When Your Own Child Is Sick

[Country Kids]

What do you do when you have an elementary child-upper end that doesn't feel good (fever, coughing, tummy ache). Second day home sick and just miserable.

I'm trying to keep the group quiet but that's a bust. They can't sit for even a few minutes and when I go to check on mine there of course is immediate crying for some reason.

Yesterday, I gave the option of everyone keeping home (all but one came, that one is now sick) but mine wasn't quiet this miserable yesterday. This showed me though that they weren't to worried about their own getting sick again! I'm stuck between calling everyone to pick up or not. This could go on for awhile is my guess and I'm sooooo tired of sickness this year from everyone.

Do you guys shut down when your own is sick?

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't shut down but I do my best to keep them seperate. If my 7 yo is sick I will let her stay in her room and watch TV and relax, if it's my son then my DH may take a day or two off to care for him in our room while I do DC. I don't close the DC and I do what you did, I leave it up to the individual families to decide whether they want to bring their child to DC or not.

So far no one except my drop-in familes have ever kept their kids home when mine were at home and sick (probably because they don't have to pay for the day ). They know however that if my child gets their child sick then their child has to stay home. At least they've always complied when this has happend, which it has because no matter how hard you try to keep them seperated it just doesn't always work.

[Angelwings36]

Originally Posted by Country Kids

What do you do when you have an elementary child-upper end that doesn't feel good (fever, coughing, tummy ache). Second day home sick and just miserable.

I'm trying to keep the group quiet but that's a bust. They can't sit for even a few minutes and when I go to check on mine there of course is immediate crying for some reason.

Yesterday, I gave the option of everyone keeping home (all but one came, that one is now sick) but mine wasn't quiet this miserable yesterday. This showed me though that they weren't to worried about their own getting sick again! I'm stuck between calling everyone to pick up or not. This could go on for awhile is my guess and I'm sooooo tired of sickness this year from everyone.

Do you guys shut down when your own is sick?

My son is 7 years old and I do not close when he gets sick unless I have to take him to the doctor, in this case he becomes top priority! I do not keep my son separate from the other children as it is not fair to him. We do not have televisions in our bedrooms as we do not believe in watching TV in bed (screws up sleeping), so he would have nothing to do locked up in his room all day. My main daycare area is downstairs so for the most part in the morning and afternoon he can lie alone on the living room couch and watch tv, but when the kids come up for quiet time he is up here with everyone at that time. I do let my other families know if my son is sick with anything other than a minor cold. It is their decision to bring their children if they want after getting the information from me. I do not discount fees when my son is sick and parents chose not bring their children as my daycare is not closed and my services are still available. I can not be taking unpaid sick days for myself, my son and my husband that it way too much lose on my end.

However, if you feel you need to take a day or two to help your son get better and catch up on sanitizing etc.. and you can afford it I would say go ahead!

[Country Kids]

Mine has started crying off and on because they feel so miserable. I hate being torn on what to do. I'm trying my best to be in two places at once but its next to impossible.

I think next year I'm changing my handbook and being very strict which I already am but........no runny noses at all (clear or not), no coughs, no sneezes, nothing. I just can't afford for my whole family to be this sick, year after year!!! I know you get germs when you go out but we have never been this sick in years-

[Angelwings36]

How long have you been running your daycare? My whole family was sick for a good year after I opened the daycare and now we barely catch 1/4 of the bugs that come through the house.

Depends on how sick they are. If my children are so sick that I would normally have taken the day off work in order to care for them properly then yes I shut down. Normally when my kids get the stomach flu or a scary high fever, I shut down. It is impossibly to care for a vomiting child with a house full of kids. They need constant care, washing and hydrating.
Also I feel like it is unfair to my children. They need their mommy when they are that sick and the reason I am at home is for just that reason.
The parents are usually very understanding. They have to realize that this is home based care and not center based care. When your children are in home based care it is always a good idea to have a backup sitter for situations like this.

[Country Kids]

17 years!!!! I was full time for many years, then went to having just preschool, then last time back to full time for the last year and 1/2 and the last year we have been constantly sick. My one child has been sick 3 times sick Christmas break, my hubby 2-3 times in the last year and I've been sick 4times in the last year. Once they were contemplating admitting me for a few days but didn't. My other child has been sick once. We aren't all sick at the same time either (can be a couple months apart) and we never have the same thing.

Its just very frustrating!

[Breezy]

I hate the feeling of being torn between a sick kid and DC staying open. Dh stayed home when my DS was sick last week and I closed one day because he is 12 months and needed quiet and mommy.

DS got the virus from dcg and he is fine now except for a slight cough but dcg is still sick with green thick mucous and had a blow out again this morning all over the pack and play. I don't know why they won't take her to the Dr.