Read this before Taking Sick Baby to Daycare

Babies get sick a LOT , especially so when they are in daycare. Cases of kids getting flu or any other infection from the daycare are not new. Given the high number of kids that daycare hosts, the high cases of infection transmissions are expected.

However what is the correct procedure when you have a sick child? When should you send them to daycare and when should you keep them at home?

It may be okay to send your child to daycare if it is only a mild sickness such as a cough, or the daycare policy allows it.

However if your child has a serious sickness, has an infectious illness, their immune is compromised or it is against the daycare policy do not send them to daycare and keep them at home till they have sufficiently recovered.

When to Send Sick Baby To Daycare

1. If it is a Mild Sicknesses

Sickness, even in children varies in intensity, which is very crucial in deciding whether you can take your child to daycare or keep them at home. What your baby is suffering from will help you decide.Some sicknesses are mild such as a cold and others are serious such as diarrhea.

For instance if the baby just has a running nose and is happy to partake in regular activities at the center then it is okay to send her/him to daycare. However this is not the same when the child has a fever and can barely eat or stay up. In this case, they need to stay home.

2. The Daycare Sick Policy Allows it

All day cares should have a sick-child policy, explaining how sickness cases in children should be handled. Some are more lenient and other strict, even with mild colds.

If your situation is one within or allowed by the daycare Sick-child Policy, then is okay to take your sick child to daycare. In most day cares, cough/sniffles/runny nose are all fine for children to come to daycare rather than staying home.

Read: Questions you Should Ask during Daycare Tour

when it is ok to send sick child to daycare

When you cant Take Sick Baby To Daycare

1. If your Sick Child has a Serious Sickness/Fever

Serious sickness hurts the health of the baby and prevents them from participating in regular activities. Also it exposes other kids to the same infection hence affecting the health of other kids at the daycare too.

You are advised to keep your child at home or seek alternative care arrangements for serious cases such as fever, pain, a cold with listlessness, difficulty in breathing, sore throat or trouble swallowing, severe itching, headaches, etc. or unwell enough to take part in the regular programs of the program.

Therefore if your child is seriously ill, you cannot send them to daycare until they have recovered. This basically means being fever and symptoms-free without medication for 24 hours before they can return to the daycare.

Read: How to Avoid your Baby Catching Daycare Bugs

2. If your Sick Child has an Infectious Illness

If the baby is suffering from a highly infectious illness, it is best to seek medical help and keep them monitored at home instead of taking them to daycare. This is very important for the health of other kids at the daycare who may catch the infection from him/her.

If you take such as sick baby to daycare, it will create a cycle or ongoing sickness that will persist. It is hence very critical that a sick child stays home as one way of preventing daycare sicknesses.

3. If their Immune is Compromised

Day cares are not good for a baby’s immune system. If your child is immune-compromised, it is best to keep them home on the first signs of any illness instead of taking them to daycare. This is because taking them to daycare while already sick is exposing them to more health vulnerabilities.

The daycare has more chances of infections and your child may end up contracting even more complications. As such you should keep your sick child home from daycare in such cases.

3. If Daycare Sick-child Policy is Against It

A sick child policy exists to protect the kids who may get infections. It also protects your child from catching other sicknesses from other kids from the daycare, making their illnesses worse.

Some day cares don’t allow sick children at all as part of their sick-child policy. They send them home even at the first slightest sign of sickness. For instance fever/diarrhea/vomiting is not allowed by most day cares and kids can only return 24 hours after symptoms are gone.

Also, some day cares require clearance from a doctor after a certain amount of days out has been hit. Hence your daycare sick-child may prevent you from taking your child there.

Read: Tell Tale Signs of a Bad or Good Daycare