How long was your toddler home from daycare for RSV?

[Anonymous]

2 year old has a bad cough, runny nose, and fever (100.8). Had a confirmed RSV exposure last week so we are assuming that’s what it is and are trying to anticipate what the upcoming work week will look like.

I’ve heard anything from 24 hours fever free and no wheezing to no sooner than 8 days. What’s your experience?

[Anonymous]

She was fever free after about 5 days but in very bad shape. We sent her on day 11. Our newborn got it from her too and almost died, I would definitely take it seriously!

[Anonymous]

Like 1 day. We treated it like a cold because that's how it showed up, but based on her classmates actually testing, it was RSV. The adults in our household ended up getting worse symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Last time my kids had RSV, they were both home about a week. The 3yo had a wracking cough that worried me enough I didn’t want to send her and then an ear infection; the 1yo had a fever for four days straight then an ear infection. So my advice is watch for ear infections! I sent them both the next week with a few lingering symptoms but both 24+ hours fever free and on antibiotics for the ears with no pain anymore.

[Anonymous]

A couple days. We’re not sure he had RSV, but he got sick when it was going through the classroom, so presumably it was RSV.

[Anonymous]

We waited until DD's energy levels were back to normal. She never had a fever.

[Anonymous]

So RSV is an annual exposure thing, it takes about 3 exposures for life long immunity. This year was first time, the entire week. I had to take time off work and play, so you going to drink something or we going to the hospital. Every day, stayed out of the hospital

[Anonymous]

Our daycare rule is 24 hours fever free. Which is crazy since covid is still 10 days from the positive test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So RSV is an annual exposure thing, it takes about 3 exposures for life long immunity. This year was first time, the entire week. I had to take time off work and play, so you going to drink something or we going to the hospital. Every day, stayed out of the hospital

There’s no developing life-long immunity to RSV. Some viral information is retained in memory cells in the immune system, but that just makes subsequent infections less severe. Some of the colds you've been getting over the years were actually RSV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare rule is 24 hours fever free. Which is crazy since covid is still 10 days from the positive test.

But presumably no one tests, so it is effectively the same thing.

[Anonymous]

My DC was out a full week (confirmed RSV with test at pediatrician).

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. He doesn’t go on Mondays anyway so we have another day to see how it goes. Thursday night was when the fever started so we are on day 3. He’s mostly just low fever, sniffles, and the hacking cough but is running around like a maniac as normal. I guess we’ll play it day by day but have already made week long contingency plans.

Any reason we should go have him tested if he’s doing fine and has a known exposure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. He doesn’t go on Mondays anyway so we have another day to see how it goes. Thursday night was when the fever started so we are on day 3. He’s mostly just low fever, sniffles, and the hacking cough but is running around like a maniac as normal. I guess we’ll play it day by day but have already made week long contingency plans.

Any reason we should go have him tested if he’s doing fine and has a known exposure?

If the fever spikes or he starts acting sick, get him checked for an ear infection. The only sign my toddler gave of his post-RSV ear infection was a higher fever and suddenly acting sick (after three days of low fever and running around like a maniac). I wouldn't bother getting tested since there's no anti-virals and no real benefit to knowing what it is unless you need some proof it's not Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. He doesn’t go on Mondays anyway so we have another day to see how it goes. Thursday night was when the fever started so we are on day 3. He’s mostly just low fever, sniffles, and the hacking cough but is running around like a maniac as normal. I guess we’ll play it day by day but have already made week long contingency plans.

Any reason we should go have him tested if he’s doing fine and has a known exposure?

Tested for what? There’s no treatment for viral conditions. There’s a small chance for secondary/opportunistic bacterial infections (e.g., sinus, ear), but the reality is that most of those secondary infections end up being viral, not bacterial, and are self-limiting anyway.

[Anonymous]

My youngest had a bad Boutique with RSV when she was 16mo and eas out of daycare for nearly 2 weeks. She was fever-free for the majority of that time, but she had all sorts of issues with her breathing and pulse ox, then dehydration on top of it, and we ended up in the ER with her on day 5. It took a while for her to bounce back, and then she developed an ear infection after the RSV appeared to have cleared.
I was naive and completely surprised it could be that bad in an otherwise healthy toddler.