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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not self isolate with baby?

149 replies

auferste · 03/08/2021 16:25

My son is 7 months old, he went to his dads on Saturday overnight and his dad brought him back Sunday afternoon. Today, he messaged saying he can't see DS as he has to self isolate as his younger brother has tested positive for covid. DS would've been in contact with the brother.

WIBU to not isolate with him? I live alone so I'd have to Isolate as well and DS is fine.

OP posts:
jumpbounce · 03/08/2021 18:46

@Blah1881

Do not stay indoors with the baby for 10 days, you will go mad. The rules are changing for isolation so soon. Everyone is going to get COVID eventually anyway and if they are vaccinated their symptoms should be mild. Stay away from baby groups, but please don’t confine yourself to your property on your own with the baby.
'You will go mad'

Seriously? with a 7 month old. How people manage to get through life with kids at times I really do wonder, if they can't even manage to stay at home for 10 days with a 7 month old baby!
I've had to stay in a tiny little hospital room with my DC from they were younger than 7 months old up until the present day on many many occasions, some lasting a lot longer than 10 days.
Have I survived? Yes!

BTW the same DC above is now 4 years old is CEV and unvaccinated because they are too young for the covid jab, but hey OP's need to get out of the house trumps the health of a CEV child who OP may come in contact with, at the shops, on the swings at the park etc while she refuses to self isolate.

LondonJax · 03/08/2021 18:51

Symptoms are changing. My DSis woke up with a sore throat a week or two ago, then got a bout of sneezing (similar to hayfever). She just felt something wasn't right so did a LFT. Immediate 'positive' so she followed with a PCR. She's now isolating with confirmed Covid. She's had no high temperature, no cough at all and in herself feels fine. But her throat has blisters, her taste and smell went a couple of days after the PCR test result. She's double vaccinated. In fact she was an early one due to her daughter being CEV.

So the symptoms list is out of date in some cases and, with vaccines, the symptoms are likely to be milder. You really can't tell if you're Covid positive without doing a test.

HungryHippo11 · 03/08/2021 18:57

I think you do need to isolate. At 7 months old he won't really have a clue so that's a bonus. We recently did 10 days with an 18 month old and a 4yo so I know its tough with kids but thats the way it is.
He can still go to his Dads although you may decide its not a good idea if the brother will be there as it would increase the chance of DS getting it.

Maybe you could use this time to help DS learn to nap in his cot.

TheGumption · 03/08/2021 19:01

🙄🙄 honestly why bother asking?? Also, it's easy to test on a baby. Mine was born right at the beginning of the first lockdown and ended up having 3 tests before her first birthday. It's not a big deal at all especially if they're asleep.
Grow up a bit and take responsibility. You're a parent.

Sirzy · 03/08/2021 19:02

Don’t forget it’s 10 days from when he was in contact with his uncle not 10 days from today

Upsideandundergarments · 03/08/2021 19:03

You won't even test even though it's completely safe and does absolutely zero harm and it may save someone's life... interesting.

I was always told 'My you get everything you deserve' blessing or a curse depending on who you are and what type of choices you make.

HungryHippo11 · 03/08/2021 19:04

@Ponoka7

"If test and trace contact you to say he needs to isolate then it's a legal requirement to do so."

It is no longer a legal requirement.

It is until August 16th
LondonJax · 03/08/2021 19:04

@Blah1881 yes, the rules on isolation are changing soon. But they're not being scrapped. From 16th August, if you're under 18 or double vaccinated, you'll be advised to take a PCR test if you've been in contact with a positive case. If you're positive you then have to legally isolate, like it or not regardless of your vaccine status or personal circumstances.

cashoncollection · 03/08/2021 19:10

I wouldn’t isolate in your shoes OP. I’d keep my distance, go outdoors, avoid shops but I wouldn’t isolate. Your baby will be socially distanced by the nature of being immobile in a pram, if you then keep your distance from people I can’t see the risk.

Of course I can see you’ve drawn out the frothing covid police but honestly I would not isolate and I wouldn’t be testing a baby with no symptoms either.

Figgygal · 03/08/2021 19:10

Yes he should isolate which unfortunately means you need to also
Buy you know that

Candydreamer · 03/08/2021 19:18

I mean, at this point I would take baby out for a walk still. under 18s and double vaccinated dont have to from the 16th so for the sake of just under 2 weeks it seems ridiculous.

wouldnt go to busy places but I certainly wont berate you for getting some fresh air with a young baby.

Lifeispassingby · 03/08/2021 19:26

Here we are again, OP asking for support to back up her decision not to do something morally right. You know that your baby should isolate but you’re here asking even though you are going to do what you want anyway. It may not be a legal responsibility but it’s a moral one. Given the close nature of your relationship with a baby, if he has it there is a high chance you will too so I would isolate if it were me x

LunaMuffinTop · 03/08/2021 19:34

YABU it’s thanks to selfish bastards like you that I lost my granddad and my uncle to Covid. It’s not difficult to self isolate for 10 days or would you rather walk round potentially passing Covid to someone who’s vulnerable or is in close contact with someone who is.

Minniem2020 · 03/08/2021 19:39

Thanks to someone knowingly being in contact with someone who tested positive and deciding not to isolate dp now has covid. Which means he is unable to hug our toddler ds, he can't see his kids and I can't see my dd for 10 days. And the 10 days is providing myself or ds don't catch it then have to start our isolation again. Im normally not that interested what other people do with regards the rules but I really wish this person had followed them.

clickychicky · 03/08/2021 19:44

I would in case you kill someone

clickychicky · 03/08/2021 19:45

@Ponoka7

I also wouldn't test a baby, you could easily damage their nose and have no chance of swabbing the tonsils.
You only do the nose for a baby.
99victoria · 03/08/2021 19:47

I always find these threads so interesting - people saying they haven't been able to see friends/family for 14 months, someone always isolating etc. None of my friends or family have had covid or had to isolate at all. Myself and my daughter and grand-daughter have been in schools throughout the pandemic (we live in a big city in the south of England). Since the rules were relaxed my adult daughter who lives with us has been to a 3 day festival, I have been to a non-SD theatre with 2 500 people (mostly without masks) for a 3 hours performance indoors, we have met regularly with lots of friends for parties, meals, days out etc and still NONE of us have caught covid.

I have just checked the stats for our local hospital - no deaths in the last 7 days, 30 people admitted to hosptal. We're a city of around 300 000 people.

Why such stark differences between people's experiences I wonder?

Trampolean · 03/08/2021 19:47

@LunaMuffinTop

YABU it’s thanks to selfish bastards like you that I lost my granddad and my uncle to Covid. It’s not difficult to self isolate for 10 days or would you rather walk round potentially passing Covid to someone who’s vulnerable or is in close contact with someone who is.
No it's not down to people like OPs 7 month old baby, who hasn't even been contacted by test and trace. Sorry for your loss but your ire should be directed towards the government and their lacklustre response to covid.
daphnedoo12 · 03/08/2021 19:48

Take a PCR and do regular LFTs and if you get a positive (you or baby) then isolate

User5827372728 · 03/08/2021 19:52

@99victoria

You’ve probably all had covid just been asymptomatic

LordOfTheThings · 03/08/2021 19:53

FFS. When will people get it? No one wants to isolate, I certainly didn't. But I also didn't want to pass anything on to anyone else, I don't know why so few people seem to care about that.

99victoria · 03/08/2021 19:56

But if we've all had it and been asymptomatic surely we would have passed it on to people we work with in the schools, to our friends we are mixing with etc. Have they also had it and been asymptomatic? What are the chances of that actually happening?

clickychicky · 03/08/2021 19:56

@LordOfTheThings

FFS. When will people get it? No one wants to isolate, I certainly didn't. But I also didn't want to pass anything on to anyone else, I don't know why so few people seem to care about that.
People just want to be able to ignore it and hope it will go away because its inconvient. They forget it might kill someone.
99victoria · 03/08/2021 19:57

And actually, myself and my daughter have been doing LFTs twice a week up to the end of term.

HalloHello · 03/08/2021 19:57

What do you think mums and babies have been doing for the last 16 months if they're isolating? It's probably not even 10 days by now if baby was exposed on Saturday, it's only 7. It's pretty selfish not to isolate IMO.