Daycare or school despite a cough and runny nose? When your child can go and when they have to stay home.
- Johanna
- Nov 24, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
A coughing child in the morning, a runny nose, and you wonder: "Can my child go today, or should we stay home?"
This decision is often difficult in everyday life. You want to protect your child, be considerate of others, comply with compulsory education laws for school-aged children, and at the same time manage your job and appointments.
The good news: There are clear recommendations from public health authorities, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German Society for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), and the Professional Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Physicians (BVKJ). You'll find the most important information in this article.
When does your child have to stay home?
How is your child?
Regardless of the diagnosis, the following applies: Children with a significantly reduced general condition belong at home.
Your child isn't playing like usual. It doesn't want to paint or build; it just sits around, seems tired.
Your child is unusually tired or fussy. It wants to be held a lot, is whiny, and tires easily.
Your child is eating and drinking less and seems generally tired.
Your child doesn't want to go to daycare or school, even though they usually like going. Children often intuitively show when they are not feeling well.
Your child is easily overwhelmed. Normal activities are "too much"; they prefer peace and quiet and closeness.
Your child seems tearful or irritable. It is more sensitive and seeks an extraordinary amount of closeness and comfort.
Your child is moving less. It prefers to lie down or sit on the sofa.
In short:
If your child is generally more tired, clingy, irritable, or less active than usual, and doesn't want to eat, drink, or participate properly, they should stay home , even if there is no clear diagnosis.
2. Elevated temperature? Fever?
If your child has a fever of 38°C or higher, they must stay home for at least 24 hours without fever or fever-reducing medication.
A temperature of 38.5°C or higher is considered a fever in children and adults.
For babies under 3 months old, a temperature of ≥ 38.0°C is considered a fever.
Fever means that the core body temperature is elevated because the body is actively fighting pathogens. Fever is understood as an evolutionarily advantageous defense mechanism of the body.
Exception: Fever after a vaccination is not a reason for exclusion, provided your child feels well.
3. Vomiting and diarrhea (gastrointestinal infections)
Children with gastroenteritis are not allowed to attend community facilities (§ 34 Infection Protection Act - IfSG).
When can your child go back to school? - Recommendations from many health authorities:
If the child is symptom-free after 24–48 hours , they may go again.
For norovirus/rotavirus infections, the child usually needs to be symptom-free for 48 hours.
Most kindergartens and schools have created their own rules in accordance with applicable laws. You can find the exact number of hours there.
4. Coughs, runny noses and colds, from what age?
A mild infection without fever is not a reason for exclusion.
Colds are simply part of life at kindergarten age (BVKJ, RKI)
Exclusion at:
Fever
Shortness of breath
Reduced general condition
persistent cough that significantly affects the child
5. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFM)
HFM (Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease) is a harmless but highly contagious disease . German health authorities recommend exclusion if:
Fever is present
open or weeping blisters are present
Excessive salivation (drooling) occurs.
Your child is not drinking or eating well.
general well-being is significantly impaired.
Once the blisters have dried, your child can return to daycare/school without a doctor's certificate ! A doctor's certificate is not necessary!
6. Conjunctivitis
Not every case of conjunctivitis is contagious, and not every case leads to exclusion from daycare or school. In Germany, a distinction is made between:
Bacterial infection: Recognizable by yellow-green discharge, sticky eyes in the morning, and often affecting only one eye. Many facilities require 24 hours of antibiotics before the child can return. This is not medically necessary, but it is often required for organizational reasons.
Viral: Typical symptoms of a cold: red eyes, watery eyes, gritty feeling. The child may attend the facility if they feel well. Viral infections are widespread, but not a reason for automatic exclusion.
Allergic: Severe itching, watery eyes, often associated with hay fever. Daycare/school attendance is no problem .
7. Rash - what you should pay attention to
Rashes (exanthems) are very common in childhood, ranging from harmless skin irritations to infectious diseases. A rash is not automatically a reason to keep your child home. Many rashes look similar, so it's not just appearance that's decisive; it's also the accompanying symptoms and your child's overall health.
When can your child start daycare/school?
✔️No fever ✔️Good general condition (playing, drinking, eating) ✔️No open, weeping sores ✔️You are sure that itis not a notifiable disease - that's the hardest part :) ✔️ No severe itching or pain ✔️ Not spreading quickly
Typical harmless rashes
Virus-related, mild rashes without fever , e.g., after an infection, in the case of a milder viral infection → visit possible if the child is fit.
Eczema / dry skin / irritations, e.g., due to cold, sweating, new clothes, detergent → Not contagious, daycare/school possible without problems.
Insect bites or contact reactions → If there is no fever and no inflammation: participation is permitted.
8. What about earaches (otitis media)?
Middle ear infections (otitis media) are common but not contagious. Whether your child should stay home depends primarily on their overall health, regardless of age .
Your child should stay home if:
Fever is present
Severe ear pain is present.
Your child appears significantly impaired.
If he drinks or eats poorly
He can hardly sleep at night because of the pain.
Earaches in children under 2 years old should always be investigated. Children under two are treated with antibiotics, while older children are carefully monitored and their condition is assessed based on the findings.
Your child can attend daycare/school if
It is fever-free ,
The pain is well-controlled with the prescribed treatment.
is active and can participate in everyday life
When should you take your child to the doctor?
Many childhood infections can be managed well at home. Nevertheless, there are clear situations in which a medical assessment is important.
General rule: The younger your child is, the sooner a doctor should examine them, especially babies in their first year.
Fever ( Newborns: at 38°C → see doctor immediately, <1 year: fever from 38.5°C → see doctor on the same day, Older children: fever lasting longer than 3 days, Fever + poor general condition)
Severely reduced general condition (noticeable fatigue or apathy, significantly reduced fluid intake, unusual paleness or circulatory problems)
Breathing difficulties ( rapid, labored breathing, retractions between the ribs, wheezing or rattling breathing, shortness of breath, or pauses in breathing)
Vomiting & diarrhea (in case of refusal to drink, suspected dehydration, repeated vomiting over several hours, bloody diarrhea, severe or increasing abdominal pain)
Spots in the throat / purulent tonsils
Severe pain
Rash (with fever, spreading rapidly, open, weeping or blistering skin, severe itching, pain ,suspicion of notifiable diseases such as measles, rubella, rash that worsens despite care, ❗ Call 110 if rash occurs together with shortness of breath, swelling, or circulatory symptoms)
Pinpoint spots (petechiae)
When your gut feeling tells you something, it's important. If you feel that something is different or not right, a visit to the doctor is always the right thing to do, even if the symptoms seem mild.
If symptoms do not improve after 48-72 hours
Conclusion
Children frequently get sick, especially in their early years. With the clear recommendations from the Infection Protection Act (IfSG), the Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ), the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), you can make informed decisions about when your child should stay home and when they can go to kindergarten or school.
As of November 2025
Resources/Sources:
Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ)
Professional Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Physicians (BVKJ)
Infection Protection Act (IfSG)
