When can your child go back to kindergarten?
This is the question you google at half past six in the morning with a child on your arm. The answer from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health is shorter than most people expect, and it is more often about how the child is doing than about which diagnosis they have.
The general rule
As a general rule, the child should be fever-free and well enough to take part in normal kindergarten activities.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Illness by illness
| Illness | When can the child return |
|---|---|
| Fever | Stay home while the fever lasts, primarily for the child's own sake. Back when they are fever-free and up to a normal day. |
| Vomiting and diarrhoea | 48 hours after the vomiting and diarrhoea have STOPPED. Not 48 hours from when it started. |
| Conjunctivitis | The kindergarten generally cannot require the child to be examined or given eye drops first. Mild and moderate cases do not require staying home. |
| Impetigo | Back when the sores are under control. Note that impetigo is a skin infection, not the same as chickenpox. |
| Colds, a runny nose and coughing | Lingering symptoms after a cold are not in themselves a reason to stay home. Back when the child is otherwise their usual self. |
The 48-hour rule is the one people get wrong
It runs from when the symptoms stop, not from when they start. If the last time your child was sick was Tuesday evening, 48 hours have passed on Thursday evening at the earliest — so Friday at kindergarten, not Thursday. It makes for a long week, and that is exactly why the rule exists: the risk of infection is greatest while symptoms are ongoing, and a stomach bug in a toddler group reaches everyone.
The kindergarten cannot demand a doctor's visit for conjunctivitis
This is worth knowing, because it is still asked for. The Institute of Public Health is clear that staff generally cannot demand that a child with conjunctivitis symptoms be examined or treated with eye drops before returning. They can raise it with the parents if in doubt, but that is a conversation, not a requirement.
Not on the list?
Then the general rule is the answer: fever-free, and well enough to take part in a normal day. A child who isn't up to being outdoors is rarely up to a day at kindergarten either. If you are unsure about something contagious, it is your doctor and not the kindergarten who decides.
Sources
- FHI: When should a child stay home from kindergarten? →
- FHI: Infection control in kindergarten and school →
All the advice on this page comes from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, checked on 12 August 2026. It does not replace medical advice, and your kindergarten may have its own routines on top.