How Families Can Manage Their Children's Sick Days Home From School, Part Two

In part one of this series, we discussed the benefits of a parent's presence during sick days and how to tell if a child should and can stay home from school.

Finding alternatives to staying home

If staying home with the child is untenable, there are other alternatives, including:

- Drop them off with a friend or relative. Getting sick means a trip to the grandparents for millions of American school children. Other family members, such as uncles and aunts, are another solution. Friends of the family can also offer a temporary port in the storm, while parents take care of urgent work responsibilities. The time of the stay can range from an hour to a whole day.

- Use sick child day care Many larger day care centers and children's hospitals offer special "sick child day care" centers that exclusively focus on treating and making sick kids comfortable on a day-by-day basis. But keep in mind that such centers are not recommended for the contagious, the very ill, or children with more serious sicknesses such as pneumonia or strep throat. These children should definitely stay home with their parents.

Experts and health care workers also strongly caution parents to avoid "day care dumping," or dropping a sick child off at regular day care, whenever possible. Doing so places the child at risk of gaining additional sicknesses and even becoming a contagion to the healthy children also in attendance.

Making the most of your sick day together

A day off from school doesn't have to be a day off from learning. Parents can set plans and goals for kids that include educational activities while they're home. The activities don't have to be strenuous or particularly taxing of energy, but they could have educational value, so that the day lost isn't necessarily a day wasted.

1. Reading ahead – children's English and Reading textbooks often have stories not included in their classroom lesson plan that are nonetheless very educational. Reading the story with your child and then discussing its merits and problems allows them to stretch their minds while their bodies heal.

2. Watching educational television – if your household has cable or satellite television, you have access to dozens of educational programs. These provide a worthwhile alternative to cartoons and other children's programs while the child recuperates on the couch. You can watch the program as well, so that the two of you can discuss the events presented.

3. Cooking lunch – The midday meal is a big part of any day home from school. Why not teach the child to cook a meal while they're home? The meal doesn't have to be elaborate – even preparing macaroni and cheese can be educational – and they'll have picked up a value self-sufficiency skill in the meantime.

4. Browsing and researching online – If your child has an upcoming term paper, book report, or other essay due in the coming days or weeks, the day at home can be well put to use doing some advanced research. Your help will allow them to get ready for the writing part, letting it go that much quicker and sooner.

5. Light housekeeping – the housework needs to be done, anyway! Time spent convalescing could lend itself to cleaning a bedroom, rearranging a closet, organizing a card or comic book collection, or any of dozens more pursuits. It also lets a sick child get some light exercise and mental focus that distracts them from their symptoms.

Parents should take into account the child's own amount of energy and overall condition before embarking on any of these activities.

Determining what happens next

Sick days are best taken on a day-by-day basis. Many parents often choose to wait until the night of the sick day or the following morning to take a fresh evaluation of the child's sickness, using the steps listed above as criteria.

School districts also often require certain wellness guidelines be met before a child can be allowed back into the classroom. For example, children battling a stomach flu sometimes cannot return to class until a day or so after the last incident of vomiting or diarrhea. Children with illnesses such as chicken pox or measles often must wait a week or more after the outward signs subside.

Parents can often evaluate other options on the day following a sick day. Children may become ready to attend sick day care, for example, or spend the day with a relative. They may also be ready to spend a half-day at school or day care. Finally, parents should consider their own work obligations and employer policies when determining how to plan their family's day. If another sick day at home is necessary, the protocols can be activated anew, to the best of the parents' and children's abilities.

Michael Kabel is senior staff writer for www.cornerstorkbabygifts.com. Stop by for parenting and baby resources, unique baby gifts, baby gift baskets and baby shower favors.