Go to school or stay home? Guidelines help parents decide

Kids, especially younger ones, seem to get colds all the time.

But where should parents draw the line when it's time to decide how sick is too sick to go to school or day care?

It can be confusing and troubling, too, if you're supposed to go to work and don't have backup child care.

Here's a list of some of the most common symptoms, followed by advice drawn from WebMD.com, Parenting.com, BabyCenter.com, the Snohomish Health District, and the Washington State Department of Health to help you make the right decision.

When in doubt, always go with your gut. If you suspect your child is too sick to participate in school, stay home and call your doctor's office to see if your child needs a professional evaluation.

Fever: If your child doesn't seem to feel well and has an oral temperature of 100 degrees or higher, stay home.

Though some health authorities put the magic number for a fever at 100.4 degrees or higher, child care centers in Washington are required by law to send kids home if they have a fever of 100 degrees or higher and they also have earache, headache, sore throat, rash or fatigue that prevents their participation in regular activities.

Fever can indicate flu, especially when accompanied by sore throat, cough, body aches, headache or fatigue.

Keep your child home until he seems to feel normal and has been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication such as Tylenol.

Vomiting: If your child vomits two or more times in 24 hours, keep her home. Watch for signs of dehydration such as dark yellow urine.

Diarrhea: Keep your child home if there are three or more watery stools within 24 hours. If you see blood in the stool, call the doctor.

Red eyes: If your child's eyes are only slightly pink and the discharge is clear, allergies are likely. Yellow or green goop, however, could mean your child has pink eye, a highly contagious infection known as conjunctivitis.

Stay home until the goopiness dries up. Though antibiotics can help with bacterial infections, most pink-eye cases are viral and go away on their own.

Rash: Though some skin conditions and allergies can cause rashes or redness (especially among infants), children with unexplained skin rashes should stay home from school and see a doctor to rule out infectious diseases, especially if the rash arrives with other symptoms such as a fever.

Cough: Persistent, phlegmy coughs, especially when seen in a cranky or lethargic child, are cause for staying home and, possibly, a trip to the doctor because of a risk of bronchitis, flu or pneumonia.

When the cough improves and your child is feeling better, it's OK to go back to school. Don't wait for the cough to disappear entirely: It can take a week or longer.

Sore throat: Minor sore throats and runny noses are usually permissible in school. But if your child also has swollen glands or a fever, strep throat is a possibility and a visit to the doctor is a good idea.

Children with strep throat should be on antibiotics for 24 hours and be fever-free before returning to school.

Fatigue: If your child is so tired or irritable that she can't participate in regular activities or if she is sleeping far more than usual and doesn't want to eat or drink, consider staying home.

Before sending your child back to school after an illness, check the policies of your school or child care center. Rules vary.

Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037; sjackson@heraldnet.com.