A working dad has warned parents to stop sending their sick kids to childcare, even if it’s ‘just a sniffle’.
Dr Vincent Candrawinata, from Sydney, explained that parents often underestimate how significantly a mildly unwell child can affect those around them – calling it a ‘selfish’ move that often results in illnesses spreading to dozens of other households.
The scientist and clinical nutritionist with a PhD from the University of Newcastle said his family’s home has ‘felt like a revolving door of viruses’ – from coughs and fevers to runny noses and stomach bugs – since the start of 2026.
The cause? Parents are ‘knowingly’ sending their visibly unwell child to daycare, with some even giving them paracetamol so they ‘don’t appear sick at drop-off’.
Dr Candrawinata said his family has suffered hand, foot and mouth disease, croup and rhinovirus over the past three weeks alone – after his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter unexpectedly caught them at daycare.
‘As working parents, we understand the pressure and the limitations, as well as the challenges when it comes to caring for our kids while also earning money for our family,’ he told Daily Mail.
‘People don’t think that by doing this “harmless act” they are putting the daycare staff and educators in an unsafe workplace. Everybody deserves to work safely without feeling that they are putting their own well-being at risk.
‘I’m not judging people’s choices. In a sense, I’m just begging people to think twice before they do something that could have a bigger impact on others.’
A working dad has warned parents to stop sending their ‘sick’ kids to childcare, even if it’s ‘just a sniffle’ (file image)
In an opinion piece, the dad said it’s ‘common sense’ for parents to keep their kids at home when they are sick, no matter how minor the symptoms.
‘What one parent considers “just a sniffle” can become weeks of illnesses across multiple families,’ Dr Candrawinata said.
‘One child walks into daycare with a virus. Within days, it spreads through the room. Then it goes home to siblings, parents and grandparents… Then it circles back again… This is how viral transmission works in shared environments.
‘For working parents, it means lost productivity and difficult conversations with employers. For vulnerable family members, it can mean something far more serious than inconvenience.
‘We have already taken significant time off work this year to care for our daughter, and it is only mid-February. We are fortunate to have flexibility. Many families do not. For parents with limited leave, this cycle can be devastating.’
As a nutritionist, the dad said his family’s healthy diet – with fairly minimal ultra-processed foods – helped them recover quickly.
‘I know how to keep my family healthy, which is why the recovery period is short and the severity is not that bad,’ he said.
‘However, we have friends and family members whose kids spend more time sick than being at daycare.’
Dr Vincent Candrawinata (pictured) explained that parents often underestimate how significantly a mildly unwell child can affect those around them – calling it a ‘selfish’ move that often results in illnesses spreading to dozens of other households
Childcare often has a reputation for being a breeding ground for diseases – but Dr Candrawinata said the centre isn’t to blame.
‘People talk about it as if it is the daycare’s fault, when in fact it isn’t. They actually try their best to prevent any outbreak,’ he told Daily Mail.
‘I personally think it is very unfair that the educators have to unnecessarily put themselves at risk. The only way this can stop is if all of us take responsibility and are accountable. After all, as the saying goes, it takes a village.
‘I truly do not want to judge people or to preach. It is simply one parent to another. At the end of the day, it is about our kids.’
Dr Candrawinata said if your child has a fever, persistent cough, vomiting, diarrhoea or is ‘clearly unwell’, keep them away from childcare until they get better.
‘It really is that simple,’ he said.
‘We cannot normalise constant illness as “just part of it”… Sometimes the most powerful health intervention is not something you add. It is a decision you make before you leave the house.’
His post struck a chord with parents, with a mum-of-three sharing that her newborn baby spent the first four weeks of her life in hospital after her eldest child came home sick, leading to the whole family falling ill.
‘Absolutely agree with you. Do not send your sick child to daycare or school. When number one child started school, came home sick after three days and passed it on to number two, then dad, then mum, then baby,’ she explained.
‘Nanny got sick trying to help out and that left five of us very ill for a period of two-and-a-half weeks. Needless to say number one is not going back to school until number three builds up better defences. Please keep your sick kid’s home.’
Many agreed, with one suggesting: ‘Yes I can empathise with parents who simply can’t afford to take days off work to care for their sick children. But then you gotta ask, did you really think things through about the responsibilities of having kids?’
‘We also need to sympathise with the staff who can catch everything going round, use up their sick leave and then have to take leave without pay, when people sometimes knowingly send sick children,’ another shared.
