Is it a sick day or a slow start?

Parent administering throat spray to a child in bed with a teddybear.
Health technology researcher Livia Robic offers a simple guide to reading temperature, sleep and heart rate cues before deciding on a school day.

Headshot of Livia Robic, Health Technology Researcher

By Livia Robic, Health Technology Researcher

How to know when to keep your child home from school

It’s 7am, and your child is looking a bit off. We’ve all been there – standing in the kitchen, debating whether it’s a Term 2 slump or the start of the inevitable playground plague.

The ‘hand-on-the-forehead’ check is usually our first instinct, and it’s not a bad one. But intuition works best when it’s backed by a few simple data points. A temperature reading, a sense of how your child has been sleeping, and a quick check of their resting heart rate can help you tell the difference between a child who needs a day on the couch and one who is well enough for school.

Here’s a simple guide to help you call it on those manic mornings.

  • Stay home for a day
    If your child’s temperature is still normal but you notice a rising resting heart rate or a dip in their usual sleep quality, they may be in the incubation phase of a virus. A proactive rest day is often all it takes – a quiet day on the couch can allow the body to fight back before a small bug becomes a week-long illness.
  • Send them in
    If they seem a little sluggish but their temperature and overall energy are sitting at their normal baseline, it is likely just end-of-term exhaustion. Send them to school, but prioritise an early bedtime to help them recharge.
  • Call the GP
    When your intuition is backed by something more concrete – a temperature above 38°C, a persistent cough, a heart rate that feels off, or a child who simply isn’t bouncing back – it is time to call the GP. The more specific information you can bring to the appointment, the more useful that conversation will be.

Catching it early is always worth it – for your child’s health, and for the school week ahead.

Withings Beamo 4-in-1 MultiScan device showing heart rate and health readings

On our radar: Beamo 4-in-1 MultiScan™

A compact at-home device that combines contactless fever detection with a digital stethoscope and heart monitor. Handy for those middle-of-the-night ‘is this serious?’ moments, and for sharing a fuller picture with your GP without booking a second appointment.

withings.com/au/en/beam-o

 

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