP wasn't posting about anything that serious though, so my post was a little OTT :)

Nope. For two reasons. One - I don't want to get sick myself, let alone DD. I'm tired and run down as it is and have just gotten over a cold. I need all the energy I can muster!! Two - DD isn't herself when she has even the tiniest of colds and I'd hate it if she picked one up from another child. IMO, if I need to get out of the house and she has a cold, she's into the pram and we go for a walk. Too many people don't know where to draw the line and stay at home when really sick. How did swine flu get out of hand again?? ;)

Corelly x

I'm on the yellow/green = no, otherwise play it by ear bandwagon.

DD has had a runny nose for two weeks due to teething - but she hasn't gotten sick, just had a really runny nose. I feel a bit self conscious about it at PG but I know she isn't sick so I still go, I just make sure to say "Oh she's still got her runny nose, darn teething!! She hasn't been sick at all!" just so the other mums can be put at ease.

My sister brought my niece to PG on Friday when she had been out of sorts all Thursday, wanting to sleep all day and running a temp... I was like "Are you sure you want to bring her?" and sure enough at PG she just sat with my sister for the whole thing and even went to sleep at one point - turns out she was incubating roseola! And the incubation period is the contagious period!!

My sister wasn't to know - but if my DD were so out of character tired and sleepy all the time, I'd let her stay home and rest as much as possible - now its looking likely that my DD will have caught roseola off her as we saw them Thurs and Fri :shakehead:

my dd is 14 months old -is it safe to use the dettol antibacterial gel on the hands? cos i use it, but not sure if its too strong for them cos of the alcohol?