Sick child babysitting service

[ClawsandEffect]

Just struck me this morning at the school gate (sick child having to go to school because parents couldn't get time off work) that there might be a niche market for in-child's-home babysitting for unwell children.

Obviously would have to be DRB'd individuals.

Just made me feel bad for the child this morning, who looked as if they needed to be on the sofa with a blanket.

Mine pays for this and provides it too. Never know anyone use it as we can all work from home if needed and I wouldn’t leave my sick child with a stranger

When planning to have a child you need to think and plan ahead for situations such as sickness.

My work also did this.

If my child is genuinely sick, I am not leaving them.

But why would someone choose to work solely with clients who have potentially contagious illnesses? Surely they'd just end up sickening a bunch of people as well as themselves?

And would you trust a stranger to care for your sick child? What if their illness suddenly deteriorated? You haven't mentioned them needing first aid training etc? DBS doesn't tell you someone is capable caring for unwell children of various ages with various illnesses.

That's more like a children's nurse or something? Who are a bit more senior/qualified than a 'babysitter'.

Do you mean ‘absence rates are far lower’? Do you have stats to back that up?

I’d definitely be interested in this sort of work when I retire in a couple of years. I recall the kids were always much easier to look after when they were unwell.

I’d probably draw the line at norovirus though…

I have a child with some complex medical issues which mean whilst she could go to school as it’s not V&D or chickenpox etc it can make her feel unwell and tired and uncomfortable (like vision problems and can limp) so it’s definitely something I’d wish was available - just a shame my own parents aren’t interested in helping me out when it happens (I’m a lone parent who has to work full time).
you sound lovely OP though

As a children’s nurse, you would need someone trained to differentiate between minor illnesses and when a sick child deteriorates. They can do this fast and without warning. It is a risk for someone to set up this service and be the one providing it, even down to the small things like giving out calpol.

It’s that old saying,
Parent like you don’t work
Work like you don’t have children

Work can make it SO difficult to take time off, parents are under SO much pressure. The CoL doesnt help matters. I don’t think any parent wants to do this, we should be more understanding when colleagues call in to be with their children.

Definitely a demand for stuff like this I think. In some jobs you genuinely can’t just take the day off without major consequences. And it’s not as extreme as it sounds either. I think someone who had a background in nursing would be perfect for this as you’d know your child was being well looked after.

She probably means school absence rates. And I can believe that.

Might as well shut the hospital then. Don’t want Doctors and nurses picking up anything 🫣

Yes, that clearly follows automatically from the evident lack of emergency childcare for ill kids. Our childminder doesn't take them til 48 hours after D and V, and as soon as the hospitals in our city found out they all shut down in response.

Doctors and nurses are not self-employed.

90% of tue parents at my dc school would use this. They don’t have time for an hour of assembly let alone a full day of sickness.
not for me but I reckon you’d make money. Get them to visit you in the summer hols so you’re lined up for the academic year.

I completely agree - I've been a nanny for 19 years and have done many ad hoc days like this where and when I can (if I'm between jobs, working part time or on the family I work for at the time is on holiday...once a bug went round the class and I had 6 kids for 3 days on the sofa!).

It can either be families ive previously worked for or friends of families, sometimes classmates

It's incredibly naive to think its as easy as if a kids sick they need to stay home, bosses and managers are not always that happy or flexible

An hour of assembly is a half day off work. Depending on how working parents are juggling the school holidays (and indeed, days off for sick children), half days off for an assembly may well be a luxury.

They send their kids in poorly all the time and refuse to collect unless they absolutely have to.

And that sucks. But you can see how, in circumstances where they don't feel they have the flexibility to collect a sick child, they won't have the flexibility to attend an assembly.

I never seem to catch anything tbh. Both my children get unwell occasionally and I never get it. So I could probably do it and not get unwell and I dare say others are the same. The problem is the ad hoc nature of it. It would be impossible to run it as a business as too sporadic.

Completely agree. Plus it would inherently be short notice and 1-2 days at a time only (unless it was chicken pox or something).

A friend used to locum-teach and if she didn't have a long term sick/maternity cover gig, she was dressed and on the portal every day at 7am to see if anyone had called in sick. But at least that gathered jobs together across a certain radius - this would be various families who might or might not call on any given day.

The poster who offers this in between long term nanny jobs - that makes sense.

Indeed. But what would those plans be, if you don't have a handy retired but active grandparent living round the corner?

The parents may have jobs and not be able to take time off at such little notice.

We did, gave it much careful thought. Me with my very inflexible but part time role and DH with his full time and demanding but more flexible role was a winning team, we thought. Terminal illness put paid to that