My son has a cold and daddy is freaking out?

Question

I asked in this section because i get better anwers. H is a little over 2 1/2 and when h lays down it's a little worse. whn he is standing up he seem ok except a runny nose. he's got a cough as well. Anyway, my son goes to daycare (or school as we call i) part-time. My fiance called me to ask me if i was taking him to school today and i said yes. He wants me to take our son to the doctor over a cold and i refused. he said it's not normal to have a cough. i told him that normal people get coughs all the time and i have one right now too. There is nothing a doctor can do for a cold and he insists on me bringing him and wants me to stay home form worrk until he is better. He miight not be better for at least a week ( we all know how colds are). anyway, i still have to pay part-time for daycare even if he's not there, i can't afford to stay home and i believe my son is fine other than a cold. So, let me get your opinions please

BTW sorry how this is all smashed together lol

Answer 1

Your fiance sounds a lot like my husband. For the sake of marital bliss, at least call the doctor's office and ask to speak to a nurse. Describe your son's symptoms and ask at what point she would recommend bringing him in. That way you can let your fiance know the criteria that demands a visit. In the meantime assure him that you're doing everything possible to keep your son comfortable until the cold passes. (Humidifier, vicks, puffs, peppermint tea, lots of liquids and vitamin C....you know the drill.)



My daughter is not in day care, so I'm not familiar with what the common practices are, but I am surprised at a policy that promotes bringing sick kids to day care. Are there no day cares that say keep your sick kids home and we won't charge for the days you miss? Everyone would stay healthier and miss less days overall......

Answer 2

If your son starts getting a fever over 38C, I would take him to the doctor.

Babies do get coughs unfortunately. Maybe you could take your son to the doctor just to reassure your fiance (I know it's a pain).

You're right, there is nothing the doctor will be able to do about a cold. It has to run its course unfortunately. Perhaps if this comes from the doctor, your fiance will feel better.

Colds can look scary on babies because they have such tiny bodies and as a parent, you really feel terrible, you just want to take it away, so it's good to see that your fiance really cares and worries (maybe a bit too much but it's only natural).

It might be a good idea to keep your son at home so that he doesn't pass this cold onto the other children, but it's not always easy for everyone to take time off work for that purpose.

My 8-month old daughter has the flu (not a cold, the flu!), she has been very ill. She had a fever to start with but that's ok now. She has had a cough for about a week and wouldn't eat for several days. That's what the flu does. It is very scary and I haven't stopped worrying but she's getting better. The cough is still there but going away slowly. Tell your fiance that plenty of babies have had coughs and lived through it. Out of interest, what does he think the cough indicate? Is he worried about a secondary infection?

Answer 3

Your instincts are probably right, it sounds like just a virus (cold). Lots going around right now. Unless his cough persists for several days, or sounds like a bark, I wouldn't worry either. And they can't stay home from daycare every time they have a sniffle or you would miss a ton of work! Unless his nasal discharge is green, or he is too unwell to go or has a fever, he is fine. Tell your fiance he can stay home with him if he's so worried.



You can give him vitamin C and echinacae (we use Deep Immune Kids) - I give my daughter some every day and she will be 3 in March.



Good luck,and hope he feels better soon.



Edit - a baby will be in dire straits if they don't drink for 24 hours, but a 2.5 year old MAY be fine if they are monitored constantly. My 2.5 year old has a severe case of the flu right now. She vomited 6 times yesterday, in 12 hours and only peed twice all day. She couldn't even keep pedialyte down. I phoned telehealth and was going to take her to emerg, but they said to treat her at home and as long as she was peeing every 8-10 hours, her mouth was wet, had tears, and was drinking 2-3tsps every 5 minutes, she's fine. I did not take her in and she is perfectly fine today. So to say it's life threatening for a two and a half year old is incorrect.

Answer 4

A cold to an adult may seem like nothing, but a cold to a baby/child could turn dangerous. Their bodies are so little and haven't built up the immunities that we adults have, so illnesses of any sort affect them worse than us.



You really should listen to your fiance and take yourson to the doctor even if it is "just a cold" to make SURE that it is, in fact, "just a cold". You're not a doctor so you can't make that call yourself.



BTW: Did you know that if a child is sick and doesn't take any fluids for a day, it's life threatening and they'll have to be hospitalized? It can happen quicker than you'd think, over what seemed to be something as simple as a cold.



No, there's nothing that can be done for a cold but a trip to the doctor can tell you if it's more than just a cold or not. Since your son can't tell you what is wrong, the only signs you have are the obvious ones, like runny nose and cough.



Noah's Mommy: Doesn't matter. Can a 2 1/2 year old still accurately tell their parents what is wrong with them? Babies and young children can have viral infections that look an awful lot like colds. Don't take him to the doctor, but if you do that, don't send him to the daycare. Perhaps to a 2.5 year old it ISN'T life-threatening, but take that child to the daycare and other children will catch it if he's contagious. Babies and children with compromised immune systems are therefore being put at risk from one child, even if you think it IS just a cold. Just take him to the doctor and make sure he's not contagious. Be considerate of other parents and children at that same daycare.

Answer 5

i agree with you. some ppl are just more likely to run to the dr. with every little sniffle. I bet your fiance's mom took him to the dr. a lot. My hubby is the same way. if he thinks your son needs to go to the dr. then take him with you or just have him take your son to the appointment that way he knows first hand that the dr said it's nothing. as a matter of fact i just took my 2 month old in for her check up and she has had a cough and stuffy nose and i asked her about it and she said that its just something well have to deal with. that the only thing that will make it better is time and maybe a humidifier in her room at night.

Answer 6

I totally agree with the ignorance is bliss person.... That is EXACTLY why my son is not in daycare. Its really wrong to purposely and knowingly infect other kids. Making the decision to not take him to the dr. is understandable because he is your kid, but when you don't isolate him until he is well, you are making a decision that effects all the other families.

Answer 7

Baybomber - he's 2 1/2, definitely not a baby anymore so a cold isn't life threatening!



Anyway, I agree with you. I didn't rush Noah to the doctor earlier this month when he had a stuffy/snotty nose. It would have been pointless, especially since he had little to no fever. Like you said, there isn't anything that can be done for a cold/cough. It just has to run its course. I do think it's cute that your fiance is so worried about your son!

Answer 8

yeah, so colds are SUPER annoying! we all hate them, but there really isn't anything we can do for them besides doing everything we can to make it comfortable as possible to get thru



the last time we had horrible colds, i went over to walgreens and bought the sea salt water sinus flushers......and they seemed to help with stuffiness and snot



the cough can be helped by boiling off some hot water and making sure the air isn't dry, everybody has that problem in the winter



i agree that you shouldn't waste your time at the doctor

Answer 9

Why are you bringing your sick son to daycare. People like you are why children in daycare cannot stay well. If your son is sick, he needs to stay home. I know I would be pissed if someone brought a snotty, coughing, cold into my childs daycare room. The babies father is right. Keep him home.

Answer 10

I bet this cold is making the rounds at daycare. If you still have to pay if he's not there, send him. You're going to waste time and money going to the doctor and staying home. Prop his head up at night so the mucous runs back.

Answer 11

I have twin babies -one with a VSD and getting sick could kill her........So they cant even go to daycare because of parents like you who drop of sick kids! Sorry to sound so mean but it is the truth......