How long after a stomach bug should we wait before going to a splash pad?

The two-week rule after a stomach bug isn't excessive — it reflects how long pathogens like cryptosporidium continue shedding in stool after symptoms resolve. The CDC explicitly recommends staying out of public water (including splash pads, pools, and lakes) for two weeks after the last diarrhea episode, because asymptomatic carriers can still contaminate water and cause outbreaks. This is a community-care rule, not a personal-risk rule. Your own kid is fine; the kids who haven't been sick yet are who you protect by waiting. The rule applies even after over-the-counter medication has cleared symptoms. If your kid had a confirmed crypto, giardia, or shigella infection, your pediatrician may extend the timeline further. Norovirus generally clears faster but two weeks is still the safe default. Practical advice: if you visited a pad in the previous five days and your kid then had diarrhea, don't return for two weeks even if symptoms were mild. The collective compliance with this rule is what keeps outbreak rates low.