I stick to my fever policy and if it goes near 101 F I'm making a phone call to the parent to come get their child because that could mean a chest or ear infection while a child has a bad cold. But otherwise a cold is a virus and you can't get away from them. You just know it's going to spread through the whole daycare and you are going to get it too when they are sneezing and coughing all over you. But it's one of the worst parts of our job. I have a clear policy on vomit, diarrhea, fevers and contagious diseases and even though a virus can make us all sick too it's called the 'common' cold for a reason.

However, I really love my clients who are smart enough to call in the morning and tell me that their child is feeling so crappy that they are going to keep them home. It sounds like the little girl in your daycare really should have been at home, but I don't make the call and send a child home for a runny nose normally.

However, we go through their wipes really quickly because to try to keep the contamination to a minimum I use their diaper wipes on their hands and face and on my hands until I can run out to wash them while I'm cleaning up a runny nose all day.