Coughs, sneezes, and fevers: The age old question of keeping your child home from school
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - With the ongoing concern over RSV and now the weather turning cooler with flu season on the doorstep...it's time to think about prevention.
A primary source of family bugs is the germ pipeline from schools.
If only we could build a germ barrier around our families, right?
Since we can't, recognizing and avoiding threats becomes the key.
Getting sick is way down the list of things on our child's minds when they head off to school, so you might want to consider the talk...not that one...about germs.
"You touch things throughout the day, you don't even think about, opening doors, opening your desk at school, opening your locker," said Dr. Gina Robinson from the Cleveland Clinic.
It's not about trying to make them paranoid, just trying to make them understand.
"Every time you touch those surfaces you are coming into contact with some type of germs that someone left behind," Dr. Robinson said.
It's also important to drill home the importance of washing your hands.
"When you don't wash your hands before you eat, you're rubbing your eyes and rubbing your nose, that's an easy way to spread things," she explained. "Handwashing is the simplest and still the best way to reduce the spread of many, many, many germs."
If your child isn't willing to run through the bathroom on the way to lunch to wash their hands, send them off to school with some hand sanitizer or hand-cleaning wipes in their backpacks. Also, if you pack their lunch, put it in the lunch box on top of the food so they don't miss it.
However, none of this works if you can't get your child to understand the importance and get them to buy into the prevention.
Every morning, there's a parent faced with a tough decision - do I send my child to school or keep them home?
There's family pressure, jobs to consider, and lines in the sand that shouldn't be crossed.
And that is something we have to all keep in mind - your decision does not just affect you and your family.
Family schedules can be fragile and any hiccup, sneeze, or cough could derail everything.
But sometimes there is just no choice.
"If there is any way possible to keep your child with a fever home because that is usually a sign that they are more contagious, that's always a good idea," Dr. Robinson said.
Any vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, or wheezing, along with strep throat and pinkeye - all are on the stay-at-home lists.
"If your child has a bad cough, that's a good reason to keep them home," she said.
A general rule of thumb is "fever free for 24 hours" but if you think it's a borderline decision...
"If they have a slight cough and a slight runny nose, having them wear a mask is not a bad idea because then you're helping to protect other people," Dr. Robinson said.
She also added to make sure you protect your family once the kids get home.
"I kind of have a drop zone for their bags and wash their hands," she said. "As soon as they get in just in case they haven't done it in any other time that day."
If they do go to school with a slight cough or sniffles, send along tissues and have a conversation with them about keeping the coughs and sneezes covered.
And of course...emphasize they cannot wash their hands too much.