How to Handle School Sick Days

During flu season, parents try their best to keep their children healthy, but occasionally even the most attentive precautions are ineffective.

Keeping your child home from school while they are contagious will aid in their quick recovery. In order to keep everyone as healthy as possible, it also aids in preventing the virus from infecting other students at the school.

The advice of medical specialists is for unwell children to stay home until they are healthy enough to return to school. This usually occurs 24 hours after symptoms start to go better. It can, however, occasionally be challenging to decide if your child is well enough to go back to school.

Fever

If your kid has a temperature of 100.4°F or above, it is better to keep them at home. Fever is a sign that the body is battling an illness, making your kid more susceptible and probably infectious. Consider sending your child back to school at least 24 hours after the temperature has subsided and controlled without the need of medicine.

Vomiting and Diarrhea

Diarrhea and vomiting are also valid excuses for your youngster to stay at home. These symptoms are challenging for students to manage in the classroom and demonstrate that the youngster is still capable of infecting others. Additionally, numerous episodes of diarrhea and vomiting in younger kids may make it challenging to maintain proper cleanliness, raising the infection’s risk of spreading. Prior to thinking about going back to school, give it at least 24 hours since the most recent occurrence.

Fatigue

Your child is not likely to gain from sitting in class all day if they are dozing off at the table or otherwise seeming really worn out. Keep your youngster well-hydrated and allow them to sleep in their own bed. Your child may appear sluggish if their degree of exhaustion exceeds what you would anticipate from a usual mild sickness. A physician should be consulted right away if your kid exhibits lethargy, which is a dangerous symptom.

Persistent Cough or Sore Throat

It’s likely that a persistent cough may disturb the lesson. It is also a key method of viral infection transmission. Keep your child at home if they have a persistent cough and a severe sore throat until the cough is almost completely gone. Your child’s doctor may also need to test them for diseases like strep throat, which is very infectious but is also readily treated with medications.

Irritated Eyes or Rashes

Your child may find it challenging to concentrate in class if they have red, itchy, or watery eyes. It’s a good idea to send your child to the doctor if they develop a rash since it might occasionally be a sign of another infection. It is often advisable to keep your child at home until these symptoms go away or until you have spoken with the doctor. Conjunctivitis, often known as pink eye, has to be recognized as soon as possible since it is very contagious and spreads swiftly through daycare facilities and schools.

Appearance and Attitude

Does your kid appear lethargic or pale? Do they appear agitated or uninterested in carrying out routine everyday tasks? Is it difficult for you to convince your kid to eat anything? All of them indicate that further healing time at home is required.

Pain

Aches like those in the ears, stomach, brain, and body are frequently signs that your kid is still battling the flu. It is preferable to keep them at home until any pain or discomfort has subsided since they can easily infect other kids with the illness.

Call the school and ask to talk with the nurse if you’re still undecided about keeping your child home from school. The school nurse would be pleased to discuss with you the broad rules that most schools have in place for when it is safe to send sick children back to class. These recommendations could be found online as well.

How to Manage a Sick Day

You may encounter several extra difficulties if you determine that your child must unquestionably stay at home. Should you take a sick day? How can a stay-at-home mother manage taking care of her other children while one of them is ill? Here are some strategies for being ready for sick days at school.

Talk to Your Employer Ahead of Time

As flu season approaches, discuss options with your company. For instance, inquire about working remotely and participating in meetings through phone or the internet. Ensure that you have the necessary tools at home. You could find it simpler to manage work-related chores from home if you have a computer, high-speed Internet access, fax machine, and printer.

Ask About Your Options

To balance your time off, you should also find out how many sick days you are allowed at work. Inquire with your employer if it’s possible to take a day off without using up any sick leave. If both of you work, another choice is to divide up household responsibilities with your partner.

Have a Backup Plan

To find out whether a relative, friend, or babysitter could watch your child, give them a call. When you are unable to take time off of work to care for your child, having someone on hand to assist at a moment’s notice may be really helpful.

Prepare Supplies

To be prepared for flu season, set up a shelf or cabinet with over-the-counter drugs, vapor rubs, extra tissues, and antibacterial wipes. Anyone who visits your home to look after your child will find it convenient to have all of these goods in one location.

The disinfectant Clorox® The COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, is killed by wipes that are EPA-registered and bleach-free. Finished wood, stainless steel, sealed granite, and other surfaces may all be cleaned using the wipes.

Be Diligent About Hygiene

Consistently wash your child’s hands, and insist that they sneeze or cough into their elbow. They will be less likely to infect others as a result of this. Additionally, it’s crucial to ensure that everyone in the house receives enough water to drink and sleeps well.

Additional precautions include:

preventing direct contact with the sick person as much as possible avoiding sharing towels, plates, and utensils with them use antibacterial wipes to clean shared surfaces, such as doorknobs and sinks

How to Know When It’s Safe to Send Your Child Back to School

While figuring out when your child is well enough to return to school may be simple, it is frequently more challenging to do so. Sending your child back to school too soon will prolong their recovery and increase the risk of the virus spreading to other students. You can use the parameters that are listed below to decide if your kid is prepared to start school again.

No Fever

The youngster can often return to school if the temperature has been managed for more than 24 hours without the need of medicines. However, if your kid is still exhibiting additional symptoms like persistent cough, vomiting, or diarrhea, they may still need to stay at home.

Medication

Only Mild Symptoms Present

Your child can also go back to school if they’re only experiencing a runny nose and other mild symptoms. Make sure to provide tissues for them and to give them an over-the-counter medicine that can help control the remaining symptoms.

Attitude and Appearance Improve

If your child is looking and acting like they are feeling much better, then it is typically safe for them to go back to school.

In the end, you may have to rely on your parental intuition to make the final call. You know your child better than anyone, so you’ll be able to tell when they’re feeling better. Do they look too miserable to go to school? Are they playing and acting normally, or are they happy to curl up in a chair with a blanket? Trust your intuition to make the best decision. If you have any doubts, always remember you can ask others such as the school nurse or your child’s pediatrician. They will be glad to offer you advice.