How do you determine too sick for school?

TinyPinkBug

This always seemed like an obvious thing to me, but here I am trying to figure it out.  Ty woke up with a mild cough the last two mornings, but it wasn't bad and he was fine after being up for about an hour or so.  Then, last night he got out of the shower before bed and was suddenly all stuffy.  I put a vaporizer in his room, some Vicks, etc.  He slept great but woke up with a terrible barking cough.  I took his temp and it was 100.0 in his ear.  I gave him some plain old Tylenol, and a half hour later he is totally find again.  No cough, no stuffy, no temp, just grumpy but there is no rhyme or reason for that when it comes to Ty.  I was certain he was staying home and maybe even going to the dr when he got up, but now he is fine.  We have been spending time outside, 3 hrs last night.  Could it possibly be allergies?  Keep him home?  Send him in?

olivia_eve

I think any time there's a fever, even if it's controlled well by meds, you should keep them home.  I always think it's better to be safe than sorry, you wouldn't want to drop him off and get a call a few hours later to pick him up.

Telyco

If he is acting fine and wanting to go - I'd send him.

wendyj

I'd send him. It could be allergies, or just the beginnings of a cold. 100 is still in the realm of "normal" temp for kids. Usually I don't Ian if he has some symptoms and is completely not himself, but that's usually when his temp is above 101. If he had the high temp the night before, but was normal in the morning, I'd keep him home the next day to make sure it's completely gone, because sometimes he will spike again as the day goes on (happened back in the fall and was Dx'd with a sinus infection).

sunnygirl05

It is hard to know.  Dylan woke up with a low grade fever today but was acting totally fine.  I called our sitter and she said it was fine to bring him since he was in a great mood.  I figured maybe he's teething.  I would say if Ty seems fine then send him.  And honestly, at our sitter's, at least one kid always has a cold.  They all pass things around.  However, I don't send my boys when I know they're really sick, as I wouldn't want my boys to be around sick kids.  I just think there are some things (like colds) that you can't really avoid.

TinyPinkBug

I ended up sending him to school, but then picked him up early instead of sending him on the bus.  But for a completely different worry.  B and I went to Price Chopper and Brianna started vomiting all over herself, the cart, the store....  We got home and she has a fever of 101.7.  She had been competely fine until then.  I was concerned Ty may also come down with the stomach bug, so I got him.