Cold and flu season is almost upon us. This means that children may come home feeling less like themselves than when they left. Sick children often do not know that they feel bad until they are already contagious. Attending school and child care in these conditions can lead to a massive cold or flu outbreak among children. As parents there is nothing worse than seeing your own child fighting something while you sit by not able to help. Ms. Taylor’s House Pre-School offers child care services in Brooklyn, but also wants to ensure that each child is as happy and healthy as possible while in our care.
We all know that school and child care services are important, but should that take precedence over your child’s health? When they are sick, they can possibly pass on their illness to other students. Here is a helpful list for parents, it should help you decide whether or not your child needs to stay home to rest:
- Fever: Children that are displaying a fever should always be kept home from school.
- Vomitting/Diarrhea: Frequency is important here, monitoring is needed. It can lead to dehydration.
- Wheezing: Wheezing can be a sign of an upper respiratory infection or an asthmatic attack.
- Complaining of Ear Pain: Ear pain can be due to an ear infection
- Coughing Fits: Coughing is often the first sign that a child has caught a cold
- Lethargic: When your child cannot get out of bed and it is not associated with lack of sleep, they are probably fighting a bug.
- Sore Throat: Sore throats accompanied by swollen glands and a fever/headache/stomach ache mean that your child should be seen by a physician.
- Loss of Appetite: This can be due to a severe stomach ache or an overall feeling of malaise.
- Any Colored Discharge From Nose or Eyes: Your child may be suffering from a cold, or sinus infection if their nose is dripping. Discharge from eyes with associated redness may mean that they have pink-eye which is highly contagious.
