From the Nurse’s Desk

Sick Day Guidelines: Making the Right Call When Your Child Has a Cold

Should I keep my child home or send to school?

Your child must not attend school if he or she:
* Has a fever of 100 degrees or higher (within 24 hours)
* Has been vomiting (within 24 hours)
* Has symptoms that prevent him or her from participating in school, such as:
excessive tiredness or lack of appetite, productive coughing, sneezing, headache, body aches, earache, sore throat

A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and stomach upset. Contact your pediatrician as your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat.

Keep your child home until the fever has been gone for 24 hours without medications. Colds can be contagious for a least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and expose others unnecessarily to illness.

Does my child have the flu?
* The flu is serious! Call your pediatrician at the first sign of flu symptoms, which typically come on suddenly, including:
High fever
Chills
Head ache, body aches, ear ache
Nausea, vomiting
Dry cough
If you’re unsure about the best way to treat your child’s cold or flu, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider.

How do I make my child feel better?
* Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and put limits on TV watching
* Encourage fluids; like water, soup, juice and ice
* Help your child relax by reading him a story and giving him plenty of TLC
* Consider using a cool humidifier

How can I prevent my child from getting a cold?
* Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice
* Teach your child to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their sleeve
* Keep the child’s environment tobacco free
* Try to minimize the time your child spends with other children who have cough or cold symptoms
* Serve a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Giving a daily vitamin may be recommended by your pediatrician
* Keep surfaces like door knobs, phones, remote controls, toys, and keyboards clean
* Any questions be sure to consult your doctor

Information obtained from the National Association of School Nursing, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.