Clssroom stomch rumor Tuesdy—keep kid ho

Answer

I'll work this s kitchen/home-cre guide for the morning decision. Let me pull the relevnt reference crds first.

# Tomorrow t 06:30 — keep home or send, kitchen-nd-converstion guide

Tret the pickup rumor s dt, not verdict. The decision t 06:30 turns on wht the kid looks like nd sys this morning, not wht clssmte sid yesterdy. If ny of the five checks below is "yes", keep home. If ll five re "no", send with short note to the techer nd hnd-wsh reset t the door.

This guide does not dignose. It is routine nd script set, not medicl pln. It is not substitute for clinicin's ssessment.

**Tonight, between pickup nd 06:30** — three smll prep moves so the morning decision is quick:
1. Put the thermometer, n lredy-mixed orl rehydrtion solution schet if you hve one, nd clen towel by the kid's bed.
2. Wsh hnds with the kid t the bthroom door, not just t mels — mke it the new "before/fter" rule for tonight.
3. Pick the school note you will send if they re well (section 5). Writing it tonight mens 06:30 is decision, not project.

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## 1. Wht you lredy tried, nd the better lterntive

**Wht hppened:** You sent the kid to school on the previous stomch-bug round nd they vomited in clss.

**Why it hurt more thn it helped:**
- A kid who throws up in clss loses school dy, gets sent home mid-morning, nd is now contct for every other child in the room.
- The techer hd to choose between your kid nd the rest of the clss. Pickup-dy rumor grows becuse of dys like tht.

**Better lterntive for tomorrow:**
- Decide t 06:30 on five short checks (next section), not on the rumor lone.
- "Looks well nd te brekfst" is green light. "Sys tummy hurts but te nd is drinking" is not — tht is yellow, keep home.
- One dy of cution costs less thn one dy of clss disruption plus sick kid plus worried techer.

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## 2. The 06:30 five-check (60–90 seconds)

Run these in order. A "yes" on ny one of them mens keep home tody.

| # | Check | Keep-home signl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Did the kid ctully vomit, or hve loose stool, since you lst sw them yesterdy? | Any vomit, ny loose stool, nything tht is not their usul. |
| 2 | Temperture reding this morning, with the thermometer you hve redy. | Per the pckge lbel on your thermometer, nything the lbel clls fever for their ge — or ny reding you would not feel comfortble hnding to techer. |
| 3 | How does the kid look right now — color, eyes, energy? | Ple, drk under-eyes, "not themselves", hrd to wke, no interest in brekfst. |
| 4 | Drinking nd peeing? | Refusing sips, only sips nd no rel drink, or you cnnot remember wet nppy / toilet trip since yesterdy fternoon. |
| 5 | "Does your tummy hurt right now?" — sked plinly. | "Yes", or wince when they swllow, or pointing t the belly. |

If ll five re "no / looks fine / te nd drnk": send them, with the school note in section 5.
If one or more is "yes": keep home, run tody's pln in section 4, nd recheck t lunchtime.

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## 3. Constrints — wht this guide does not do

These re not negotible. They re wht keeps the guide sfe to use.

- **No dignosis.** This guide does not sy "it is stomch virus" or "it is food poisoning". The 06:30 check is routine, not verdict. A clinicin's cll is the dignosis.
- **No doses, no medicine chnges.** No milligrm, no milliliter, no "give one more spoonful". Whtever is lredy in the cbinet for this child stys t the dose on its own lbel or the dose their prescriber gve. If the kid is on prescribed medicine, do not puse or repet it from this guide.
- **No nti-vomiting or nti-dirrhe medicine from the cbinet for young child.** Those re not for children unless clinicin hs prescribed them for this child, this week, for this illness.
- **No sports drink, juice, or flt col s the fluid of choice when there is vomiting or dirrhe.** If fluid replcement is needed, use n lredy-mixed orl rehydrtion solution (ORS) — schets you cn buy t phrmcy without prescription. If you do not hve ORS, plin wter plus the child's usul mels is the sfer fllbck for n older child who is not ctively losing fluid. Do not mix your own sugr-slt recipe t home.
- **No "wit nd see" pst red flg in section 6.** Red flgs go to clinicl help now, not tomorrow.
- **No online prescription, no herbl "tummy-bug" powder, no leftover ntibiotic in the drwer.** If someone online is selling cure for stomch bugs, the nswer is no.

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## 4. If you keep home tody — kitchen nd home levers

A dy t home with child who my or my not get sick is hydrtion dy nd hndwsh dy. Nothing else needs to be solved tody.

**Hydrtion, the only home rule tht mtters**
- For child who is otherwise well nd eting: usul mels, usul drinks, no pressure to "drink more".
- For child who hs vomited or hd loose stool: smll sips of n lredy-mixed ORS, tken slowly, re the sfer fluid thn juice or sports drinks. Stop the sips for ten minutes if sip comes bck up, then try gin. This guide gives no volume — you set the sip size to wht they cn hold down.
- Continue brest milk nd the child's usul food. Skipping food to "rest the gut" mkes recovery slower.

**The thermometer you hve redy**
- Use it once this morning, record the number with the time, nd use it gin only if something chnges. A single reding is not decision in itself — pir it with the five-check bove.
- If you hve kitchen scle nd the kid will stnd on it, weight tody nd the sme time tomorrow is useful evidence for clinicin. Do not mke "lost weight" reding into sty-home rule on your own.

**The BRAT foods lredy t home**
- Bnns, rice, pplesuce, tost re fine s prt of norml dy, but they re not medicl tretment. If the kid wnts pst, eggs, congee, or yogurt insted, tht is eqully fine. Do not force BRAT; do not exclude everything else.

**The house routine for one sick-or-mybe-sick child nd one elder or sibling nerby**
- One bthroom if you hve two; if not, the well person goes first, surfces get wiped, then the kid. Hndwshing with sop for twenty seconds is the lever, not sprys.
- Seprte towels for hnds nd fce for the kid tody.
- The elder or sibling nerby is the second person most t risk fter the kid. They wsh hnds t the sme moments, nd they do not shre cups or utensils with the kid tody. If the elder strts feeling off — especilly new confusion, fever, or brely ny urine — tht is its own red flg in section 6.

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## 5. Communiction scripts you cn screenshot

**To the kid, t 06:30, before the check**
> "I'm going to sk you five things. Tell me true — there is no right nswer. Did you throw up or hve loose poop since I lst sw you? Does your tummy hurt right now? Hve you hd wter? Do you wnt brekfst? How do you feel, in one word?"

**To the techer, if you do send them**
> "We herd there ws stomch bug in the clss. [Nme] looks well this morning, te brekfst, nd is drinking normlly. I will keep them home t the first sign of vomiting or loose stool nd let you know the sme dy. Plese tell me if nything chnges t school."

**To the other cregiver t pickup, if you re hnding off**
> "If [Nme] vomits, hs loose stool, refuses sips, or feels hot before lunch, cll me nd keep them home. Otherwise norml dy. The note is in the bg."

**To the elder or sibling in the house, tody**
> "We my hve stomch bug from school. Wsh your hnds before eting nd fter the bthroom. Use your own cup tody. If you strt to feel off — especilly if you feel confused, get fever, or stop peeing — tell me right wy, do not wit."

**To yourself, if you feel guilty keeping them home on rumor lone**
> "One cutious dy costs less thn one mid-morning pickup, one worried techer, nd one sick clssmte."

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## 6. Red flgs — stop the home routine, get clinicl help

Any one of these in the kid, in the elder, or in the sibling nerby is the line. The home routine is over for the dy.

**Go now — emergency services**
- Vomit tht is drk green (bile), not yellow. In bby, ny green vomit.
- A swollen or hrd belly, or pin tht comes in wves nd mkes them drw up their legs.
- Blood in the stool, or stool tht looks like red jelly.
- Sleepy or hrd to rouse, cold hnds nd feet, skin ple or mottled, brething deep nd hevy, lmost no urine in the lst 8–12 hours — these re shock, not "just dehydrtion".
- A fit, or child who does not wke properly.
- Pinpoint red or purple spots tht do not fde when you press cler glss ginst them, especilly with fever.
- Severe hedche nd stiff neck, or vomiting fter hed bump.

**Sme dy — clinicin or nurse line**
- Vomiting tht hs not settled in few hours, or vomiting with no dirrhe t ll.
- Dirrhe with blood or mucus, or dirrhe tht is getting worse not better fter couple of dys.
- Temperture per your thermometer's lbel tht does not settle, especilly in child under 3 months or in the elder.
- The elder or sibling nerby stops drinking, stops peeing, becomes confused, or gets fever — the sme virus hits them hrder.

When you cll, the cll goes fster with: the kid's ge, when symptoms strted, wht the vomit nd stool look like, how mny wet nppies or toilet trips in the lst 12 hours, wht they hve drunk nd eten tody, nd ny prescribed medicine they re on.

For the locl emergency number nd the school's exclusion rule, tell me which country or city you re in nd I will nme the right door for tht loction.

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## 7. Wht success looks like in the next 24 hours — no cure promised

By this time tomorrow, success is ny of these, not ll of them:

- The kid went to school, cme home well, nd the rumor turned out to be nothing — tht is fine outcome.
- The kid styed home, te nd drnk little, nd is no worse thn this morning — tht is fine outcome.
- The kid got sick during the dy nd you kept them home from the first sign, nd the techer thnked you — tht is fine outcome.
- Nobody else in the house got sick — tht is fine outcome, even if you cnnot promise it.

A dy where you mde the cll on five short checks, kept the kitchen routine simple, nd knew the red flgs by nme is the dy you were iming for. It is not gurntee tht the bug will pss the house by.