Sending child to daycare when they are coming down with something

[Anonymous]

Our 5 yo DD thankfully rarely gets very sick. She has had a fever only a handful of times in her life. Usually she just gets runny noses, coughs, congestion for a few days. She seems mostly happy and playful even when she is sick, maybe little more irritable than usual.

Yesterday I could tell DD was coming down with something because she started to have a mild runny nose and seemed a little more irritable than usual but definitely still had energy. I felt like we should have kept her home but DH insisted she was not sick at all. He has gotten really annoyed with me when I've kept her home before and she was energetic during the day. So we sent her in..Today she is coughing a little and more congested so we kept her home. I feel guilty we may have exposed her teachers to whatever bug she has that is barely an issue for her but might affect them more.. Am I overthinking this?

[Anonymous]

A mild cold does not require staying home as long as they have energy and can fully engage with the day. A very congested, coughing tired child should stay home. You are fine. It is the hazard of teaching.

[Anonymous]

She likely got it from school and isn’t introducing the illness to her class.

[Anonymous]

Yeah they all share germs anyway.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I used to feel the same way you do, then I realized everyone is sending their kid in that state.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I feel less guilty now, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Everybody else sends their kids sick. Where do you think she got it?

[Anonymous]

I understand your impulse but would not keep home a kid who is just coming down with something. Fever, yes please stay home, but mildly irritated and runny nose? No way. Or they’d never go to daycare!

Also, for many illnesses you are most contagious BEFORE symptoms first appear, so you’re not doing much to stop the spread. Incidentally, this is way our daycare started being more lax about required quarantines for illnesses, as they weren’t doing much to stop transmission.

[Anonymous]

You should have kept her home yesterday! Now you are concerned by it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should have kept her home yesterday! Now you are concerned by it?

[Anonymous]

Germs is normal. It's good for the inmune system