Caring for Your Child in Isolation: A Parent’s Guide
Being isolated understandably can be lonely, confusing, or even make your child feel agitated or angry. This guide explains the types of isolation including what each one means and how you can safely support your child.
Caring for Your Child in Isolation: A Parent’s Guide
Being isolated understandably can be lonely, confusing, or even make your child feel agitated or angry. This guide explains the types of isolation including what each one means and how you can safely support your child.
When your child is hospitalized and placed under isolation precautions, it’s to protect them, hospital staff, and others from the spread of infectious diseases. But being isolated understandably can be lonely, confusing, or even make your child feel agitated or angry. This guide explains the four main types of isolation: contact, droplet, airborne, and enteric including what each one means and how you can safely support your child.
Question to Consider
You just found out your child needs to go on isolation precautions. Here are some questions to ask the care team.
What type of isolation is my child in, and why? Is the need for isolation to protect my child from others (possibly due to a weakened ability to fight infection) or to protect others from my child (due to their having an illness that is risky to others like COVID or another virus)?
What protective gear does my child or do I need to wear while in the hospital (e.g., gown, protective mask, face shield, or gloves)?
How long will the isolation last?
Are there special instructions that I can share with my child? Are there things that my child cannot do while under isolation precautions? For example, can they still go to the playroom, or have visitors?
General Tips to Consider
Stay informed: Ask your child’s healthcare team any questions you may have to be sure that you and your child understand what is happening and what to expect.
Remain calm. Your child will take cues from you. Be present, speak honestly, and stay close.
Emotional support: Provide opportunities for expression of feelings, thoughts, and stressors to assist with coping, such as keeping a journal or through conversation.
Comfort and Distract: Bring books, games, or music to help pass the time and ease anxiety.
Maintain routines: To the extent possible, continue with normal activities and routines around mealtime, bedtime, and social connections to create a sense of normalcy and predictability.
Contact Isolation
Contact insolation is required when your child has an infection that can be spread by touching, or because your child is at high risk of contracting an infection through direct contact with others or contaminated surfaces. These infections include MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), an infection caused by a type of staph bacteria; C. diff (Clostridioides difficile), a type of bacteria that can cause an infection in the colon; and RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus), a respiratory infection.
Contact Isolation: Typical Precautions
Gown and gloves: Anyone entering the room, including parents and caregivers, must wear a gown and gloves. You can still touch and comfort your child—just follow posted gown and glove rules.
Hand hygiene: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer before and after visits.
Room restrictions: Your child may not be allowed to leave their hospital room unless absolutely necessary.
Droplet Isolation
If you’re told your child has an illness (like the flu, pertussis/whooping cough, or COVID-19) spread by respiratory droplets through coughs, sneezes, or even talking, they will be put on droplet isolation.
Droplet Isolation: Typical Precautions
Surgical mask: Anyone entering the room must wear a surgical mask. Your child might also be asked to wear a mask.
Gown and gloves: Depending on the infection, anyone entering the room may be required to wear a paper gown and protective gloves.
Private room: To prevent droplet spread to other patients, your child may have a room of their own.
Airborne Islation
Diseases that spread through tiny airborne particles that stay in the air for longer periods and travel further, potentially across rooms or buildings (e.g., tuberculosis, measles, chickenpox, and COVID-19, at times) require additional precautions.
Airborne Isolation: Typical Precautions
N95 respirator or PAPR (Powered Air-Purifying Respirator), a type of respirator worn by hospital staff that uses a blower to send contaminated air through a HEPA filter, which removes the contaminant and supplies purified air to a facepiece or headgear.
Negative pressure room: Special ventilation prevents air from leaving the hospital room.
Limited parental access: Only immune or protected parents may be allowed, and your child may need to wear an N95 mask.
Enteric Isolation
Enteric isolation is a way to stop the spread of germs from poop. People must wear gloves and wash hands carefully to keep everyone safe from getting sick.
Enteric Isolation: Typical Precautions
Wash hands really well with soap and water — especially after using the bathroom or touching anything dirty.
Wear gloves when touching the patient or things in their room.
Wear a gown to protect your clothes from germs.
Keep the patient in their own room or with someone who has the same illness.
Clean surfaces and toys often to kill germs.
Use a special bathroom, if possible, just for the patient.
You Are Not Alone.
Though isolation can be challenging, it is temporary and critical for everyone’s safety. Your presence and support make a big difference in your child’s healing. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or request emotional support resources from hospital staff.
The information on Hope for Henry’s Healthcare Hub is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services.
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