Do you let your kids go out with a fever?

[ashersmommy]

Maybe I'm old-fashioned in my thinking (I'm not that old lol) but with all of these super-bugs, etc. going around and this year being a particularly bad one overall for flu, I am cautious with my kids going out and make them wash their hands after things like school or community events we go to. I also advise them not to stick their hands in their mouth, nose (good advice anyway lol), or to touch their eyes while we are out unless they wash their hands first. I'm not that big a germ-a-phobe usually, but there are certain precautions I exercise.

That said, I am thoroughly pissed today. Every time I see our friends in a get together lately, my kids catch something because someone is ALWAYS sick when we get there and should have stayed home.

If my kid has a persistent cough/sneeze/fever/rash, I let the parents know ahead of time to ask if they would like us to take a rain check and 97% of the time stay home just to be on the safe side if it is something they contracted within the past 48 hours.

A couple of months ago we ventured out to a birthday party only to find that 4 of the 6-7 kids there either had coughs and excessively runny noses, had been puking two days earlier or active, just-diagnosed-at-the-med-station-before-they-arrived pink eye. The child with pink eye was a teenager and played a tablet in the car for a half hour while his parents still conversed and ate cake, then left.

Less than a week later, my oldest contracted pink eye in both eyes despite never coming anywhere near the boy.

Last night one of my friends showed up with her baby and not 10 minutes after she arrived, announced she had a 102 fever from teething (she said she had no other symptoms). I gently told her my pediatrician said anything 101 and higher was NOT teething but she disagreed (nicely but still...). Aside from throwing her out of my house, my hands were tied. I did not want to be mean.

Throughout the night, her daughter whined and cried profusely accompanied by a continuously drippy nose, coughs and big droopy, sad eyes. My heart broke for her but at the same time I was furious with the laid back attitude her parents took with the whole thing.

The worst part? She kept trying to get the babies (mine and hers) to play together when all I wanted was to whisk mine away. I did eventually because Kyla's bed time is fairly early and to my luck she stayed asleep during the rest of their visit. I washed anything she touched and Lysol'd like a mad woman. Am I a little neurotic? Maybe, but I don't care. My family's health comes first.

I did a little research and teething and fever are really a myth that is as old as ancient times. Fever is an indicator of some virus or infection, be it small without other symptoms or large like last night. Still, many continue to believe despite research that teething goes hand in hand with fever.

I didn't used to ask if anyone was sick because I thought it was always assumed parents would tell you or not come if kids/adults are sick, but after last night, I'm going to start.

Do you let your kids go out with a fever? Do you call ahead for play dates and "get togethers" to ask if anyone is sick?