If your 7 year old had a "cough" but otherwise seemed well, would you send them to school?

Question

or let them have the day off & play computer games all day instead?

Answer 1

No send them, they will get in the habit of using that excuse if they can get away with it. More than likely & very soon, your child will have to stay home for worse things like fever, vomiting, tummy viruses then they will probably sleep most of the day not play ...

Answer 2

No send them to school. All kids get a cough at some stage, if you kep him/her off school for a menial cough they will start think they can stay off school for any slight ailment! A cough never hurt anyone. If they are well otherwise there is no reason to keep them off. Obviously if it persists or gets worse (the cough) go and take them to the doctor. But letting them play computer games all day because of a cough is not right.

Answer 3

My 5yr son also has a cough but i have sent him to school as a cough is a cough if there was anything else with it a temp or sickness or earache then i would let him stay at home on the sofa with a duvet not playing comp games! kids need to toughen up send him to school or he will grow up into a man who will take sick days over any little thing

Answer 4

rreally it would depend - has the cough lasted longer than a few days? has it gotten more severe? is anything being coughed up? as a mom use your best judgement - docs can be expensive and so can the meds - if it can be taken of with otc cough meds that is your best option - however if it persists or gets worse than a trip to the doc may be in order - just use your best judgement - it is that time of year so it may just be the weather change. oops - i thought it read send them to the doc - ok - school, well i would send them to school and if it got worse or the nurse thought otherwise i am sure they would call.

Answer 5

If they are sick they should stay in bed resting no computer games nothing fun at all. Staying home shouldn't feel like a vacation or they may have a cough much more often.
A cough is usually the end of a cold so they aren't contagious so if they don't want to spend the day resting in bed they can go to school.

Answer 6

I would give them non drowsy cough medicine and send then to school. If they still had the cough after a week then take them to the doctors. If they got any other symptoms in the mean time I would also take them to the doctors straight away and then keep them off school.

Answer 7

I always sent mine to school unless they were obviously unwell.
It's not a matter of spreading their germs - there are so many around anyway! If you kept them home every time they had a sniffle or a cough they'd spend half the winter at home. It helps the kids build up their immunity anyway.
It also helps instill in the child a good work ethic; hopefully they'll grow up realising that you can't take a day off work every time you're a bit under the weather.

Answer 8

If its a persistent cough that keeps them up at night i would check it out. My two kids both have asthma and sometimes up for a couple of hours at night coughing if they have a cold. I send them to school if its nothing more than a dry cough, the schools are getting really tough on parents who are keeping their kids home from school.

Answer 9

Got a fever?
His mucus is green?
Got a runny nose?
His throat seems swollen?
He's lost his appetite?
Suddenly lost all of his energy and doesn't feel well?
Arrived home completely wet and cold the night before?

My diagnosis: Common cold and a threat to other kids.

If not, someone is being too overprotective and shouldn't make a huge hassle out of it unless the kid gets a lot worse over the night.

Just remember that no decent doctor is gonna prescribe your kid antibiotics if he's showing signs of an ordinary cold which over 90% of the times is caused by a virus and therefore antibiotics are a useless waste of money.
I rarely went to a doctor as a kid when I got a cold. Just a pil to lower the fever if it causes me back pain, a lot to drink, kleenex and tv.

Answer 10

I would use a scope to look into their throat and ears for redness. Kids can also cough due to indigestion. I would have to take their temperature too. School is important. They can play on the computer after they get their masters degree and start their own company, maybe have a kid or 2.