I took my 9 month old son to the doctor yesterday and she said he has hand, foot and mouth disease. The doctor told me that he can go back to daycare because it is not contagous. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have researched a bit online and everything that I have read says that it is contagous so I don't know whether or not to send him back to daycare or not. One of his class mates broke out in chicken pox 2 weeks ago so I immediately thought he was getting the chicken pox. I hate to put the other kids in danger of getting this because he was quite sick last week with fever, couging and sneezing. Any suggestions?
I alerted the daycare and they told me that it is not a illness that has to be reported per state requirements and that he could come back as long as he has not had a fever for 24 hours. This has really taken a lot of thought and conceration because we have no family or friends nearby to help us and my husband and I have decided to just split the days off. We also didn't want to pass it around at daycare so that he could get it again. He was out most of last week because he had a bad cold with a fever. We decided not to send him to daycare because he just doesn't feel good overall and has been running a low grade fever here and there. Thank you to everyone that replied, this was a tough decision to make. And just so you know, these blisters are not just on the hands, feet or mouth. He actually doesn't have them on any of those areas except for a few on the hands. He actually has about 30 blisters overall which are on his head, face, back, belly, butt, hands, and legs. It is really weird.
Thanks again to everyone!!
Hi J. -
Ask the DayCar Center - they will know all the facts and requirements fr sending him back to school. Sincerely, G.
My 18 month old was also diagnosed with this about a month ago. The doctor said they're only contagious if they have a fever. We got well within a couple of days.
Both my boys & I had it this year. I was also told that once you have the rash & as long as there's no fever, you are no longer contagious. So, I'd send to daycare cause, chances are, everyone there has already been exposed.
I'm a childcare provider, PLEASE keep your child home for at least 24hrs from the time he starts his Rx. I think that Dr's all have different views on this. That said in the past when one child came here with it, it was not to long after that another child would get it. My policy is if your child is put on any Rx they need to stay home untill they have received 3 doses or untill any fevers have passed for 24 hrs. You need to think how you would feel if someone else brought there child to daycare and exposed him to something. Then give them the same consideration you want.
D. F.
My little cousin got this her Kindergarten year of school a couple years ago. Her Mom was told once the fever broke, and she had been on medicine (if perscribed) to wait 24hrs. Also if ANY of the blisters have turned into open wounds KEEP THEM WRAPPED UP AND COVERED!! This is what can spread the disease!! Her Dr. said to just cover and blisters on her hands why at school to help keep the chance of them opening and spreading down. So her Mom wrapped her hands and had her wear gloves... It worked though, she didn't spread it! LOL Good Luck, and TALK to YOUR childcare provider, and see what THEY would like ; )
Not sure what others have responded, but it IS contagious before he shows symptoms and also when he has a fever. By the time the blisters show and you realize it's hand foot and mouth, he's not contagious any more. I guess if one of the blisters broke open though, that might spread it.
If you can keep him home, that would probably be better. If you can't because of your work schedule and he is fever free, it's still safe to send him, although he's probably not feeling his best and may need some mommy time.
Two of my children had Hand, foot, mouth disease - the youngest had it 3 times! The first time we dealt with it, our Dr. said he couldn't go back to daycare until he no longer was breaking out - because it was VERY contagious. But when my youngest had it, her day care said that she could come back and the Dr. said the same thing (and this was the same Dr. as before). They told me that when you have H,F,M disease, you have already exposed everyone before you even break out - before you even know that you have it. The "spots" are usually not too visible and if it hasn't gotten into their mouth and they feel allright, I would say that it is ok to send them back. You will just need to see what the day care says. It is very much like chicken pox as there is not a thing you can do for it - it just has to run its course. Good luck!!
Hi J.,
Sorry this is a late response, but I feel the need to. I am a Veterinary nurse and you need to know that Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is HIGHLY CONTAGEOUS! It spreads like wild fire umongst children. Usually we see this with livestock and it's just as contageous for them too. It is actually a fungus and there is no treatment other than treating symptoms. It's much like the cold or the flu, it has to run it's coarse. Make sure you use dilluted bleach on everything and wash his bedding more often. Use Tylenol and Motrin for fever and painful sores. Usually it can take anywhere from 7 - 14 days to recover from and even though he is feeling better, the fungus can be contageous to others for at least six months after the infection. Which means even when he is better wash his bedding more often and continue to lightly bleach anything and everything you can. I hope this has been of some help. Your little guy is going to be alright, he just needs to get through the fever and sores that develop. Take care.
A. Hatch
My son has had 2 strains of this and I belive that once the fever is gone, it is not contagious. It is a virus that actually incubates in the system for 5-7 days before appearing and this up through the fever is the period of concern but you usually don't know it. The more important issue would be how severe the sores are and how they are affecting him w/feeding, play, etc.
Both my sons have had this at different times. They never got it from each other. What my doctor had told me was that by the time they break out with the blisters they are not contagious anymore. Basically they are contagious before you really notice the symptoms.
Hand,foot and mouth disease is contagous especially in daycare setting. I would not sent him back just yet.
Read my post on 9/17 asking about HFM disease. It is very contagous. I had to have my son out of day care for 8 days and when he returned they told me that 11 children had caught the same thing. It was horrible and he was so sick.
I believe what my Dr. told me was that once you see the rash they are no longer contagious. It is contagious before you even know they have it.
If he is out of the incubation period (I think that is what it is called) he is not contagious, but hand, foot and mouth is definately a contagious disease. My daughter picked it up in daycare 2 years ago just before she went to stay with my sister for a week. Both of my sisters and my mom got it from her. I used to work in a daycare and I have picked it up too. Your daycare has a requirement on the time they have to be out after a child picks up a disease like that. I don't remember what it is, but I would contact them to ask. I hope that you have already notified them that he has it. They have to post it at the daycare so the parents of his classmates can be looking for symptoms too. (They don't say which child has it, just that a child in the school does.)
When my daughter got Hand Foot & Mouth when she was about 4 years old...she wasn't allowed back in daycare by order of the health department for 10 days.
It was a long ten days arranging childcare with family members, friends, and taking her to work.
And alot of popscicles.
We ate alot of popscicles that week.
J. -- HFM is very contagous however it travels so fast that normally by the time you realize your child has it the rest of the children have already been exposed. As long as the fever is gone our daycare does not make you keep them out for this. I would see how your daycare feels about it.
It is absolutely very contagious! Don't go back to that doctor. It is most probable that your child ended up getting it through daycare. It's not life threatening, but can be very painful and annoying for children. Keep your child home, and don't expose this to anymore children. It could just come back to your child again. Inform the daycare as well. Good luck. I hope your child starts feeling better.
As a licenced daycare provider I would not allow a child to return for 3-5days. This is contagious!!! Other children can get it!! You need to make sure you tell your provider this if they are licenced they are required to report it to the state .and they also need to let other parents know so that they know what to look for if their child gets sick
My daughter had it when she was 12 months old. Our doctor told us that it was contagious as long as the rash or bumps were visible. We had to cancel her birthday party b/c we didn't want any of the kids coming to get sick. However, my friends son had it and her doctor said that after the fever is gone it is no longer contagious. We just wanted to be safe and not take the chance of getting other kids sick.
My daughter had hand foot and mouth disease as well, and my understanding is that it is very contagious. But also when she had it, she was miserable because she had the sores in her mouth and wouldn't eat. She wasn't in daycare at that time, but we certainly kept her away from any other children. I can't recall exactly how long it lasted. One piece of advice that a teacher at my dtr's school gave was that when you have a sick child and are considering whether to send them to school/daycare or not is to sort of reverse it. Would you feel comfortable having your healthy child around another child with your kids symptoms? I hope your little boy feels better soon!
Well what he meant was that he's past the contagious point. I'm not exactly sure when that is. When we had it go through the daycare back in 2001, most of the toddlers had it by the time we figured out what it was. At that point they were not actively sick or had runny noses or anything else viral that comes with it. But oh yeah, don't be confused. It is contagious and your baby got it from someone. But at this point there isn't anything you can do.
One of my daycare babies was misdiagnosed with it recently. None of the others got it at all and the spots on her feet have grown and grown until now they have to be surgically removed. So just watch the spots and ask around at daycare and find out if anyone else has had it.
Suzi
If he doesn't have a fever then he is no longer contagious. And all he has left now is the rash which will heal. My son never had any medication for it and all we were told to do was to make sure he stayed hydrated through the fever. Your doctor isn't any less qualified for telling you it isn't contagious becuase if your son is over the fever then he isn't contagious! And that should be in whatever you researched because it was in my research when my son got it. Go to your daycare and explain to him how long he has been without the fever and see if that is long enough to meet their policies. Perosnally it sounds like from all the info you gave that your son only has the last part of Hand foot and mouth and is perfectly safe to be around other children now.
my son had hand,foot,mouth at about 15months old. we were told and everything i read said it was contagious. his dr. told us he could be around other kids after the fever was gone but i don't know that it meant he wasn't contagious anymore, maybe. mine never had sneezing or anything just a fever and lots of really bad blisters on the 3 places but worse on feet and in mouth.
oh, they also said it was still carried in their poop after all other signs were gone for another week or so i think.
OK....here's my super-cynical answer: more & more doctors say "yes" to returning to daycare/school, SIMPLY because they do NOT want to hear the drama of the parents not being able to miss work.
Seriously, I am a childcare provider & for the past 5 years, have repeatedly battled doctors & this issue. I have a handbook from the health department which I base my policies on....which really helps! One of my personal favorites is when a child has a "virus" & they're sent right back to me. Yikes! Fever-free for 24 hours PLEASE!!
