Should Your Child Stay Home Sick? Here’s How to Tell

Your child doesn’t feel well, but are they too sick to go to school? Whether to let a child stay home sick is a tough call, but one every parent must make eventually.

There’s a lot to think about. You have to weigh how your child feels and the benefits and risks of sending them off to the classroom, not to mention your ability to juggle your schedule to care for a sick child at home. Letting your child’s symptoms guide the decision can make it easier.

Common Back-to-School Viruses

As the new school year ramps up, so, too, does virus season. Brushing up on some of the most common respiratory viruses that prompt children (and their parents) to stay home sick can help you better prepare for the fall and winter ahead.

• Common cold— Often caused by rhinoviruses, the common cold is highly contagious. Classic symptoms include a runny nose, sore throat or tickle in the throat, sneezing, cough, and fatigue. Some children also develop a mild fever.
• COVID-19 — Here to stay, COVID-19 usually causes less severe symptoms in children than adults, and some young patients don’t experience symptoms at all. Still, children with COVID-19 may have a fever, cough, sore throat, trouble breathing, vomiting, and diarrhea. Vaccination can help protect your child from the worst effects of COVID-19.
• Flu — Flu season lasts for much of the school year. Like the COVID-19 vaccine, the flu vaccine can reduce the severity of illness if your child were to be infected. Flu symptoms include a sudden fever, hacking cough, congested nose, chills, and body aches.
• Norovirus — Sometimes called the stomach flu, norovirus mainly causes gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea. Your child may also develop stomach pain, chills, fever, and body aches. Children with norovirus can lose a lot of fluid through vomiting and diarrhea, so parents have to remain vigilant for signs of dehydration.
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — RSV can cause the common cold, which is why many of its symptoms, including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever, are cold-like. In people with weakened immune systems, RSV can cause serious respiratory illness, including pneumonia.

When Kids Should Stay Home Sick

If your child feels under the weather, the last thing you want to do is send them off to school, where concentrating on learning or staying comfortable may be challenging. Plus, they could spread germs to classmates, leading to more illness in the community.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should keep your child home sick if they meet at least one of the following three criteria:

• Your child has had a fever higher than 101 degrees during the past 24 hours.
• They have thrown up or had diarrhea during the past 24 hours.
• You don’t think they are well enough to participate in typical school activities.

Other symptoms may also warrant a sick day. Consider keeping your child home sick if they are in pain, have trouble breathing, or have a persistent cough.

You don’t have to make the sick-day decision alone. Consult your child’s medical provider, who may be a pediatrician or family medicine provider. They can determine whether your child’s symptoms are due to a viral or bacterial infection or seasonal allergies and prescribe treatment. They can also advise whether your child can safely go to school or should stay home sick.

Don’t forget to contact your child’s school for input on whether allowing them to attend would be appropriate (or permitted). The school may have a policy about when kids should stay home sick. Some schools, for example, may not want children coming in if they have a fever, even a mild one.

When Your Child (May) Be Able to Go to School

Not every symptom is a reason for your child to trade a day in class for a day in bed or on the couch. Worthwhile participation at school may be possible with certain symptoms, including:

• Mild joint pain or headache
• Occasional cough or sneeze
• Slight runny nose

You know your child best, and there’s no substitute for your judgment as a parent. If you think your child needs a day at home to rest and start feeling better, no matter how severe their symptoms, then a sick day may be the right choice. If, however, you decide to send your child to school, over-the-counter medication to treat symptoms such as muscle pain or a stuffy nose can help them stay comfortable.

How to Help Kids Feel Better When They Stay Home Sick

While your child rests and recovers at home, follow their provider’s instructions for medical care, which may include taking a prescription medicine or over-the-counter, fever-reducing medication. Pay particular attention to the dosing instructions. Giving your child too much medication can be harmful, but not enough can be ineffective.

Take steps to improve your child’s comfort, including:

• Allow them to rest where most comfortable, whether in bed or on the couch.
• Ensure your child drinks plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
• Give your child throat lozenges or cough drops — only if they are 4 or older — to soothe an irritated throat.
• Maintain a calm, quiet environment in your home.
• Offer bland foods, such as crackers, pasta, and chicken soup.
• Run a humidifier to ease nasal congestion.
• Use a fan to keep air moving in your home.
• Use a heating pad to help with muscle aches.

Kids can be contagious for days after symptoms appear. Preventing the spread of illness to others in your household may not be possible. However, you can reduce the risk by having everyone practice good hygiene, including washing hands frequently and covering sneezes and coughs.

A Sick Day for You?

Avoiding germs while nursing your child back to health can be a tall order. Still, taking precautions to reduce your risk, such as washing your hands and not touching your face, is important.

If you get sick, you may need to take a page from your child’s book and stay home from work. Many home remedies you used with your child may also help you feel better. You may be able to return to work in person once your symptoms improve or disappear. Check with your medical provider to confirm when it’s appropriate for you to head back out on the job.

Need help getting your child back to full health or deciding whether he or she should stay home from school when sick? Our Sweetwater Walk-In Clinic can help.