[mamma_anna]

It's cold and flu season and we all know schools are germ factories. So I'm wondering......

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year?
What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course) For sending them back?
Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy?
How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs?

[krislati]

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year? None yet this year, she was sent home once though. Typical 2 or 3 days a year
What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course) For sending them back? Fever or vomiting. Or just feeling really lousy, fever has to be gone. Vomitting stopped.
Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy? We use a ton of clorox wipes and sanitizer.
How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs? about a 8, their nurse is really strict about fevers.

[LovinMyGirls]

It's cold and flu season and we all know schools are germ factories. So I'm wondering......

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year?

Natalie was out 2 days for Strep. Arianna was out 2 separate times once for a chest cold and once for a fever/sore throat Usually 2-3 times a year.


What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course)
Fevers, throwing up or just feeling bad. For sending them back? All of the above gone

Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy? Hand sanitizer

How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs? Good

[Mom2Brendan]

Missed only 2 days so far as he could have gone on both days because even tho he had a fever the day before and there is a rule fever under 24 hrs stay home so it was like 6 hrs since his previous fever but he didn't run a fever for the rest of the day so it was like he was well at home but I was nervous of the fever coming back at school.

Second time was was supposed to be his first day back to school after Christmas break but he was complaining of a tummy ache even tho he didn't have fever so I kept him home because usually tummy aches with him mean he is going throw up and so he didn't. His tummy got better and at noon he was was wishing he went to school.

[Lucia_mommy]

Originally Posted by mamma_anna

It's cold and flu season and we all know schools are germ factories. So I'm wondering......

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year?
What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course) For sending them back?
Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy?
How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs?

This year as in 2012? She's had only 1 so far, a stomach flue two weeks ago. Josephine, me and DH all had it too.
Usually she has about 15 a year I'd say; 3 weeks in total, she often catches on colds and virusses and stuff and she's got some allergies.
My criteria: Fever or something contagious, or when I can tell she's really feeling sick/tired as in: if I sent her to school she would be too sick to cooperate or learn anything from it. OR sometimes when she's very tired/sad I will keep her home for a day to 'recharge her batteries' even if she isn't really sick... it helps her function better after. Sometimes she just needs some alone time with mommy.

sneding them back: She doesn't have to be a 100% healthy again, but I'd say about 90. Often the last bit wears off while being back into a daily rhytm again.
I don't do much extra, but I give them a tangerine/orange or kiwi every day.
The school: I don't think they do much.. I'm not sure what they could do.

Wow I notice Anna has a lot of sick days in compare to the answers above! I'm not sure about Josephine yet; she only started school when she turned 4, which was after the christmas holidays (January 5th was her first day at school).
Anna had some really bad viruses last year (pneumonia included) that she really had to stay home for two weeks, and the other 5 I counted from 'loose days' lol, but I"m hoping this year she will miss less.

[clouise]

Matt has missed two days and Beth has been one.

I keep them home if they are throwing up, have a fever, have something like pink eye, or just started antibiotics for anything. Or if they look so poorly that I think they couldn't keep up with the class. For just your run of the mill colds I send them on.

[Mommie2One]

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? Nope. He hasn't missed one minute of school the entire year so far and hasn't been sick at all either.

About how many do they typically have in a year? NEVER more than 3, typically 1-2.

What's your criteria for keeping them home? He must either be vomiting, diarrhea or have a fever over 101. If he doesn't meet one of those he's in school. I'm very strict in that school is his job right now and you better be close to dying before you miss "work"...whether it's school or a paying job. But I hold myself to the same standards as well.

For sending them back? No vomiting, no diarrhea and no fever over 101.

Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy? Nope. We practice good hand washing, good sleep habits, and healthy diets throughout the year regardless of summer or winter.

How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs? No better or worse than any other I guess. There's hand sanitizer in the classrooms and Kleenex in the classrooms, and they're good about sending letters home if there is an outbreak of something. Scarlet Fever and strep went around his class 4 different times last year each. We never got them, but got home plenty of letters last year that's for sure. But both times they had the janitorial staff go in and sanitize the classroom so I'd say they adhere to the normal protocols.

[Jaidynsmum]

None of my kids have been sick during term time bar the usual coughs and colds. My kids seem to have immune systems of steel My eldest is 16 and I can probably count on one hand the amount of school she's missed through illness in 11 years!
On average they have no sick days!
To stay home they'd have to be running a fever/vomitting/diarrhea etc, but none of them have ever been sick in the school terms. Just their luck that if they ever get sick they're off school anyway! As for sending them back, the schools here want kids to be vomit/diarrhea free for 48 hours before returning, so I'd have to wait that out.
I don't do anything different this time of year.
I'd say the school handles it all as good as any other in the county, they have to or the council would be asking questions!!

[Kimchi]

My kids rarely miss school, maybe 1 day a year, if that, due to sickness (they do miss school however for vacations )

We follow the guidelines that the school puts out in the handbook regarding sickness, which seems to be the same as what the others have posted.

We don't do anything special to keep them well this time of year that we wouldn't do throughout the year. They eat healthy foods, take vitamins, and get plenty of sleep and that seems to do the trick for us.

[Mommie2One]

Originally Posted by Lucia_mommy

Usually she has about 15 a year I'd say; 3 weeks in total, she often catches on colds and virusses and stuff and she's got some allergies.
.

WOW!! 15 days? You run a huge risk of being held back a grade here if you miss anymore than 10...and if you miss anymore than 10 you have to have a note from the doctor or a sit down with the principal on why your child has missed that many days. You're lucky your district/state allows that many.

[Momof4Boyz]

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year? Not this year, our worst cold came over Christmas break! We typically have 1-3 a year.
What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course) For sending them back? That's really hard to say, it's not set in stone, I just base it on how they look/act in the morning. If I can tell they are better they go if it's obvious they'll be calling me by noon I don't bother.

Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy? Vitamins and vitamin C, plus we carry hand sanitizer everywhere. I have noticed a huge improvement in our amount of sicknesses since I've been making them sanitize after every stop/store.
How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs? They're pretty quick to jump on it, Joe got sick at school a few weeks ago (I think it was just upset belly since he didn't have a fever or anything) but they sent him right home - Jayden too!

[Cesca]

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year? None for Sean so far this year. *cross fingers* He's not usually too sick but last time he was in public school (09-10 school year) he got bronchitis that turned into pneumonia so he was out a LOT that winter.

What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course) For sending them back? Puke & fever. That's it. Headaches (on rare times he gets one) are given meds and he goes anyway. For going back has to be puke/fever free for 24 hrs.

Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy? Not really.

How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs? I dunno but since he's not been sick yet, I'd say pretty good.

[D@mnedYankee]

Have your kids had any sick days yet this year? About how many do they typically have in a year?
Amber's missed 2 days this school year for being sick
What's your criteria for keeping them home? (aside from doctor's orders of course) For sending them back?
24hrs after starting antibiotics and w/o fever. Also if she is well enough to drive me insane...if she can run me ragged she can go annoy her teacher lol
Do you do anything extra this time of year to try and keep them healthy?
eh not really, we just had a baby so we have a ton of hand sanitizer around also I am a SAHM now so I am cleaning and disinfecting the house more then before when I was working
How would you rate their school for handling illnesses and preventing the spread of germs?
on a 1-10... I would say a 8. There doesnt seem to be a constant string of illness going around the school like at our last duty station but they dont really notify us when there is something going around.

[pauriemmo]

Somehow, my son has managed to have perfect attendance this school year. Last year, he probably missed 4-6 days. I keep him home if he has a fever, a really bad cough or if he has a stomach bug.

I won't send him back till his fever has been gone for 24 hours. That's what his doctor suggests, that way he doesn't spread it.

[Lucia_mommy]

Originally Posted by Mommie2One

WOW!! 15 days? You run a huge risk of being held back a grade here if you miss anymore than 10...and if you miss anymore than 10 you have to have a note from the doctor or a sit down with the principal on why your child has missed that many days. You're lucky your district/state allows that many.

Really? I've never heard of a limit here in primairy school. I probably missed half a year when I was a child; I had a lot of problems with my lungs

[clouise]

Originally Posted by Lucia_mommy

Really? I've never heard of a limit here in primairy school. I probably missed half a year when I was a child; I had a lot of problems with my lungs

Yes, they're very strict in most places now. The only way you could really get away with that many is with a serious illness. Something like cancer...not a few colds.