Would you take this potentially contagious kid to dance class?

[melissel]

I was sick from Monday through Wednesday night with a stomach virus (though my mom thinks it was food poisoning). DD9 spiked a mysterious fever yesterday, and it looks like it's broken this morning. DH woke up this morning with an upset stomach that he insists is NOT the stomach virus (and he's not nearly as bad as I was at the beginning, so he may be right). DD6 is the only person who's NOT showing any signs of illness.

 

With this many germs running around our house right now, I'm torn about taking DD6 to dance today. They do hold hands for some things, and I'd hate to share any sickness unknowingly. And yet, she's been sturdy and fine throughout this whole week, and we've missed so many dance classes for other reasons (usually her actually being sick!), I'd hate to bail on the chance that she might be contagious with something she's not even showing signs of!

 

WWYD? Would you take her? Would you be a ticked off dance mom if I brought her to class in these circumstances?

 

TIA!

[Harriet Vane]

Yes, I would bring her. She's not sick and not showing symptoms. Have her wash her hands as a precaution and let her enjoy class.

[catz]

Yes, I would bring her. She's not sick and not showing symptoms. Have her wash her hands as a precaution and let her enjoy class.

 

:iagree:

[Heather in Neverland]

I wouldn't take her. If it were just a cold or something like that, I would. But not the stomach flu. No way. It is so contagious and you often have zero symptoms until it hits you full force.

[chepyl]

As a dance teacher, I would very much appreciaye it if you kept her home. I have my kids at home, they usually get anything weird I bring home from the studio. We would much rather a kid miss class than expose the whole class to the germs. Do thwy allow make-up classes?

[chiguirre]

My personal criteria is the list of valid absences from GW's school. You can only miss if YOU are sick, not someone in your family. I'd have her was her hands well before class and attend.

[melissel]

Do thwy allow make-up classes?

 

They do, but only on a night when we can't make it (and later than really works for most 5-6-year-olds, which I think is kind of weird).

[catz]

Ok - did 9 yo actually have stomach flu symptoms or did she just spike a fever for one day? I personally think it's a little nuts to keep a kid home that has shown no signs of illness for an activity you're paying for. If she was a student in school, that would not be an excused absence. I had a kid in school for 2 years that had a pretty comprehensive list on valid excused absences that I guess I tend to default to. If you don't feel up to taking her, that's another thing. I think washing hands before and after class (because it's totally likely another child is carrying something too) is a good habit to get into. Especially during cold and flu season.

[praisefor3]

Yep, I would attend. I have learned that I cannot make decisions based on the potential that one of the kids MIGHT get sick. Too much life would pass by on the potential that someone who is not sick with absolutely no symptoms MIGHT get sick. ("You can't attend because your brother WAS sick and you MIGHT get sick." Then the following week: "Sorry. You can't attend because now your sister was sick and you MIGHT get sick.") We do NOT expose known illnesses. But we also do not cancel plans on POSSIBLE illnesses. At the first sign of symptoms I would certainly make a quicker assumption that they had the passed on sickness and pull them away. Of course, I WOULD keep kids away from visiting someone in the hospital, etc. based on said potential illness - but not from attending the myriad of classes and activities that both sick and well children attend on a daily basis.

[In the Rain]

I'd wash her hands just before class and take her.

[JessReplanted]

Yes, I would bring her. She's not sick and not showing symptoms. Have her wash her hands as a precaution and let her enjoy class.

 

 

:iagree:

If we stayed home every time I thought my kids *might* possibly be getting sick, we wouldn't ever leave the house. :glare:

[jenn-]

I was there this week. The older three kids came down with the stomach bug within 36 hours from start to finish. The younger one still hasn't gotten it yet. Thursday (a full two days after the last vomiting episode) I had to take oldest to her gymnastics and had no choice but to keep the boys with me. Luckily he hasn't gotten sick. I felt horrible for the potential exposure to others, but eventually you have to venture back out.

 

That said, the fact your DH's stomach is bothering him would make me assume the bug isn't done going through the house and would probably err to the side of caution unless she is in recital season or something that would make it very important to be there.

[Lolly]

:iagree:Wash her hands before class and send her on in. You really can't stop life every time there is a possibility of illness being on the doorstep.

[KungFuPanda]

I'm generally very cautious with illness, but I think it's overkill to miss when she isn't sick. If she's not sick, and you can get her there and back without taking any sick people with you, it's not a problem. It could be good for her to get out if she's been holed up in a sick house for several days.

 

It would be different if your household had measles, but exposure to a bug that is circulating your community is normal risk for leaving the house in the winter. However, if YOU need a break from chauffeur duties because of the extra work and fatigue of caring for a sick household, it probably won't hurt her dance career to miss a day.

[Laura in MI]

Yes, I would bring her. She's not sick and not showing symptoms. Have her wash her hands as a precaution and let her enjoy class.

 

:iagree:

[Unicorn.]

Yes, I would bring her. She's not sick and not showing symptoms. Have her wash her hands as a precaution and let her enjoy class.

 

:iagree:

[Mommy22alyns]

I would take her. I've been in this situation where one girl has been sick but the other one has been healthy, and the healthy one goes to class as usual.

[Little Nyssa]

Wash her hands & take her.

[Bassoonaroo]

First off, I'm a certified germophobe and tummy germs are the worst.

 

But, that said, I'd take her.

 

Here's what I am thinking. If she had a fever with no symptoms, that shows that her body fought something off -- probably that same bug. It IS entirely possible to have a norovirus infection without any symptoms at all. In fact, I read somewhere where scientists did a study in Mexico and took stool samples and talked to people (sounds like a fun job, eh?) and found that 1/3 of those infected had no symptoms. The other 2/3 got sick. So, I am guessing there's a whole spectrum of possible symptoms from 3 days of misery (what you had) to being a little off (husband) to a day of fever (dd).

 

So if people can be infected and not have symptoms, that means that during stomach flu season, a lot of folks out there are infected and carrying on as usual, totally unaware. Your dd may be one of them. Or maybe a couple of girls in her dance class might be silent carriers.

 

Also remember that stomach flu is NOT airborne. You can't get it from breathing the air of someone who's sick. It's not even in saliva (unless immediately after a barf incident). You could kiss someone, drink from their cup, or eat their leftovers and not get infected. To pass it, a microscopic piece of poop or puke has to be ingested. Yup, you basically need to eat poop to catch it! I think you can also get it if you put it in your nose or eyes. So it is spread when one child has a poop (even for a few weeks after feeling better!) and doesn't wash her hands well. She then touches light switches, door handles, someone else's hands, etc. Then someone touches those objects (or owns those hands) and puts her hands in her mouth (or nose or eyes).

 

If your daughter washes her hands really well (and I'd ask her to try to do her toileting business at home, and not at the dance toilet if possible) -- especially if she keeps her nails short -- then she should not be spreading it.

 

Oh, and alcohol hand gels don't kill stomach germs. You've got to use soap and water. And plain soap is better than antibacterial (you're dealing with a virus anyway) because it won't cause germ resistance or chapped, cracked hands. Hand gels kill cold germs and things like strep though, so there is a place for them.

 

Kids old enough to be in dance or sports or music are also old enough to understand how germs spread and to do their job to prevent giving germs or getting germs. Simple rules of washing hands after toileting and before eating and not touching your face are BIG.

 

If she has any symptoms at all (fever, feeling blah, not eating, runny poops, puking) she stays home and remains home for a good 48-72 hours after feeling all the way better. If she is feeling chipper, having no symptoms and wants to go to dance, I'd send her.

[Pretty in Pink]

I would attend and just have her wash her hands well before class began (and I have an asthmatic child and a newborn and consider myself fairly vigilant about such things, fwiw).

[melissel]

First off, I'm a certified germophobe and tummy germs are the worst.

 

But, that said, I'd take her.

 

Here's what I am thinking. If she had a fever with no symptoms, that shows that her body fought something off -- probably that same bug. It IS entirely possible to have a norovirus infection without any symptoms at all. In fact, I read somewhere where scientists did a study in Mexico and took stool samples and talked to people (sounds like a fun job, eh?) and found that 1/3 of those infected had no symptoms. The other 2/3 got sick. So, I am guessing there's a whole spectrum of possible symptoms from 3 days of misery (what you had) to being a little off (husband) to a day of fever (dd).

 

So if people can be infected and not have symptoms, that means that during stomach flu season, a lot of folks out there are infected and carrying on as usual, totally unaware. Your dd may be one of them. Or maybe a couple of girls in her dance class might be silent carriers.

 

Also remember that stomach flu is NOT airborne. You can't get it from breathing the air of someone who's sick. It's not even in saliva (unless immediately after a barf incident). You could kiss someone, drink from their cup, or eat their leftovers and not get infected. To pass it, a microscopic piece of poop or puke has to be ingested. Yup, you basically need to eat poop to catch it! I think you can also get it if you put it in your nose or eyes. So it is spread when one child has a poop (even for a few weeks after feeling better!) and doesn't wash her hands well. She then touches light switches, door handles, someone else's hands, etc. Then someone touches those objects (or owns those hands) and puts her hands in her mouth (or nose or eyes).

 

If your daughter washes her hands really well (and I'd ask her to try to do her toileting business at home, and not at the dance toilet if possible) -- especially if she keeps her nails short -- then she should not be spreading it.

 

Oh, and alcohol hand gels don't kill stomach germs. You've got to use soap and water. And plain soap is better than antibacterial (you're dealing with a virus anyway) because it won't cause germ resistance or chapped, cracked hands. Hand gels kill cold germs and things like strep though, so there is a place for them.

 

Kids old enough to be in dance or sports or music are also old enough to understand how germs spread and to do their job to prevent giving germs or getting germs. Simple rules of washing hands after toileting and before eating and not touching your face are BIG.

 

If she has any symptoms at all (fever, feeling blah, not eating, runny poops, puking) she stays home and remains home for a good 48-72 hours after feeling all the way better. If she is feeling chipper, having no symptoms and wants to go to dance, I'd send her.

 

Thanks, this is loads of great info.

 

In the end, I did as most of you suggested; I had her scrub well and took her this morning. I decided to wait and see how she was doing, and she was awake and chipper as usual. Hopefully, I didn't subject any other kids to our germs, but as many of you pointed out, there's a stomach bug running rampant in our area right now, so I'm sure the kids (all non-HSers) are already being exposed plenty.

 

Thanks for the input, everyone!