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.
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.
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