During cold and flu season, parents ask me questions all the time, about how long should my child stay home, is my child still contagious, can my child come to Sugar Plums? This helpful list of typical childhood illnesses is a guide of different symptoms and how long the incubation periods are. Once your child is 24 hours symptom free, they are welcome back to Sugar Plums.
"There is a lag time between being exposed to an infection and coming down with the disease. This time frame is called the incubation period.
The value of knowing
the incubation periods for common infections is that you can better gauge if you have “dodged a bullet” regarding something you or your child has come in contact with. Here are the incubation periods for some well-known childhood infections."
common cold: 1 – 3 days
conjunctivitis (“pink eye”): 1 – 3 days
croup: 2 – 7 days
fifth disease: 4 – 14 days
hand/foot/mouth disease: 3 – 6 days
herpes (“cold sores”): 2 – 12 days
impetigo: 1 – 7 days
Influenza: 1 – 4 days
molluscum contagiosum: 1 week – 6 months
mononucleosis: 4 – 6 weeks
pertussis (“whooping cough”): 1 – 2 weeks
pinworms: 2 – 6 weeks
roseola: 5 – 12 days
RSV: 2 – 8 days
strep throat: 1 – 3 days
viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”): 1 – 3 days