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?

Ah. Then no.

She can't carry a babe in arms when trying to talk with the consultant, sign paperwork, read any material handed to her etc. Babe stays in pram and older kids can sit quietly outside... or even sit them on the floor directly outside the consultation room door.

Hercule you have gone from changing the appointment or finding a sitter to taking them in the room with you. Which is it?

or even sit them on the floor directly outside the consultation room door.

Or this.

my2bundles

Well obviously not all of those things at once. I’m saying if I could change the appointment, I would. If not, I would hire a sitter. If I had no money or no sitter, I would take them in. Etc.

You know your own kids.

If you think they're sensible enough then it's absolutely fine.

I can't believe how many kids are cocooned in wads of cotton wool nowadays.

This literally would never have been a question when I was growing up. It's what everybody did. In fact the doctor would expect it.

Of course you can leave them alone in a waiting room for 15 minutes. They will be perfectly fine. You have little choice and you are doing your best. You must have a lot of worries on your mind, but don't let this be one of them.

Hercule we don't all have those options available to us. I have had times when I've had no choice but to take kids with me unless I want to wait 6 months for another appointment. Appointment was not appropriate for kids to be in tne room so they sat in tne waiting room. Life is not as simple as you seem to think it is.

Can you get the appointment slots for when they are at school?

Yeh cuz this is exactly how the NHS works! NOT! Hard enough to get appointments let alone dictate when they are.

I agree with Hercule up to a point. I know that receptionists often don’t like or allow unattended children in the waiting room as it’s assumed they will be watching them, which is what people have suggested here. It’s rude to assume this and put the in an awkward position because it’s not their job.

I’d leave children alone in a waiting room at 10 but not before. I think at 7 & 8, especially as two siblings (may be more likely to squabble and misbehave if together), they do need someone to keep a distant eye on them.

Maybe check with the receptionist as ask?

But also agree no way should the OP reschedule. If you can’t all fit into the room then the kids should stay outside the door, or in the waiting room.

My DSs have been coming to my regular hospital appointments for their whole lives.
I take them in when I can or schedule appointments when they are at school or nursery where possible but I go every month and the hospital is a long way so the timings don't always work out.
DS1 has been sitting outside the door in the waiting room with his iPad or a book since he was 6. DS2 is three so comes in and causes chaos although when I had my last xrays they both sat outside with a staff member.
In our waiting room you wait outside the clinic room door so I try to get him in a chair near the door, the staff all know him as I've been going there regularly for 20yrs.
It depends on how sensible your kids are and the set up. Make sure they have something to keep them occupied, make sure they have been to the toilet and don't need to go again before you go in and make sure they know what to do if there is a problem and exactly where you are (so they feel secure)

my2bundles

It’s not something I would do. That might mean they had to stand outside the room, it might mean an open door, it might mean crowding everyone in. That’s me. I am not asking anyone else to agree.

It depends on layout, my 3 yr old had a non personal appt last week and I asked to leave the door open with my 6&8 within earshot down the corridor. They’re sensible and could easily find me.

If it was the kind of place with a few twists and turns from room to door I wouldn’t, in case they couldn’t locate me in case of need, (eg say one slipped or vomited).

Also I ask them, if it’s was quiet and settled I would, eg the GP, but not in a busy public place where they would be scared. Context is everything.

Standing outside tne door does not make sense Surely they would be getting in the way of hospital staff and causing a blockage to other patientshirt walking past Sitting on chairs in the designated waiting room is much more sensible.

A 7 & 8 year old may be responsible enough to sit quietly in a waiting room but I’d be concerned about other people in the waiting room.

Last time I was in a hospital waiting room an very loud (and I presume homeless by the look of her) woman appeared out of nowhere and started verbally abusing the staff/ asking people for money- trying to engage people in conversation.

It’s not about your kids being able to sit quietly, it’s about them being able to handle whatever the hospital throws at them!

my2bundles

The concern for the convenience of the staff didn’t seem to apply when we were talking about leaving them under the eye of the receptionist? Anyway, sitting my kids in the doorway of the consultation room/standing them up next to it is what I would do, because they are my responsibility. If someone came along they could get out of the way.

Last time I was in a hospital waiting room an very loud (and I presume homeless by the look of her) woman appeared out of nowhere and started verbally abusing the staff/ asking people for money- trying to engage people in conversation.

Which would be scary, and a scenario I could easily see happening in a bone/ear/throat clinic, or whatever specialism outside of paediatrics is relevant here.

I've left my kids for 20 years in waiting rooms from tne age of 7. I've never left them under the eye of the receptionist so that response to me is irrelevant. In all these years there have been no issues

Typo: I meant, not in the waiting room ... unless the waiting area is right outside the door.

I really do think it’s cheeky to think “and the receptionists are there if there’s a problem” - it’s not the receptionists’ job to deal with unattended children who aren’t there for their own appointments! They’re busy and distracted and if anything was to go wrong, they could potentially be regarded as partly responsible.

It is possible to change appointment slots. I do it frequently. It’s exactly how the NHS works.

my2bundles

But if something had happened that had frightened or threatened your children, who would have been responsible for them?

I wouldn't leave my children in the waiting room.