When to Keep Your Child Home from School

You have plenty of other things to do at 6:30 in the morning than to play amateur doctor. Yet that's the situation many parents face when a child awakens with a health complaint and you must determine whether the complaint is serious enough to warrant a sick day.

Here are some tips for deciding whether to keep a child home:

• Monitor any symptoms of illness before your child goes to sleep at night. In the morning, you may not have time to evaluate the symptoms. Ask yourself these questions: Is your child eating well? Is he having trouble sleeping? Is he waking at night with a sore throat or earache?
• Children can attend school with the sniffles as long as they feel all right otherwise. But keep your child home if he or she has a heavy cough accompanied by a steady stream of mucus. Also keep the child home if the cough is accompanied by breathing that is rapid or labored and describe these symptoms to your doctor.
• If your child has a rash, it's important to determine the source. If it is poison ivy, for example, the child can go to school as long as the rash is being properly treated. But an unexplained rash may be the first symptom of measles, chickenpox or another contagious illness. Note whether the rash is accompanied by such other symptoms as fever, crankiness, lethargy, unusual crying, or a general feeling of discomfort. Keep the child home and describe these symptoms to your doctor.
• The most common child complaint is an upset stomach. This can be caused by several things, including an upcoming test or a situation in school that your child may be reluctant to confront. The pain probably isn't caused by something too serious if your child is able to play or do other activities. But keep your child home from school if the stomach pain is accompanied by diarrhea or fever. If the child complains of stomach pain for several days, you should call your physician for advice.
• A child who is vomiting should be kept home. Unless the source of the vomiting is obvious (for example, a reaction to a new food), you should also check with your doctor.
• When it comes to temperature, a reading below 100 degrees is generally not cause for concern, child experts say. A fever above 100, especially when combined with a sore throat or a rash, could indicate a more serious illness. Keep the child home and then describe the symptoms to your doctor.
  

Source

Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications ©2011

Printer-friendly version

Newsletter back issues

About MINES & Associates

For 30 years, MINES & Associates has been a nationally recognized business psychology firm that provides a variety of services to corporate employers, including:  employee assistance programs (EAP), managed behavioral healthcare, organizational development and psychology services, wellness programs, behavioral risk management, disease management, PPO services, and a number of other technology based services.  

Please log on to http://www.minesandassociates.com for the latest news and information on MINES & Associates.

Click here for back issues.