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

It makes me feel sad to learn there's kids locked up in their rooms on their own. I couldn't do it.

I voted YANBU because I would do the same because we are all at home anyway and we’d just isolate together as a household.

It would be unreasonable to have a DC with a positive contact and told to isolate, but then not isolate either the DC alone or the whole household as a group. So if a parent worked outside the home for example, it would be unreasonable to allow the DC with positive contact to keep mixing with a household member who goes out to work. It’s the same with going to shops, you can’t do that because it’s either the DC isolates alone, or whole household isolates.

Otherwise it’s just ignoring track and trace and risks DC passing on to you and you passing it on while at work or in a shop.

No because I wouldn’t subject my son to neglect.

Absolutely not. I'll take my chances with Covid rather than make DS isolate on his own.

No.

It is abusive in my opinion
And how do you even explain that to a child who hasnt done anything wrong without making them feel scared.

I isolated alone and it kept the rest of my household safe, which is worth it. My 8yo would be lonely but cope. Others might not. It isn't abuse if your chhild undderstands and can cope. Even just 5 to 7 days out of 10 could protect the rest of the family.

I’m CEV and DS(14) had to isolate twice last year due to a positive test in his bubble at school and there’s is no way I would have kept him in his bedroom (even though he would have loved it!)

Covid has caused enough heartache in our family and DS mental health is more important to me.

No of course not.

DH and I didn’t do this when we tested positive back in May. I spent most of my time in the sitting room watching tv and DH at the dining room table working. We all ate together and the DCs ( both adults)joined us whenever they fancied it. Neither of them tested positive or showed any symptoms.

Are some people seriously justifying this? WTF?

Discussed this with my adult daughter and she reminded me of times when I had kept her isolated and camped on the landing talking and singing to her through the door so she wouldn't feel lost or frightened. At other times, I had isolated with one child to protect the rest of the family.

It's all very well saying "well, if I get ill so be it". But what if you're vulnerable- wouldn't it be even more scary for the child if you ended up in ICU or even (heaven forbid) died? How would they cope if they couldn't see you for months because you were in hospital. What if they have a vulnerable sibling? Wouldn't that be even worse for them?

Families have to do the best they can under whatever circumstances they have.

My 17 year old has isolated from us twice. We swapped him into the smallest room as he shares he had his playstation tv phone and school work and I took food up to him.
The plan is for any of us who need to isolate to do the same except for primary age ds where I would isolate with him.

@corythatwas I was the one who said so be it...

The question was would you do it. And I wouldn't. I'm aware it's different if you are vulnerable but I'm expressing my pov on it. Obviously families of shielders have to weigh up the risks but I would take the risk of covid to not leave my small primary age child shut away in her room for days on end and not provide proper care/comfort to her.

Totally get that, Bootskates. But as I tried to show, isolating doesn't have to mean totally without care or comfort. Depending on the child and the layout of the house, it is sometimes possible to keep in contact and still observe social distancing. As I said, I sometimes camped on the landing when there were reasons not to share a room. Hard and uncomfortable for me, but that didn't affect her.

I also remember my brother being confined to his room when he had measles. We did lots of things to cheer him up, we just weren't allowed in. I don't think his mental health suffered at all.

I understand what you mean but at the back end of the year from hell for her, losing school, friends, family, dance class etc I think losing that close contact with me (its just the 2 of us here) would be the last straw. Plus it's one thing to be in your sick bed being entertained on the landing but a lot of isolating kids are fit and well.

I would have to literally lock her in her room. I wouldn't be able to do that in any way shape or form.

Definitely not. I have a 6 year old and would never do that to her.

No. Ds(10) tested positive over a week ago with mild symptoms. We have carried on as normal (but isolated as a family) and the rest of us have not caught it. Our isolation period is almost up so it looks like he hasn't passed it on. This is a confirmed case - I certainly wouldn't consider isolating just for a close contact! Although would of course keep them home.

To the post who asked, no not Scotland-here in Kent I haven’t heard of any specific instructions when bubbles are sent home.

For those mentioned CEV people in the house- I did exclude them in my OP as that’s a necessity.

The more I dwell on it the more upsetting I find it

When I was SI due to a case in my class, I sat away from the family- so more the 2m away and kept the room very well ventilated. No-one touched cups or cutlery that I'd used and DH and I slept in separate rooms. I avoided touching anyone.

However, I was not in a separate room unless I just wanted some peace and quiet! I wouldn't expect a child to be keep apart from the family either.

Would completely depend on the child. My 14yo did 10 days in his room quite happily (with Xbox etc!), don’t think my 12yo would.

Not a chance, I’d probably be giving extra cuddles and reassurance as dd would be worried.

Absolutely not. Both of my dc’s (secondary age) have had to isolate as both sat next to a positive case at school. At no point did it even occur to me to make them isolate away from the rest of the family. They were both taking part in live steamed lessons in their bedrooms during the day but after that they were free to spend time in any part of the house they pleased. We continued to eat together as a family each evening. I actually caught covid from my work (primary school TA). My only symptom was loss of taste and smell and started very suddenly on Xmas Eve . I went for a test on Xmas Eve and it took 6 days for the positive result to come back. I cooked Christmas dinner as normal (shame I couldn’t taste it) and we did all the normal family things together over the 10 day isolation period (watching tv and board games mostly). None of them showed any symptoms despite being in close contact with me for 10 days.

No of course not. Children that age need companionship, exercise, fresh air and screen time limits. These are basic needs. The only way you could make staying on their own in a small room acceptable to a healthy 8 year old would be to completely remove any screen time limits. Fine for a few days but a month?

If children have to isolate within the house and there's a garden, they should be encouraged to go out and get fresh air and play. If in a flat, to do exercise videos in the living room and open windows for as much fresh air as possible. Letting your young child have 12+ hours of screen time a day is neglectful and harmful to their mental health. If I had a child that was sedentary enough to be willing to stay in their room like this for a month, I would be seriously concerned.

I had to isolate in my room when I got chicken pox as an adult, because most of my flatmates at the time hadn't had it. It was for about 11 days, and it was miserable, despite phone calls, texts and being brought food and drink. Actually, the food was good, my flatmate was a better cook than me! I gave her money and she basically made an extra portion of her own meals.

I don't think I'd inflict that on a child, or even a teenager unless someone else was very vulnerable, and even then I'd try and isolate one adult with contact child, and one with vulnerable.