💡Are they still contagious?

Good afternoon Geniuses, and congratulations to last issue’s winner of the Amazon Basics Portable Blackout Curtain.

We’re excited to introduce a referral program at the bottom of this email. Right now, if you refer 1 other person, we’ll give you lifetime access to the growing database of our favorite products. Overtime, we’ll add more benefits to those that help us grow, and we’ll retroactively reward those with 2+ referrals. It’d make our day if you referred another parent!

Daily Inspiration

“That was the tricky part. You poured inordinate amounts of time and attention and affection into your kids, but the result was indirect. You didn't point out a cat to your one-year-old and then watch him, minutes later, say 'cat.' Instead, you pointed out a hundred cats to your one-year-old and then, one day, watched him point to a cat and say 'Mama.” - Katherine Center

STRATEGY

Are they still contagious?

Not feeling well?

It’s hard to know how long to isolate to avoid getting your whole house sick, if you should stay home from work, or when you can send your kids back to school. Here’s a quick summary of the most common illnesses going around, how to spot them, and how long they last. (These are based on interviews with infectious health experts.)

• Cold: Runny nose, congestion, and mild illness that is most contagious when the symptoms are worst, typically for 2-3 days. When you begin to feel better, you’re no longer very contagious.

• Flu: Sudden onset of sore throat, congestion, fever, aches, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea. You’re typically contagious from the day before you start feeling sick until about 5 days from the onset of symptoms.

• Covid-19: Congestion, fatigue, cough, and sore throat that most of us are all too familiar with. As long as you’re fever-free, you're probably not very contagious by day 5 of symptoms. The more intense the case, however, the longer you’ll be able to spread it to others.

• Conjunctivitis (pink eye): Itchy, red, leaky eyes caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Talk to a healthcare provider for a diagnosis. You’re very contagious as long as you have symptoms, which is typically a few days to a couple weeks.

• Hand, foot, and mouth disease: Rash on the hands and feet, sores in the mouth, and, in children, often a fever. Symptoms typically develop three to six days after infection. You’re most contagious when you first show symptoms. Once the fever is gone for 24 hours and the rash/ sores are starting to heal, you’re less likely to pass it to someone else, but transmission risk through stool can last for several weeks.

• Norovirus: Sudden onset of diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain that often lasts one or two days. Unfortunately, you can remain contagious for weeks after symptoms resolve, especially through stool.

• RSV: In mild cases, RSV can be hard to distinguish from other illnesses on this list as it presents with a runny nose, headache, cough, and fever. It tends to take a heavier toll on your airways though. You’re most contagious when you’re symptomatic and you should be in the clear by day 5, as long as you don’t have a fever.

• Strep throat: a bacterial infection characterized by a very soul throat, though some also develop a fever. It can be treated easily with antibiotics. 24 hours after starting antibiotics, you shouldn’t be contagious any more.

GOOD FINDS

Things That Caught Our Attention

• Remembering Chuck Feeney, who recently passed away at 92. A successful entrepreneur, Chuck amassed a fortune of over $8 billion. Then he did something unusual: he gave almost all of it away, not when he died, but systematically throughout his life. He’s an inspiring model of a life well lived.

• The prevalence of autism continues to rise to roughly 4% and 1% of 8 year-old boys and girls, respectively. This trend doesn’t necessarily mean that autism is becoming more common, it could just reflect increased screening and diagnosis.

GENIUS PRODUCT

Indestructible, Waterproof Indoor/ Outdoor Blanket

Despite the silly name, the Little Unicorn Indoor/ Outdoor blanket is a seriously blanket. It is waterproof, easy to clean, and folds in on itself to carry easily without a bag.

Games

Trivia

• How many questions a day does the average four year old ask? (No, it isn’t “a bazillion.”)

• How many words does the average one year old know?

ANSWERS FROM LAST TIME

• In the United States, 3% of newborns are twins.

• By kindergarten or about six years old, a child’s brain has reached its full size, but it won’t stop developing until the mid 20s. Even thereafter, the brain never stops changing.

ONE LAST THING

You can understand the logic…