Toddler group etiquette regarding illnesses?

[dan-o]

Do you take your toddlers to playgroups if they are obviously infectious (ie. drooling snot and sneezing/coughing everywhere) or do you stay home?

My toddler goes through a cycle of going to toddler group, picking up a new bug, gets ill (usually lasts 12-14 days) so we stay home for those 2 weeks while he's infectious, then we go back the week after, pick up a new bug.. Cycle starts again. Occasionally we can go 2 weeks in a row before getting ill again.

Should I just take him to play when he's ill as well? I've noticed a lot of other parents do? What do you do?

 

[HelenJane]

I wondered this myself. We went to toddler group last week and I didnt notice untill near the end but another child a full blown cold (snotting, sneezing and coughing all over the place). To be honest if I was her mum I would have kept her away.
Turns out my little girl ended up catching it and at first it was afew sneezes and snuffles, now its a full blown cold and shes feels super sorry for herself and I feel awful because I want to take it away... it made me get a little cross that the woman brought her child to the group when she was clearly poorly and now my child is infected.

I won't take my child when shes poorly. They need chance to get better.

 

[CT125]

while it annoys me when blatantly ill kids attend groups, I understand with some children they are just constantly snotty. My niece is one of these, I used to call her the Vadar-baby she had that many chesty colds. My LO never seems to pick up stuff from her though, even though we don't spend a huge amount of time with her. Iguess kids who have this constant cold would never get out if their mother's kept them home all the time
I think that parental responsibility and common sense should play a key role. Unfortunately many don't bother with either =(. I hate it when kids cough and splutter over my LO, my heart actually sinks at the prospect of him getting something that will make him sleep even worse than he already does!!
If Darragh is in the throws of a cold I never take him, but then he doesn't seem to pick many up, so far...

 

[Bex84]

if my lo is ill then we don't go to group. If I am meeting up with someone and lo is feeling well enough I will always say my lo has this and give them the choice. I know someone who takes her children with stomach bugs etc and it irritates me. Obviosly a few sniffles is different, I always just think that if I was feeling ill I wouldent want to be dragged around everywhere

 

[ktod]

I'm lucky that my LO hasn't had any really bad colds yet (touch wood) he's only had minor colds so I've always just carried on as normal and taken him.

I understand you don't want your child to catch a cold but for me personally I probably would still take my LO to a play group with a cold if he was well enough to play. I'd only keep him off if he was falling asleep or distressed.

But this probably comes from my childhood where my parents never let me be off ill from school unless I physically couldn't move. They were so mean!!!!!!!

 

[suzib76]

With a cold yea I would still go to toddlers same as they still go to nursery and school with a cold now and dh and I both go to work if we have a cold

 

[overcomer79]

With a cold yea I would still go to toddlers same as they still go to nursery and school with a cold now and dh and I both go to work if we have a cold

We don't do play group as we both work full time but we can't stay home if we have a common cold. Chances are, they picked it up from the daycare they are attending. Fevers are kept home as well as stomach bugs. My dd caught the flu last year and the daycare refused to let her back in even though medically she was cleared. They made us wait a week and her fever didn't last 24 hours!! She was put on tamiflu and was vaccinated so it was a very mild case. We felt like they were being very irrational and dh took 60 hours without pay :s

 

[sparkle_1979]

If they're ill, they stay off. If its just a runny nose them we go x

 

[Rachel_C]

If it's something school/nursery wouldn't let them go in with, I'd not go out to groups. If they could go to nursery, and nursery are fine with colds and coughs, we would go. I wouldn't let LO snot everywhere and I would wipe up any mess on toys. If somebody can see my kid is snotty, they can keep them away if they're bothered and I would stop my child chasing theirs around if they obviously wanted to keep away!

 

[maybabydoll]

With nasty bugs, we stay off, I would want LO to recover comfortably at home and hate the thought of spreading bugs to other little ones. It can be annoying when you've paid for a term of classes and have to miss one or two, but for me, his health and the health of others comes first. x x

 

[Pink Flowers]

If it's something he would have to stay off pre school for then no we wouldn't go. But if he could go to pre school we will go to play group.

There is one group we go to where a lady has a poorly little girl so I wouldn't take Oliver there if he was ill at all. But that group is on when he is at pre school.

 

[MrsWatson]

Wouldn't keep my lo away if she just had a cold - what would you do if you go a cold? Stay away from your lo? They are going to come into contact wth coughs and colds if you like it or not

 

[lauram_92]

He doesn't really get colds but I would probably base it on how he feels. If he is tired, and grumpy then no I wouldn't take him, but if he is running around, happy, with a bit of a runny nose then I would. If he is coughing, sneezing and OBVIOUSLY full of the cold I wouldn't take him. I don't like other kids coughing over everything that he then goes and plays with

 

[MLC20]

Depends on what she has but, generally I will keep her away if she is ill. If her nose is green it means she has an infection so I won't take her but, if its running clear I have no problem taking her. She had hand, foot and mouth recently so I have waited until most of the scabs have gone even though the Dr said she would be fine once they had scabbed. Okay it can be a pain to keep her home but, she recovers faster and I break one link in the chain.

 

[sequeena]

I don't take Thomas out when he's unwell. I don't want to pass it on and I don't want to go out when I'm unwell so I imagine he isn't too keen either. I'd rather have him home so he can rest and get better.

 

[MrsGM]

If sneezing everywhere e.g. over toys then I'd stay at home but also v hard to not get a cold at this time of year

 

[Banshee]

If it's just a cold and runny nose then we'd still go, same as they would still go to nursery. If they are clearly unwell then I would keep them off. We all catch colds, you can't really do anything about it. I just think of all the germs they could pick up going to the supermarket! Lol

 

[jd83]

I still take mine to play dates if they have a cold, but I do generally check with the mom who's hosting to make sure she doesn't mind. I generally ask if there are going to be any young babies, and if so, we stay home. If its older babies and toddlers, we go generally. A cold is okay for daycare, so generally okay for play groups IMO, unless I know there will be young babies that I want to keep from spreading it to.

I can see from the other point of view how its frustrating to have sick kids potentially getting your kid sick, but at this time of year I just think its inevitable. Its everywhere, and its kind of unfair to have to keep a child with a cold home for 1-2 weeks until symptoms are all gone, unless they clearly are not feeling well. If they are up to playing, it doesn't bother me. Colds are going to happen. I try to be good about hand washing or sanitizing when we go to play groups to minimize risk if my kids are not sick and I don't want them to get sick, but honestly, they can pick it up anywhere. Not just at play groups.

 

[Lady_Bee]

The mums in my playgroup usually do keep their kids off even for a cold. There are some young babies in the group too, not just toddlers, so maybe that's why we try to be courteous and careful about spreading our kids' germs. Or I dunno, maybe we are all just germophobes I do appreciate it though when kids aren't sneezing in my son's face and making him sick, because he is always MISERABLE with colds, and that's a lot of extra work and stress for me because I end up getting no sleep for 3 days while his bunged up nose clears up. Colds happen, but I wouldn't personally take my son to a playgroup in the most infectious stage of a nasty cold.

I have no qualms about taking him after a couple of days though, when his snot is no longer luminous green. The runny nose stays a while, and he tends to get a lingering cough, but colds really aren't very infectious after those initial couple of days when you feel the worst and you are a walking green snot explosion.

 

[dan-o]

Thanks for all the replies ladies.

We didn't go again this week as Sidney's snot drools are still impressively green and he's coughing and sneezing on everything. Both Vincent and I are also wreaking with germs too now, yuck! We just got over a vicious little virus that went to tonsilitis (haven't had that for about 20 years!) Only had a clear few days after that, then caught this one.. What luck lol!
The kids are so bored staying at home or only going for walks, but what else can you do lol