The Costs of a Sick Day

So, your child is sick. The goal? Simple: Make them well. The journey? Not so much. From the time spent facilitating a speedy recovery to the mad dash to catch up on everything that had to be pushed back to take care of business, a two-day illness can turn into a week-long affair.

Let's Get Real for a Second 

The Costs Add Up

A sick day's "costs" are much more than meets the eye. The time spent caring for your child and your child working to recover present a snowball of effects:

• When you stay home from work, the work will be waiting when you return… plus some. And the same goes for your child if they are enrolled in school.
• If a doctor's visit is necessary, add a copay to that.
• Then, if you need to fill a prescription, add that too.
• If your child is in daycare, keeping them home doesn't eliminate the days' cost – you're paying for them to stay home.
• And essentially, the routine that keeps you sane has become at the whim of the illness.

Between what you miss and have to reschedule, the lack of sleep and regular routines, and the actual money spent, the "cost" adds up. Altogether, it becomes A LOT.

How ParentMD Can Help

Sick days with kids are unavoidable, but ParentMD has resources to help you become more prepared:

You never know when illness will strike, and figuring out the first reaction steps can be intimidating. Sometimes all you want is a resource to help guide you through the process, and after-hours care can be challenging to access. ParentMD offers access to after-hours telehealth services to help ease your mind and get you and your child on the way to recovery.

Plus, learn to prevent and prepare for sickness with our extensive bank of educational resources. From blogs to health guides, you can learn prevention techniques, standard practices, and remedies. With ParentMD, you gain access to resources from leading experts in pediatric care. Whether you're the parent of a 6-month-old or 16-year-old, we have content for whatever parenting stage you are currently in.

It takes a village. And we want you to know you're not alone in this. Our community of caregivers serves to show you just that. We welcome you to join us. Learn more about our memberships and how we’re here to help at parentmd.com/join.