You just know when your child isn't feeling well, but how can you know when coughs and sniffles mean it's time to keep your child home from school? Or when to call the doctor? Since school-aged children get up to 10 colds a year, it can be a puzzle for many parents.

That's why the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and Triaminic® have partnered to create "Sick Day Guidelines: Making the Right Call When Your Child Has a Cold." Some 22 million school days are missed each year in the U.S. due to colds, which are also the leading cause of doctor visits and missed school and work days.

Read on for useful information to help you make the right call on your child's next sick day.

Should I keep my child at home or send them to school?

Consider keeping your child home if he or she:

Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
Has been vomiting
Has symptoms that prevent him or her from participating in school, such as:

Having a sick baby or child at home is no fun ... and I'm just talking about relatively minor illnesses like the common cold or a flu. It's awful to see your offspring suffer and not be their usual joyful self. It's also tough to manage the extra care they require and put up with (usually) more sleepless nights as they struggle to settle down or keep waking up. But there is something that's worse ... and that is getting sick yourself when your child is unwell. With many illnesses such as the common cold or the flu it almost seems inevitable that whoever spends most time with the child gets sick as well (school teachers and day care centre staff can tell a tale of this). So what can we do as parents to avoid getting sick when our children have a cold or flu? Here's my starter for 10 list based on recent experience (my 19-month old went through 2 consecutive colds and an ear infection and I didn't get sick - YAY!).