What Should I Do? - A Question for Parents

[mjaclyn]

Tomorrow night we're supposed to attend a friend's 40th anniversary party. The party is 70's themed and I've been fretting about what each member of my family is going to wear for about six weeks. I've finally gotten everything ready including outfits for all four of us and a really cool gift. This past week my son (about 14 months) hasn't been acting like his usual self. He hasn't really had an appetite, has been acting very tired/kind of lethargic and has had about 1 bad diarrhea diaper per day since Tuesday. He hasn't had a fever but this morning developed a rash on his tummy. I called the doctor today and he said that it sounds like a virus and if it's not gone by Sunday/Monday we should bring him in to be seen. In the meantime though, I'm not sure if we should bring him to the party. On the one hand it would be a big let down because of all the preparation it's taken to attend this thing - it's a 3 hour drive each way so it's not our typical outing and there will be about 200 people going. On the other hand, if my son is really sick I don't want to expose him to that kind of atmosphere when he should be resting. I have a feeling that he may just be teething because his molars are coming in. I guess what makes me most nervous about this is his energy level. He's usually crawling all over the place, laughing, playing and bouncing off the walls. For the past few days he's been very tired and will play but not to the level he normally does. He also has been cranky and crying more. Could teething even cause those symptoms? I have a feeling the rash is from a diaper that leaked last night and got all over him (poor thing). Thank goodness we checked on him or else he would have been sleeping in it all night. I'm just not sure what to do at this point. I was thinking of having DH take him in to the doctor tomorrow morning to have him looked at and ask the doctor's opinion about the party. I should have asked him over the phone today but it didn't occur to me until a little while ago and the offices are closed. What would you do?

 

[Pigeon]

Personally, I wouldn't bring him because I know that with my kids, chances would be excellent that we'd end up regretting it.

 

[minniecarousel]

I'd say if the doctor could see him in the morning, do that and see what the doctor says. As disappointing as it may be to not go to the party, no one will have fun if your son is cranky and ill. A 3 hour drive each way is a lot with a sick baby.

Good luck.

 

[terri01p]

 

[sms]

I would take him to a Dr. or ER in the morn. Then make your decision. Hope everything works out for you!

 

[ksjayhawks]

Stay home. If he is not feeling well, he needs to be at home, not riding for 3 hours in a car, expected to go to a party where there will be a ton of people, and then ride 3 hours home again.

Also, if he is still contagious, not sure all the party goers would be very happy with you for knowingly bringing a sick child to a party.

Also, how much fun will it be for you at the party if he is sick?

 

[MoniqueU]

If there is a chance my child is going to be cranky and crying and disturbing other guests, I would stay home. More people need to think of the others out there that shouldn't have to put up with stuff like this. Just going out to eat with screaming babies and toddlers is awful enough but a a huge party like that, i can't even imagine.

 

[SpecialK]

Unless I had a go-ahead from a doctor, I'd stay home. Chances are the car ride will make him crankier and you won't enjoy yourself knowing he's sick.

I know you're disappointed - we've missed social engagements we were really looking forward to when our kids were sick - but sometimes you have no choice.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Tomorrow night we're supposed to attend a friend's 40th anniversary party. The party is 70's themed and I've been fretting about what each member of my family is going to wear for about six weeks. I've finally gotten everything ready including outfits for all four of us and a really cool gift. This past week my son (about 14 months) hasn't been acting like his usual self. He hasn't really had an appetite, has been acting very tired/kind of lethargic and has had about 1 bad diarrhea diaper per day since Tuesday. He hasn't had a fever but this morning developed a rash on his tummy. I called the doctor today and he said that it sounds like a virus and if it's not gone by Sunday/Monday we should bring him in to be seen. In the meantime though, I'm not sure if we should bring him to the party. On the one hand it would be a big let down because of all the preparation it's taken to attend this thing - it's a 3 hour drive each way so it's not our typical outing and there will be about 200 people going. On the other hand, if my son is really sick I don't want to expose him to that kind of atmosphere when he should be resting. I have a feeling that he may just be teething because his molars are coming in. I guess what makes me most nervous about this is his energy level. He's usually crawling all over the place, laughing, playing and bouncing off the walls. For the past few days he's been very tired and will play but not to the level he normally does. He also has been cranky and crying more. Could teething even cause those symptoms? I have a feeling the rash is from a diaper that leaked last night and got all over him (poor thing). Thank goodness we checked on him or else he would have been sleeping in it all night. I'm just not sure what to do at this point. I was thinking of having DH take him in to the doctor tomorrow morning to have him looked at and ask the doctor's opinion about the party. I should have asked him over the phone today but it didn't occur to me until a little while ago and the offices are closed. What would you do?

Please don't expose 200 people to a virus. If the doctor cannot confirm that he is not contagious, you will have to assume he is. And it would be pretty selfish to knowingly bring a sick baby to a party, exposing everybody to the virus.

Let alone your child will probably be miserable.

 

[kellyg403]

No, I would stay home. My rule of thumb was if the baby was sick and I had someplace to go that involved small babies or elderly folks, I would err on the side of caution. Not knowing if he has something similar to Fifth's Disease or other contagious disease, I would feel badly if there was someone there who had a weakened immune system and they fell ill.

Not to mention a three hour drive and cranky, not feeling well baby. Yes, it will be a letdown, but how much fun would you really have if baby was crying or fusing or suddenly started vomiting or diaper explosions. I would be worrying so much I wouldn't have time for fun.

Just my .02 cents!

Kelly

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Please don't expose 200 people to a virus. If the doctor cannot confirm that he is not contagious, you will have to assume he is. And it would be pretty selfish to knowingly bring a sick baby to a party, exposing everybody to the virus.

Let alone your child will probably be miserable.

This. Also, if you have to ask I think you already know the answer.
I hope your child feels better soon.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I think that's an awful lot of on-going symptoms to be just teething. I think he needs to be seen by a pediatrician. In any event, I wouldn't bring a sick baby on a three hour (one way?) car ride or expose all those people to his germs.

 

[mjkacmom]

I would take him to a Dr. or ER in the morn. Then make your decision. Hope everything works out for you!

The thought of bringing a child to the ER who has a little diahrea, no fever, and who is a little cranky is nuts, IMHO. I wouldn't bring him to the doctor, either, because there is nothing the doctor can determine. He might be teething, or he might have a virus. The rash could be from the diaper, or from a virus. What is the doctor going to do? Kids get them all of the time, and there is no medicine that can help.

 

[NHdisneylover]

It is dissapointing to miss a party you were looking forward to, but that is the kind of thing that comes along with parenting.

Personally, I would not take him to the doctor until Monday at the earliest since he is well enough that you are considering taking him on a big outing (meaning to me that you are not alarmed by his condition and this is not an emergency). On the other hand, I would not take him to the party. As others have said he will likely be uncomfortable (unfair to him), cranky (unfair to the other guests and host) and could be contagious (also unfair to the other guests and hosts).
Either all stay home, or one parent stay home with the little guy and the other go with your other child. I hope he feels better soon.

 

[Christine]

I would skip the party. It sounds like a virus and not teething. It doesn't warrant an ER visit but the child probably just needs to stay home. Not to mention you don't need to be exposing 200 people to his virus. Any chance one parent could stay home with the baby and everyone else go so it's not a total wash out for the family?

 

[lovesmurfs]

Tomorrow night we're supposed to attend a friend's 40th anniversary party. The party is 70's themed and I've been fretting about what each member of my family is going to wear for about six weeks. I've finally gotten everything ready including outfits for all four of us and a really cool gift. This past week my son (about 14 months) hasn't been acting like his usual self. He hasn't really had an appetite, has been acting very tired/kind of lethargic and has had about 1 bad diarrhea diaper per day since Tuesday. He hasn't had a fever but this morning developed a rash on his tummy. I called the doctor today and he said that it sounds like a virus and if it's not gone by Sunday/Monday we should bring him in to be seen. In the meantime though, I'm not sure if we should bring him to the party. On the one hand it would be a big let down because of all the preparation it's taken to attend this thing - it's a 3 hour drive each way so it's not our typical outing and there will be about 200 people going. On the other hand, if my son is really sick I don't want to expose him to that kind of atmosphere when he should be resting. I have a feeling that he may just be teething because his molars are coming in. I guess what makes me most nervous about this is his energy level. He's usually crawling all over the place, laughing, playing and bouncing off the walls. For the past few days he's been very tired and will play but not to the level he normally does. He also has been cranky and crying more. Could teething even cause those symptoms? I have a feeling the rash is from a diaper that leaked last night and got all over him (poor thing). Thank goodness we checked on him or else he would have been sleeping in it all night. I'm just not sure what to do at this point. I was thinking of having DH take him in to the doctor tomorrow morning to have him looked at and ask the doctor's opinion about the party. I should have asked him over the phone today but it didn't occur to me until a little while ago and the offices are closed. What would you do?

Umm...Rash on the stomach sounds like strep/scarlet fever to me. I'd definitely see the doctor.

DS was at the peds for his 18 mo checkup once -- had been fine, just a well-check up. The doc had an intern tagging along and I got the feeling she was trying to impress the intern, so she commented on DS's slight rash on his stomach, said to him that she didn't think anything of it, but would test him for strep. Yep, it was strep. My kids always seem to get it in early summer for whatever reason.

ETA: He had no fever at the time of the appointment. Here's an article: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/strep-rash.html

 

[Kimberle]

I would not take that child out of the house unless it was to the Dr's. It could be contagious. How would you feel if he got tons of people sick? If you really want to go, can a grandparent sit?

 

[mjaclyn]

DH is taking the baby to the doctor. I want to make sure it's nothing serious - I ALWAYS err on the side of caution when it comes to my kids. I know asking the question made some of you think that I take my kids out when they're sick and expose other people knowingly but that is NOT the case. IE: I had planned a Princess Tea Party for my DD last Feb. for her and about 15 of her friends. She woke up the morning of the party with a cough, sneezing and runny nose. I called every parent and put the party off an entire week because I didn't want to get the other kids sick. This after having made a TON of food the night before and ordering a princess cake from a local bakery to be delivered that day. Trust me, I am not irresponsible when it comes to their health.

The only reason I even considered still bringing him as of yesterday is because he has not had a fever at all this entire week. He's been a little cranky with some diarrhea and actually hasn't had a bad diaper since Thursday night. If a child is teething and cranky I would still bring him to the party. If a child is sick with a fever and obviously contagious, of course I wouldn't bring him. DH is taking him to the doctor to see if he's simply teething or actually has a virus. The doctor over the phone yesterday said he thought it could be a virus but again, it was over the phone. That's why I decided to have him looked at before making a decision. I know SO many parents who wouldn't think twice about bringing their sick child to a gathering and that is not me.

And the rash is not scarlet fever... It doesn't look like that kind of a rash. I'm almost positive it's from his leaky diaper because the skin there is sensitive and loose stool is very acidic.

 

[golfgal]

I would try giving the baby some tylenol and see if he perks up. If so, he is probably teething. With no fever and just an occasional runny diaper I would still go. He could be eating something that doesn't agree with his stomach.

 

[SandrA9810]

i would think a 3hr car ride would put him to sleep in no time. Just add extra time for frequent pull overs for diaper changes.

Is this being held at a hotel/banquet hall?? If it is, there's tons of places to walk around the grounds, and keep the baby out of the party. Then the two of you could switch off every 30-45mins. And only be there when they do a toast or at the start of dinner. That way no one really misses out. And the baby stays out of contagious way. If it's being held at a home, like out on a large ranch, then i'd say no cause there isn't any where to do to keep him out of the crowd.