Would you make your primary age child isolate from the rest of the house?

[Oileo]

Obviously presuming households with no additional clinical vulnerabilities or elderly relatives or risks.

I was online earlier with my son and a child mentioned they couldn’t do something as they have to isolate in their bedroom. I asked the mum by text, thinking it was a mix up, but she confirmed that her 8 yr old has a positive case in their school bubble (Keyworker parents, not though with health) so is isolating away from siblings/ parents in her bedroom. I know it’s certainly not her class’s first period off in isolation, so recently they have spent nearly a month in their room alone.

Tbf I luckily haven’t been in this position myself, but I guess I’d presumed households just mainly stayed in together and that’s what I’d planned to do if we had a positive contact. I can’t imagine not hugging or being close to my 8 yr old for over a week. Being practical we also all share bedrooms and have one bathroom anyway. The child seemed ok in themselves.

Yabu- yes, if our kids have had cases in their bubble they’ve stayed in their room alone for the period

Yanbu-we let them move around the house as normal

Well theres no harm. If I set up the xbox in dc8 bedroom and brought food. We would probably never see him

Ds had to isolate as contact. He spent some time in the room he plays the PlayStation in but also joined us for some meals at the table. He is at secondary school

It seems a bit harsh for a child that age but maybe if more people took this approach it wouldn't be spreading at the rate it is. I think it depends on the child and how well they'd cope with it.

Hell no, that’s horrendous.

DC 4 years old had to self isolate,it was hard enough to get him stop licking my face for 10 days. It would be child abuse to shut him in his room.

COVID has destroyed enough families, removed much of what enriches lives, prevented too many emotional relationships. There’s no way I’d be adding to that by shutting a child in their bedroom for weeks on end. It’s monstrous.

I guess we always look to our own children when we consider these things, mine would be a mess. To the point I’d be scared of physical well-being (bf asd), but even my 10 yr old would be significantly distressed and sad. Probably also very scared of actually having Covid and being sick alone.

I think it's borderline abusive to be honest. How young would you go? My 5 year old needs hugs and touch for her wellbeing daily (every 5 minutes).

I’m in my 40s and I’d describe myself as needing daily hugs and touch for wellbeing...

No! That's awful.

My DD had to stay home from school as hubble burst and she spent her time in the house as she normally would!

Our health is not secondary to her ability to be comfortable in her own home.

No. My 18 year old had to self isolate as his bubble at school had a positive case, it didn't even occur to me to isolate him from the rest of us. He shares a room with his brothers anyway. And he has SEN so would get confused about why I was making him stay away from us, would think he'd been naughty and get upset.

There's no way I could do it with a younger child. I think it's horrible. Poor kid.

I’d say that’s close to abuse, and I usually think the word abuse is used far too freely on here. Clearly this mum is doing what she thinks is best and she might have anxiety or someone else very vulnerable in the house, but it is barbaric to isolate such a young child like that.

My nine year had to self isolate for five days. When we got the call we asked her if she’d be OK in her room for a day so we could stock up on food first (she had sole use of an en-suite) and she was quite happy. She said she didn’t mind it at all - she had a laptop in there - and so she said she was quite happy to carry on so her siblings could go to school. We said she could stop any time she wanted to but she managed all five days. I was pretty surprised but a few of her classmates did the same and they had a thriving social life online. She is quite mature and self-contained.

I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing it with my younger kids, and tbh wouldn’t actively have planned to do it with her.

And certainly wouldn’t have done it for a month! It was only ever going to be five days. If there’d been any extension to it I would have insisted it stop.

To all of you who say that it’s abusive, I think that’s a bit strong. I remember coming down with chicken pox when I was around 9 (many years ago!) and I had to isolate in my room as at the time I had a little sister (aged about 4) who had leukaemia and who would have been very ill if she had caught it. It didn’t cause me any damage and I have vague memories of quite enjoying reading and watching tv! I appreciate that everyone is different and families have to make decisions based on what is right for their family. Some 8 year olds would be ok with this and some wouldn’t - it’s up to the responsible parents to decide.

My son is 7 no chance would I do that ,if it came to it we would all isolate together.

I'd say abuse too. If you had a vulnerable DH for instance, you could make them isolate from the child, whilst being stringent on hand washing etc. Obviously don't see any vulnerable relatives that live outside the house too. But locking a child away is definitely NOT ok.

I feel quite upset for that child

Of course not. It’s abusive. This place has gone beyond batshit.

@TheKeatingFive

Of course not. It’s abusive. This place has gone beyond batshit.

Couldn't agree more. I cannot believe that people are suggesting it is OK to leave a primary school (or indeed secondary, let's not beat about the bush) isolated like that. Mental health crisis here we come.

FFS.

Don't forget that support bubbles were brought in because people really struggle on their own for long periods! It really could do long term mental health damage, especially to a child.

I was just about to say what @Hankunamatata said. If I put DSS (8) in his room with the ps4 and told him only had to stop to eat I dont think he would notice 10 days passing.
Weather or not I would do it. Probably not. I think that kind of social isolation would be bad for a child that age but it depends on the kid.

No and both of mine have had it and I cuddled and kept them with me throughout. DD had a horrible cough and breathing issues in the night and needed comforting and DS had one of the worse night sleep ever. I needed to be with them. There was no way I could leave them alone

Omg that's horrendous. Positive case in your bubble is only isolate at home. No personal isolation needed unless you are positive yourself (gov guidelines) and even that would be tough to achieve with a child so young.
She's mistaken and needs to know, that poor child! 🥺

No, never. If I got covid from looking after my child/giving affection then so be it.

I couldn't do it. My two have had separate episodes of SI, and tbh we just acted as usual. I have stopped kissing them on the lips, but that was probably due anyway tbh. theyre both secondary age

One of mine is a very touchy-snuggly child; I don't think he'd cope isolated in a room by himself for one day, let alone ten. My other isn't bothered about touch, but needs to talk to others all the time. She'd go insane.

Don't get me wrong- DH and I would try to keep ourselves separate if we had to SI, but it's not an expectation to have of children.

I know that in living memory very small children were put on isolation wards (TB, smallpox, polio, etc) but it's not how children are raised nowadays, is it.