Children in waiting rooms

[BigRedLondonBus]

Dd has some regular hospital appointments at the moment but I have no child care so it means taking all 4 children to the hospital with me. It’s abit of a nightmare what age would it be acceptable to leave children in the waiting room whilst we have the actual appointment?

If it was me and they didn’t all fit I’d ask them to just hold on until we could use a bigger room for the consultation and I’d swap with a colleague

Nice if you've got time or the hospital can or you have a job that you can ask a colleague to swap.

And no hercule having no child care is NOT A CHOICE

NaughtToThreeSadOnions

Having no childcare is not a choice. I agree. Leaving your children alone is.

DuchessDarty of course it's not ok that the receptionists have to look after any children, that's the point, surely? Fwiw I do have a 7 and 5 year old in addition to the baby and toddler, and no, I wouldn't leave them unattended in a waiting room. However it's generally much easier with those ages, as (a) they're at school often and (b) even in holidays, it's much easier to find a sympathetic mum who'll take them for a playdate for a couple of hours at that age, or worst case (c) they can sit with you in the room quietly. Still don't agree with leaving them in waiting rooms - yes, one child might be fine, but the receptionists aren't to know which are fine, and hospitals are funny places, a lot of people coming and going and easy to get lost heading to the loo.

Having no childcare is not a choice. I agree. Leaving your children alone is

So what arre your amazing options then hercule do you cut yourself in two so you can be in the appointment and supervise the other child

Because by the way should you do thaf you would need medicap care yourself and be leaving both children alone

NaughtToThreeSadOnions

I can’t see how I can get through to you, Naught. I’ve told you what I see the options as being. You’re pretending they’re not options when they are. This conversation has become silly. Enjoy your day.

No sorry what are the optiojs??? I havent seen you give any!!!

Just go on an on about it being a choice!!

Yes i think this conversation is silly too no sorry more than silly you are ridiclous if you cant understand the problems of having no child care

1. Reschedule and hope childcare will be more available.
2. Take children in with you.
3. Stand children outside or in doorway.
4. Ask for a bigger room.

These are all perfectly viable options.

Posters have constantly told you why these options are not actually viable. They may well work for you don't assume they work for everyone.

my2bundles

Nobody has told me why the children can’t sit in or outside the room. They have told me why they think that might be a bit awkward, but that’s not “can’t”, it’s “don’t want to”. Same

. Reschedule and hope childcare will be more available

As you've said yourself reseduling is not always viable. Also generally when you have no childcare that is a lojg term thing
2. Take children in with you that is often not at all viable you or your child could have very serious treatement, you can not take your child in to an x ray or radiothreapy treatement room
3. Stand children outside or in doorway so leaving the child alone you would rather disrupt a child make them bored and therefore disruptive to leave them alone and unsupervised than leave them quietly playing/reading/watching their ipad !! Or do you mean you keep the door open i wpuld be suprised if this was in any way acceptable to any doctor for confidentality reasons
4. Ask for a bigger room rooms are allocated for the clinics needs they are probably using the only rooms avilable to them

These are all perfectly viable options no they arent for the reasons i and others have given

I don’t care if they are bored. I care if they are safe. I don’t care about confidentiality more than I care about my children. That’s my bottom line: I wouldn’t leave them in their own in the waiting room.

Nobody has told me why the children can’t sit in or outside the room.

So sitting in ohhhh you know that thing thats designed for sitting and waiting in ?

I wonder if any ones given this area a specific name that describes that room

Oh ........ i think they might call it a waiting room

NaughtToThreeSadOnions

This is ridiculous. Bye bye.

don’t care if they are bored. I care if they are safe

Their not safe though they are bored amd disruptive. Disrupting other people who coild be very ill and anxious and engaging in very unsafe behaviour that might distract medical staff/receptionists
I don’t care about confidentiality more than I care about my children you might not but the hospital do as does the law. Doctors ha e to keep medical appointments confidental

Yes hecule you are yes

I know I am going to get shouts of what about single parents but why are not more women getting the fathers of these children to actually parent? If you have four kids and one has an appointment then he should be stepping up to provide care for the other three. Half days leave, a couple of hours flexi or parental leave.

Dontsweatthelittlestuff, I came home 5 and a half years ago and my ex had gone. All his stuff was gone. He’d moved in with a woman he worked with. Wouldn’t speak to me or see the kids, then I got a letter from his solicitor saying that he was not interested in contact and if I wanted child support then I should go through official channels. What should I have done? Just dumped the kids he abandoned in his doorstep whenever I needed childcare?

Absolutely not. As a medical professional we hate that. Imagine if every person who had an appt did that???

Having no child care is not a choice!!!

I once read (in the middle of the junior doctors strike) ‘you can always sort your childcare.....you might not like it, but you can sort it’. I was horrified. If I didn’t like my childcare I wouldn’t work. BUT, it is true. There are always choices for childcare. You just might not like them. Childcare (and elderly care)is a struggle for many.....but there are always options. There are websites and agencies where you can hire childcare by the hour. There are friends, neighbours, family. You might not LIKE the option, but if that enables you to get to an appointment, for example, your smear, that ultimately saves your life I would choose one of the options that you aren’t that keen on. Ask one of your kids friends parents.....you might not love their parenting style, you might think their house is too dirty/clean/small/big but for a couple of hours it’s going to make zero difference to your child’s life, they will be safe and you can get to the appointment.
Also (and I’ve both seen this and done it) there will be someone who can watch your kids for 15 minutes while you have a scan. They might roll their eyes and huff a bit, but the end result is that you get the scan you need and you’ll probably never see them again.

Its all do-able.

Imagine if every person who had an appt did that???

But they don’t. It’s pretty rare.

I have told you several times why waiting outside the room is not an option, it causes a disruption. The waiting area with seat is normally next to the rooms where they can sit not causing am obstruction.

Of course it’s ok to leave them. At my eldest dd’s Hospital appointment a few months ago, the receptionist and a clinical worker kept an eye on my 5 and 7 year old in the waiting area. When we came out they had been given soft toys to take home as the department had been donated teddies to share with children. I would hope most children’s hospitals understand that siblings may come along and have people in place to look after them for a bit.

have people in place to look after them for a bit.

Of course they don’t! HCPs are there to do a job, not watch your children. You were lucky.

They actually offered me to leave my children in the waiting area . I’ve left my eldest dd and her brother before too. What do you think will happen to them in a waiting room for say, 10-20mins? Ridiculous.