Pink Eye at Sitters! Contagious??

I believe the rule is that they're no longer contagious if they're on antibiotics for 24 hours. You should be able to contact your pediatrician or pharmacist to be sure. Also, don't be afraid to ask your sitter what she did to decontaminate all the toys and such. Chances are your child has already been exposed though. Generally speaking, we are contagious before we show symptoms of any infection.

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If he takes medication for 24 hrs it should be okay.. Make sure that the sitter has cleaned all the toys and make sure you guys wash your hands religiously..

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My daughter had pink eye a few months ago. I was told by her Dr that after 24 hours on an antibiotic it is ok to be around others. Her friend at school had it at the same time as her and was told the same thing by her doctor also.

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Just went through this - 24hrs after meds have been taken the 3 yr old will not be contagious.

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As long as he's been on the meds for 24 hours, he's no longer considered contageous. However, you need to be certain that the sitter has cleaned VERY THOROUGHLY to keep it from spreading. Good luck!

I believe after 24 hours on medication he should be okay but I would call your ped and see what they say. They may suggest you keep your kid(s) out for an additional day incase he comes back and is still contagious. I would think your provider would not let him back until he's better, but sometimes you never know...especially if the provider goes on the word of the parents...not saying the parents would lie...just a thought!

VERY contagious, however easily treated with Rx drops and not contagious after 24 hours of starting the drops.

I've had pink eye in my daycare and only 2 kids got it, but you have to be diligent about hand washing and disinfecting everything since kids rub their eyes and touch everything. There's a chance that even if the child isn't contagious anymore, that your kiddo will still get it... unless the sitter is on top of the cleaning.

Supposedly not if on antibiotic for 24 hrs.

I think you could still say, "Let's catch up some other time." If you're not feeling ok about having him over.

My friends and I always have agreed to keep our cooties to ourselves. So there's no shame in pushing a playdate off for another day/week.

Now if's it's at your babysitter's house, she should have some rules about fevers and contagious conditions. Most daycares let kids back after 24 hrs on an antibiotic or fever/diarrhea free.

Make sure the sitter has thoroughly cleaned everything. The child with it isn't contagious after 24 hours on meds but if the sitter hasn't cleaned thoroughly your child could get it and you will want to blame the one with it. When I was student teaching, I got it three times in 4 months because the germs were all over the classroom and kids kept getting it.

I think it takes a total of 3 straight days on meds to stop the spread. But every infection is diff. and I would either say something to the sitter about this child coming or try to keep your kid(s) away for a few days. Ive always known pink eye to be very very contagious
Good Luck

I just got over pink eye. The doctor told me that once I had the medicine in me for 12 hours that everyone else should be ok. I would ask the sitter what she/he has done to disinfect the toys and other areas where the kids are. Your child is more likely to get it that way.

It is contagious as long as it is seeping....and he should be kept home until it is no longer seeping/crusty in the morning. Antibiotics can take a few days for it to no longer be seeping/crusty. Staph is the most often bacterial cause of bacterial conjunctivitis -- aka pink eye. Highly contagious in kids because it itches and they touch their eyes constantly. The antibiotic is either drops or erithromycin ointment. Either have to be given a few times a day and the daycare provider might even be required to do the drops or ointment as well depending on the hours he is there. My kids usually picked it up at school and had to stay out 2 days till the eye was no longer seeping/crusty.

Yes, it's very contagious. It's been a long time since one of my kids has had it but if there is any gunk still coming out then it's contagious. Call your doc with advice and details. There should be tons of hand washing at the sitters and everything needs to be disinfected at the sitters.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

He won't be contagious after 24 hours on antibiotic eyedrops if it's bacterial pinkeye, but there is still a good chance your child will get pinkeye, unless and until your sitter has thoroughly cleaned all toys, surfaces, walls, bedding, etc. When I've had a child in my daycare get pinkeye, I close for a day to disinfect everything to stop the spread. Most daycares do not do the necessary cleaning, which is why pinkeye can keep appearing for weeks after the first case.