argh! does back-up care for ill DC exist, am i terrible for even wanting it?

[Dozer]

Dh and I share time off when DCs ill or our CM's DCs are. I take annual leave, he tries to get work done at night (has a/l but v high workload). Am in a new team at work and eork PT, DH works for a family unfriendly employer.

Am worried about us both getting in trouble at work. colleagues commenting, missing deadlines,seeming flaky etc. And about being made redundant.

Is there such a thing as a stand-by nanny willing to look after DC with minor illnesses ad-hoc?

Am probably a terrible person for wanting this!
Obviously DC are the important thing. will try to toughen up!

There are temp nannies and agencies who specialise in this kind of care. You're not horrible - sometimes DC are ill enough to be off but not so ill that they need you if you have something very important.

That said it does cost a lot. How much are you paying for a CM at the moment? Would a nanny or nanny share of your own be cheaper or more cost-effective in terms of reliability?

Having your own nanny would help if the DC were sick but not too sick, but what if the nanny got sick?

There are emergency nanny agencies yes. They cost £££ but for a DC who is in quarantine but not sick enough to need mum/dad they can be the answer.

It is sensible to have the number for a temp nanny agency. I know I do.

I would suggest an emergency nanny agency too, their nannies are used to looking after ill children and won't mind if you call them every half an hour just to check everything is ok

Thanks v much everyone. Have just stopped weeping (Dh brought me a glass of wine, has worked!). Am just going through a period of general exhaustion/guilt/feeling like I'm shit at everything.

Our fab CM is v kind and as flexible as she can be, she just has our DC and her own on the days she has our DC, so no other families to consider. When her DC are ill a friend helps us out. But would be bad if her DC got ill after being around mine.

We could afford to pay (thanks to the godawful jobs) but would worry about leaving them with a stranger, but will look into it a bit.

Thanks again all

This is the kind of thing I do (I'm in kent) - I flit from family to family and love it :)

Why are you a terrible person wanting this? It's just back up childcare and nothing you want is wrong / if anythig you are just being professional in your job

What area are you in?

Oh your not terrible for wanting this...don't be hard on yourself. Of course it's worrying for you.

What do you mean by minor illness? I'm a CM and have children with any minor illness you can think of! I won't take them with D&V or anything highly contagious but otherwise it's all par for the course!