To pick DD up during my WFH lunch?

[cosyblankies]

I have a 4 year old who started reception in September. I'm a single parent and I work 30 hours per week, usually 9am-3.30pm (half an hour for lunch unpaid). I work from home 2 days per week. On my WFH days I'm thinking of using my lunch to pick DD up from school at 1.50pm, then bring her home and log back on for the remaining 1.5 hours of my working day and she can do her homework or watch TV. She's older now so should be fine to occupy herself and it will save me £70 per day not having to pay childcare to pick her up and look after her for 90 minutes. AIBU?

that's nearly a year away, surely OP doesnt have to start that arrangement now

Might be worth researching other after school clubs OP - the one in our area is a godsend and charge £14 per day including picking them up from school, fingers crossed you can find something as I agree with others that it's a long time for a 4 year old to occupy themselves and realistically I don't think it would work well for you or your DC

1.50 is a odd time is it a settling in period?
I think it depends on the child tbh and if they are content entertaining themselves. I could definitely do what you propose with my youngest but my eldest at 4 would have been a big fat nope he would just come through every 3 minutes!

We do no childcare from 3.30pm 2 days a week but DH and I work flexibly, have often done extra time elsewhere in the week and they do entertain themselves (7 and nearly 5) and help themselves to fruit I finish work around 4.30.

What's the point of she's just going to be watching TV?

Because face facts a 4 year old isn't going to be studious and self sufficient in this environment....

You just need to ask your employer/line manage what they think surely?
I worked like this for several years but with the full support and knowledge of my employer

OP this is mumsnet, where anything less than total, unmitigated subservience to one’s employer, putting their needs above your own family/health/finances/sanity, is treated like the worst crime imaginable 🙄

We’re in a cost of living crisis. If you can do your job with minimal disruption and your DD will be safe, FGS do what you need to do.

I have seen organisations sack people for doing what op is doing.

Whether or not op can afford to take that risk only op can know.

Personally being transparent and honest seems like the best approach to me. Her employer may approve the plan

Yes, it’s well known that nine year olds and four year olds are exactly the same. My dd is 19 and I can easily leave her unsupervised so I don’t see the problem.

At 4 (or 5/6/7...) I'd have had a steady stream of snack requests from my dc. I couldn't have worked with him there, not efficiently at least. He would now sit and watch a film but not then, not quietly. Is your job one where you could maybe take a very extended break and do your last 90 minutes in the evening?

What do you do for work? Why does her school finish so early?
without these details, if your work if so easy/flexible/undemanding that you are just doing written or computer stuff for the afternoons rather than being in serious meetings, then in your shoes I’d pick her up but then play and interact with her and enjoy this quality time or take her to activities like ballet, and do the extra two hours from 8-10pm when she is asleep.
why is two hours of care £70? Is there no after school club?
if you have a serious job with meetings etc you could get in trouble if your daughter appears on camera and you may have to deal with something eg she cuts herself, she is hungry, she falls over, the tv remote batteries run out while on a call. If it’s this situation I would use and after school club, or if money is super tight then tag team with another mum and do a day each.
or you could work four hours after school on one day and just a half day on the other day, so you only have to pay for after school club once.

@RoastLambs i wasn’t saying that at all. They are obviously very different ages. But only OP knows how much attention her dd will want/need from her.

Work longer days in the office and shorter days on WFH days to allow you to start and finish around your DD.
.you cannot work a 4 year old. Maybe as lone off due to illness not not regularly and planned for.

My nearly 6 year old would not sit and watch tv or entertain herself for 1.5 hours without disturbing me multiple times. I can’t work with her around.

Why does she finish so early? That doesn't sound right for schools in England. The only children who generally finish early where I work are on reduced timetables due to sen needs....and if that's true for your DD then you certainly can't be leaving her to carry on working!

I think it depends on how independent your 4yo is and whether you can still work effectively with her there.

I think it depends on your child but it also depends on your job. If you have frequent video meetings, various, need to be on it 100% all the time then it's not going to work, but if you can still get your work done with the occasional popping to grab a snack, admiring a picture, hug etc, then I think it might be ok a couple of times a week.

Why is everyone so amazed that school finishes at 1.50? I'm in NI and P1 and P2 is 8.45 to 2. P3 upwards is 8.45 to 3. Seems perfectly normal hours.

Many people do this and they manage because they have to ! I remarked to my daughter about the lack of play dates the children have at the school and she said it’s because parents are going back home to work after school pick up.

My boss has started doing this twice a week and to be honest it’s really annoying. Her son is NOT capable of entertaining himself and he’s in the background constantly. It’s annoyed most of the team.
Hes a great lad but we all had to deal with childcare one way or another!

I mean it depends on your child and your job. I do this once (sometimes twice) a week with my just turned 5 year old child in reception. Except 3.30-5. I take a short lunch to make up for the school run which takes about half an hour. Then my kid chills at home for 1hr15. Sometimes he plays with Lego etc happily by himself, sometimes he struggles to entertain himself so I put a film on which he'll happily sit through completely silently. I have no issue with an hour of TV after a full on day in school when it's not something he has every day anyway.
But I've always worked from home, I get all my work done and my employer is not the type to insist on tracking my every moment. I also rarely have meetings which I think would make this a less realistic option as you'd be effectively ignoring your child if they did need you. I can yell "yes dear you can have a banana" without breaking my flow.

I honestly don't see the issue - my kids could easily have kept themselves busy for 90 mins once they were school age, or watched TV for that time.

I’m NI too and we’re similar 8.50-2 with early close at 1.50 on a Friday for P1&2.

People seem very shocked at the times and it seems to be the norm here

I’d do it x

I think 4 is too young to be home whilst you’re working on a regular basis (odd day of home ill or in an emergency is different)

I’d say it’s your family so you decide what’s best, surely if it’s not working out you can change it?
good luck OP, but easy juggling things as a single parent hey, you don’t need permission to do what suits your life the best x