Ask Blogging Baby: taking a not-very-sick child to the museum?

Food poisoning doesn't tend to produce a fever.



I don't, as a rule, take my kids to other kid places when they have fevers. I'd rather not expose the others to something my kid has, and when the kid has a fever, he or she is contagious. Plus, feverish kids can go from feeling ok to pretty darned lousy in the span of moments.



I have been known to take a kid with a cough or a clear runny nose to a museum or zoo, though.

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Has your child had rash or other symptoms of Kawasaki's disease? Persistent fever is one of the symptoms, and it could be serious, so-- I'm supportive of whatever you think as the mother regarding whether he should be out and about, but we just had a Kawasaki's scare so I'm on a campaign to ask moms to be sure to check into it! Best wishes!

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As far as I know a cold by day ten is no longer contagious (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/000678.htm)

so except for being concerned with the possibility of a bacterial infection, what harm is there? Okay, yeah snot on shared surfaces that is just gross for others, but that is there anyway.

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I don't think you should take him if he's still running a fever, regardless of how "well" he feels.

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I would absolutely not allow any child with a fever over 100 and a virus of any kind to go out to a public place. You don't know if someone that works there, or a visitor there is immunodeficient. Someone on Chemo, for example, might get terribly sick from your child. What you consider mild could be life threatening to someone else. I wouldn't risk it and the guilt would kill me anyhow.

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Please, please don't take your sick child to the museum! Even if he is not 'very sick', think about how you would feel if another mom did the same and as a result, you were left dealing with an unexplained fever for 10 days (which may not have affected your childs energy level, but may really affect another child!). Pediatricians generally agree that your child is contagious until they have been fever-free for 24 hours (w/out the aide of medicines). What you also should consider is not just the children at the museum, but the people in their lives - newborn babies, elderly family members, etc. to whom whatever your son has may be much more serious. I personally am very careful with who I expose my kids to when I know they are even a little sick, especially if they've been running a fever. I feel that it is selfish to be otherwise.

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Will your child be making out with the other visitors?



Honestly I think of colds and fevers and yes, even the flu, as necessary evils of life. And every person I know who is militant about keeping fevers and other 'sick' children away from their 'healthy' children has sick children way more than the rest of us.



Kids are contagious before they ever show any symptoms, even fever. You can not stop children from getting sick some of the time so don't fight it.

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As a mom of a child with chronic health issues, I beg you NOT to take him.



For your child a simple fever is just that - a simple fever. But for someone with heart defects, a "simple" fever becomes quite complex. If they can't pinpoint the source, we're sent for a chest xray and bloodwork to rule out heart infection. Sometimes they'll even admit us until the bloodwork comes back (depends on the pediatrician on call).



We either have to keep our child indoors and away from everyone or have to depend on all the other families to not take their sick kids out.



Just our experience ...

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if he were in daycare or school, most require that kids be fever-free for 24 hours before taking them back. i think the same rule probably should apply for taking them to museums/birthday parties/playgroups and the like. sorry.

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