Sick Etiquette
I wish Nora was opening a book about sick etiquette.
I wish there was a book for sick etiquette. They have all sorts of books about how to eat, what to wear, and what to bring to social functions but they have yet to have a book about what to do with your sick child.
When Nora was two months old she got pink eye for the first time. Well, I suspected it; but it had yet to be confirmed. I also had a social engagement that I seriously could not miss. It would have looked very bad if I wasn’t there. I talked with a few friends to get their advice. One said that I absolutely should not go because there was the risk of infecting others. Another friend said it was just pink eye and not life threatening if she was to pass it. Finally I called the nurse advice line and they got me an appointment for later in the afternoon and gave me permission to go to my social function.
I swaddled Nora so she couldn’t touch her eyes and so no one could touch her hands. I had an accomplice who knew what was going on and she touched door knobs, etcetera for me so that I didn’t have to touch anything. I did not let anyone hold Nora and kept her swaddled the whole time. We stayed the minimum amount of time and then left
So I have to admit, I have brought a sick baby around others. But, I feel like I was really smart about it. In the past three weeks the two times that I have brought Nora to a play group around other kids she has gotten sick. She got croup the first time and now she has an upper respiratory infection from H-E-double hockey sticks. I try not to be mad, but seeing Nora in pain tears me apart. I have chosen to keep her at home (and not let her interact with others) until she is better so other Mom’s don’t have to go through the heartbreak we are going through. Why aren’t others as considerate?
What do you understand sick etiquette to be?
Oh goodness, kids are so darn contagious it’s crazy! Sorry about poor Nora getting sick…when mine are not feeling well I keep them home and attempt not to catch whatever they have.
I feel your pain, but you have to understand that even taking Nora to target can get her sick. It’s SUPER annoying when you go somewhere and you see an OBVIOULSLY sick child in the midst, THAT you can be irritated over. Otherwise, I guess being a little chill over sickies all over the place is just part of being a mom. You do what you can and the rest just happens.
Por thing. I’m so sorry
I am currently feeling your pain right now Kelly. I’m like you, if Sayle can get someone else sick then I would like to keep him away from others-it is just common courtesy. I would be understanding if the child was in the starting stages of an illness and their parents didn’t know they were sick, but I would be mad if someone knew their child was sick and still took them out.
I guess it all comes down to parental etiquette. You were in a situation that you had to be there so you stayed for a decent amount of time, you checked with the doctor first, and took steps to ensure Nora didn’t get anyone else sick. I think you just wrote the book! Will you sign a copy for me?
Sarah,
Kids are so contagious! I guess it’s the putting everything in their mouth thing. My mom says I should be washing Nora’s hands more. It’s a little hard to manage with her being dead weight, lol, but in the end I think it is worth it.
Jessica,
I agree with you. There are sickies all over the place. I see them all the time at the commissary, Target, Wal-Mart, you name it. There appears to be no sick etiquette with strangers in todays world… but with family and friends I think there should be. Especially when you know you’re going to be in a confined place with children playing with the same toys. I think my cousin handled it perfectly this weekend. We had a scheduled play date and she emailed me to let me know Calvin had been sick all week, but was beginning to feel better. She told me his symptoms and let me decide if it was worth the risk.
Brooke,
I totally agree with you about being in the early stages vs. actually knowing they are sick. Sometimes fever, etc is just teething and totally not even being sick. That would suck to miss out on something just because of a little tooth!
Kelly