When it comes to our child(ren) getting sick, the smallest little cough may send us into a frenzy. Below, you’ll discover some useful products to help keep the kiddos well, and a chance to win them all in one big healthy prize pack!

Baby MedBasics – These step-by-step guides cover the most common infant emergencies and how to respond to them. They are placed in a clever cover that hangs on a hook or stroller so they are always at your reach. There are tabbed sections for CPR, chocking, fever, bleeding, burns, and poison. There’s even a place to keep medical records and other vital information such a vaccine records. While writing this post, Boogie choked on a piece of wood that fell off of a wooden basket. I immediately thought of the choking page and put him over my thigh and gave him a back blow! How ironic and scary! He went on like nothing happened. This book is a must have, especially for caregivers!

Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer – This thermometer is the easiest I’ve ever used! It takes temperatures by gently stroking the temperature sensor across the forehead. There’s no poking around under the tongue, under the arms, or heiny! Studies have proven this thermometer to be more accurate than ear and at least as accurate as rectal. The Exergen Thermometer is definitely one that the whole family can use.

Triaminic Thin Strips – With the scare of parents mistaking teaspoon measurements for tablespoon, Triaminic Thin Strips are a pre-measured dose of medicine that dissolves quickly on the tongue, so parents know their child (age four and older) receives the intended dose, each time around.

Ice Packet – A small device that will do the talking for you in case of medical emergency. It is much like a USB flash drive, but programed to be used as a database of medical records, medications, immunization dates, allergies and insurance information. Ice Packet hooks right on keychains, a child’s book bag or on a lanyard.
For a chance to win an Exergen Thermometer, Baby MedBasics (home & travel), Triaminic Thin Strips (2 boxes), and an ICE Packet, leave a comment stating a Sick Day Guideline that you found useful! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will run until March 5th 2009 7PM CST.




{ 164 comments }
As a new mom I found a lot of information helpful. I especially will refer to the list from the National Institutes of Health to help identify the symptoms your child has as either a cold or allergy. Sometimes it is so hard to tell.
I found this interesting:
83% of parents worried that they
might have sent their child back to school too soon at least once
autumn398 (at) yahoo.com
•Pack easy-to-use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack to use when he or she is at school
I thought this was a great tip!!
have your child take sanitizers and the like to school for protection
wow love 2 win
Pack easy-to-use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack to use when he or she is at school
make sure though your school lets your child carry those products some consider them medical and they have to leave it with teacher
Consider keeping your child home if he or she:
Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
This thermometer look wonderful. Thanks so much for offering this giveaway.
have your child take sanitizers and the like to school for protection is a good tip, though our kids have to use sanitizers in class.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Thanks for the giveaway.
Teach your child to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their sleeve!!
To send kids with disinfecting wipes/sanitizers. Many classrooms have them now, but helps to let the individuals kids have them, too.
Have your child take sanitizers and the like to school for protection.
I want to win
I found the should I keep my child home or send her to school section very helpful as thats always been my downfall
make sure they wash their hands.
like you said in your review this is a must have for care givers and I would love for my nanny to have one!
Consider keeping your child home if he or she has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
Dry cough is a sign of the flu. Thanks for the cahcne.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
If your child has 100.4 fever or higher, keep them home.
As a nurse, I must admit that the Guidelines didn’t add anything to what I already knew, but it would certainly be helpful for others, especially first time parents.
Pack disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack .
I like this tip…Tell your kids their face is off-limits. The flu virus enters through the eyes, nose, and mouth, so kids (and adults) should never touch their faces unless they’ve just washed their hands. I realize I touch my face all.the.time. Preventing that habit from forming would go miles towards fending off illnesses.
Here are several I totally agree with:
After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room
Keep surfaces like door knobs, phones, remote controls, toys, and keyboards clean
Always make sure to consult your school nurse or doctor if you have any questions
“Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice ”
This is SO important, so many don’t know about proper hand washing
I like the suggestion to consider using a cool humidifier, I was brought up using a warm humidifier when we had colds and stuffy nose.
My little ones are not in school yet, but the guideline that says not to send your child back to school until their fever has been gone for 24 hours isn’t something that I knew, so that was useful!
Keep an annual well-child exam to follow changes in your child’s health
I’ve always thought that a fever accompanied strep throat. I learned from this guide that is not always the case. Now I will keep a closer eye on my kids when they say they have a sore throat. This guide is very helpful.
Don’t over react. Kids get better most of the time with very little medicine
Keep surfaces like door knobs, phones, remote controls, toys, and keyboards clean – this is a guideline I can identify with as it’s one I always follow! Wiping everything clean, washing all the linens, dusting frequently and vacuuming – all after someone’s been sick helps eliminates those lingering germs.
Thanks for this great giveaway!
callmeabookworm at gmail dot com
Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice
This is a great way to remember ow long to wash for maximum effectiveness.
madamerkf at aol dot com
excessive tiredness or even sneezing can be reasons to stay home…My son had the excessive tiredness about a month ago and a week later we realized it was the first symptom of the flu.
78% said it would be useful to have
Sick Day Guidelines
I found the tip: “Use those wipes! Flu germs can live for several hours on surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs. Wipe down contaminated objects with soap and water” most useful!
Keep your kid home from school if they have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher.
nice thermometer
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
I wish everyone at Roo’s preschool paid attention to that one!
If my child has a fever at all, hwever low-grade, he stays home with me until he feels better. I encourage him to wash his hands before he eats anything, too.
•When used as directed, children’s cough and cold medicines help relieve cough and cold symptoms while your child is getting better. Read and follow the directions carefully and give the exact recommended dose for the child’s age. Do not use over the counter cough and cold medications for children under the age of four in the U.S.
I like the info on when to keep your child home from school. That always gets me.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. —This one is something that I always do.
The next part afterward is very helpful advice!
“Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and can unnecessarily expose others to illness.”
Though I’m hardly a germ-o-phobe, I found it helpful to read, “After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room.” I probably wouldn’t have thought of that, but it makes perfectly good sense. Thanks!
I had never thought of it, but I liked After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
Help your child relax by reading him or her a story and giving him plenty of TLC
A child should be kept home if they have a temperature of 100.4 or higher. That’s a great site. I’m sending it to all the Moms in my family, thanks!
Consider using a cool humidifier – I usually forget this one, but it does help when remembered, thanks!
Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
I found it useful to know that a temperature must be gone, without medicine, for 24 hours, before you send your child back to school.
Keep your home tobacco free to prevent colds!
Humidifier
I find this very useful: “Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and can unnecessarily expose others to illness”
wow now this looks realy grate to well have for when you realy need them and i think every home in america and well every wheres sould have one please add me in on this thanks much
83% of parents worried that they might have sent their child back to school too soon at least once
Some interesting facts!
Have your child take along hand sanitizer to school in their backpack.
I liked this tip: Tell your kids their face is off-limits. The flu virus enters through the eyes, nose, and mouth, so kids (and adults) should never touch their faces unless they’ve just washed their hands.
If only I could get my kids to go for it!
This is a good reminder:
After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room
this is great!
I found “Help your child relax by reading him or her a story and giving him plenty of TLC.” useful. Nothing like some TLC to help your child feel better!
Always feed your child with postitive thoughts.
I’m pregnant.I’d love to win…
I hadn’t thought of using a cool humidifier
I don’t think enough parents do this one:
“Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.”
A severe sore throat could be strep even if there is no fever
gkstratos@yahoo.com
USe a cool humidifier!
Thanks for entering me! Great Contest!
Janna Johnson
jannajanna@hotmail.com
http://www.FeedYourPigBlog.com
Keep the child’s environment tobacco free
I really like this tip and try to remind my brother of it all the time.
Teach your child to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their sleeve!!
I could really use this package now! My daughter is sick with a cold. I am constantly sanitizing door knobs and toys right now!
I think the best guideline is not to let your kids be around smokers. (tobacco free tips) when I was growing up, my dad was a smoker and I always had ear infections and chronic bronchitus and sinus infections. Now that I am no longer around smokers I havent had any problems, and my children havent either. This is really a great tip !
I like this tip
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication
i always wonder whether it’s ok to send my son back to daycare, cause I don’t want to get anyone else sick
Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
I already knew about hand washing but singing Happy Birthday twice is a good idea for the little one to know how long.
I never knew that Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours, I figured 24 hours was it!
Consider keeping your child home if he or she has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
Clean and disinfect room and surfaces when child feels better. Good reminder.
Fevers are always the way I figure out if sickness / infection is winning. So the advice of
Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
is very helpful.
For me also.
What I found useful is that strep throat may not necessarily be accompanied by fever, but could be accompanied by an upset tummy or a headache. I did not know that. I automatically assumed that strep would be accompanied by fever.
I found that after your child is well again, you should clean all surfaces, wash all of the bedding and air out their room. Great advice!
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours.
Actually, I didn’t learn anything new from the guidelines that I already didn’t know. I have four children ranging in age from 1 to 16, and this is all common knowledge to me.
I am about to be a first time mommy and so i found all of it useful! I don’t think I can read enough before she gets here! (3 more weeks!)
I keep my child home , and always take them to the dr.
Consider keeping them home if they are excessively tired, which may prevent them from participating in school activities.
I knew they should be fever free for 24 hours but it’s WITHOUT medicine!
Thanks
Dry cough is a flu sign!
Thanks as always!
Thomas Johnson
crimson_pen@yahoo.com
well for me ,raising my son by myself there was ALOT of great info …like i never knew that Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours plus many more .
great prize,we sure could use it
Good info, we encourage our daughter to be sure that she frequently washes her hands.
Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
Very helpful especially thoes wipes for wiping off germy hands.
Pack easy-to-use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack to use when he or she is at school
This is a tip that I always follow
We use a humidifier all the time!! It really helps. Also we promote washing hands and covering mouths in our home!! Thanks so much!!
Mogrill@comcast.net
Help your child relax by reading him or her a story and giving him plenty of TLC
Send Clorox wipes to your teacher so that they can keep their rooms clean.
Dry cough is a sign of the flu
would love to win!!
Don’t send your child back to school until they are fever free for 24 hours.
Don’t send your child back to school until they are fever free for 24 hours.
Cildren must have yearly health exams
We have an Exergen TemporalScanner and love it! It’s so gentle, fast, and easy-to-use. I love how non-invasive it is.
Our 2-year-old daughter had a fever two weekends ago and it was so handy to have this kind of thermometer on-hand. I am curious, however, about the accuracy. We haven’t really had an opportunity to “check” that aspect yet…
After your child is sick, wash the bedding and air out the room–great tip!
i love the tip on handwashing for the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice:) thanks!
The babysitter care sheet is very useful. When writing these things stuff like “nearest major intersection” and whatnot are often forgotten, but it could make the difference in an emergency.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
“Consider using a cool humidifier”
Believe it or not, I’ve never thought of doing this! Thanks so much.
I am always worried about how high is too high for a temperature which is clearly listed in the guidelines so I found that helpful
Don’t send your child back to school until they are fever free for 24 hours.
The best one for me is to teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. What a great way for the grandkids to know how long to wash by singing a song. Thank you!
after your child is feeling better clean all surfaces wash the bedding and air out the room
I wish more peolple could abide by this but many haveto work-Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and can unnecessarily expose others to illness.
I liked the tip on teaching a child how long to wash their hands, i.e. silently singing Happy Birthday twice. That’s something they can remember, or you could choose some other short little song and time it to make sure it is 20 seconds or longer.
We consider dental health to also be important, so we really stress that with our kids, by word and example.
very nice. I would love the chance to win, thanks.
once your child is feeling better wipe down everything and clean the bedding
After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room.
I heart this fact:
83% of parents worried that they
might have sent their child back to school too soon at least once
Keep your child home if he/she has a fever higher than 100.4.
Pack hand sanitizers in you childs lunch box, they sell individually wrapped ones which work perfectly.
Pack easy-to-use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack to use when he or she is at school
Thanks!
To wipe down and wash bedding once the child is better.
I didn’t know this: Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and can unnecessarily expose others to illness.
Consider keeping your child home if he or she:
* Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
This right here really can minimize exposure to others.
“After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room.”
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
I think this guideline is very helpful:
Teach your child to wash his or her hands frequently using plenty of soap and warm water. Proper hand-washing should take about 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
That is a great way for your child to remember how long to wash has effectively.
Thanks!
They suggest to keep your child home if they are very tired or have a lack of appetite. Good to know! Thanks!
Pack easy-to-use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack to use when he or she is at school.
As a mom of four, most of these tips were well-known, although it is so nice to have them all in one convenient location online. The tip that I thought was best was to “pack easy-to-use products like disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers in your child’s backpack to use when he or she is at school.” This is a great idea and reminds me of when my third grader came home yesterday complaining that a girl had been borrowing his desk (sitting in it to read with a neighbor) and then she sneezed all over it right as she was getting up. (It must have been pretty bad, because this isn’t something my son would normally ever even be aware of, to be honest!) If I had some antibacterial wipes packed in his backpack, then he could have used one to remove any ‘cooties’ left on his desk!
Oh, if only more parents would teach their kids this:
Teach your child to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their sleeve.
So many less diseases would be passed along then…
After your child is feeling better, clean all surfaces; wash the bedding and air out the room
Encourage fluids; such as water, soup, juice and ice.
Consider using a cool humidifier. Thanks for the giveaway!
braaisjo at gmail dot com
Teach your kids to wash their hands well! This is something that we are currently working on with our toddler.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
Good advice!
I work in a child care at a gym and I think ALL these tips are useful. We have so many parents that bring in their sick kids because mom just CAN’T miss her workout! My favorite tip:
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
Keep your child home until fever free without medicine for 24 hours!
I like that they set the fever guidelines at 100.4. The schools around here wil contact the parents when a temp is 99. In my opinion this is too low. This is still leaving room for error. Thank you
As a school bus driver this is one tip that I wish more parents would teach their children- Cover their mouth or use a kleenex when they cough or sneeze.
I was surprised they said you could send your child to school with a fever up to 100.4. At my work if we took their temp and it was that high we would send them home.
I know financially it is hard for parents to skip work, but if your child is sick (fever sore throat or whatnot) keep them home!
thanks!
Taking preventative measures saves a LOT of heartache/headache/every other ache! For instance, “serve a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Giving a daily vitamin may be recommended by your pediatrician.” I’m always shocked when I see the vast quantities of crap kids eat and how afraid parents are to introduce veggies and fruits to the family diet because of picky kids. I always eat lots of citrus fruit to boost my immunity, and try to stress the importance of a vitamin-rich diet for kids (and adults) to prevent illness. Thanks for the entry!
I feel as though I am following others in posting this guideline from the ‘parents want to know’ section but I was actually suprised at the high % on this:
“83% of parents worried that they
might have sent their child back to school too soon at least once”. I find that % sad as we have so many guidelines and so many days are children can miss that we put them back in school unsure of our decisions or for the fact that mom’s and dad’s both have to works. A single income family is getting rarer and rarer these days
Thank you for the chance to win this fabulous giveaway, I have so wanted one of these thermometer and cannot tell you how many times I could have used it recently, this winter has been harsh on my families health.
Have a good day
Make sure the child gets plenty of rest and restrict tv watching.
“Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher”
Always wondered at what point a fever should keep a kid home.
I have always told my son to cough or sneeze into his elbow… You don’t touch your elbow and it doesn’t come in contact with much.. The guildline I thought was helpful was the… “Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication” Now if I could just get the rest of his classmate parents to read this maybe the kids wouldn’t be sick anymore…
Great gift idea
How scary for you! I found it interesting that 83% of parents worried that they might have sent their child back to school too soon at least once. Having worked in a school, I think this is true.
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
Thank you!
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
as a new mom the tip to clean all surfaces is the best tip for me.. It will help to stop the spread of the germs..
Havingyour child take sanitizers and the like to school for protection is a good tip. Fortunately, these are standard supplies in my son’s Kindergarten class!
this tip ‘Consider using a cool humidifier’ in how to make the sick chilc feel better actually works!
The guideline that I found useful was consider using a cool humidifier to make your child feel better.
Orange juice and chicken soup still help people get better faster. Make sure they have plenty of fluids.
I found this one useful: Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours.
I always thought they were contagious all the time. Hmmmm.
Thanks!
This is very useful: Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.
Thanks
I found this guideline useful: “Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication.” I didn’t realize the fever should be gone for 24 hours WITHOUT the medication.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. I was always told 24 hours without a fever — but nothing was said about without medication. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!
It said you should keep your child home if they have Excessive tiredness or lack of appetite.
I love this advice:”Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and can unnecessarily expose others to illness.” I wish that the schools were more supportive of this. My daughter got sick after her teacher came to school and was coughing all week and then my whole family became ill.
This is to good to be true.
I think the productive coughing and sneezing. I think too many parents (myself included), think that it’s okay to send our kid to school if they are coughing and sneezing, when in reality it is not just a health risk (mucus spraying etc) it is also very distracting in the classroom.
It says that you should consider keeping your child home if he or she has excessive tiredness or lack of appetite.
A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever.
Keep your child home if they are sick.
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