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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Poorly child

169 replies

ifmamaainthappy · 20/03/2013 13:49

Child is 14 months, has a cold, just generally not happy, contacted Mom to let her know, that she's not herself, Mom has told me she's got to much to do to collect her at the moment??? What do you do??? i can't just sit cuddling all day, have others to look after, ( i'm having a late lunch and 5 minutes right now!!)

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Fightlikeagirl · 26/03/2013 19:52

Totally agree with you Tanith

Blondeshavemorefun · 26/03/2013 20:21

what illness would make a nursery shut? i didnt reliese they did iyswim

serious question - not a bashing one :)

IrisGirl · 26/03/2013 20:28

i think any method of childcare apart from you looking after your own child can have flaws...CM/nannies/nurseries they all provide a service and sometimes services get hit with illnesses or whatever!!

my DD goes to a childminder 4 days a week and she is the most wonderful woman ever, she really is a godsend. she provides loads of activities for the little ones, takes them out very regularly and is loving and caring and i trust her 150% with the most precious thing in my life.

please stop having a go at those who provide the care for children, whatever institution it may be....none of us working mums would manage without them and we have a lot to thank them for.

i had a row with my boss in work today, shit happens, get over it and move on, it doesn't mean me or him are bad at our jobs or doing something wrong it was just one of those things!!

i think everyone here has made their point and should now leave it at that

happy days people xxx

Tanith · 26/03/2013 20:32

Flu epidemic, Blondes. I know because the parents were desperately ringing round trying to find alternative care.

Blondeshavemorefun · 26/03/2013 20:33

im not having a go at those who use or provide childcare

just saying what i thought in terms of flexibility/reliability - sure mn allows that .........

and as a nanny i didnt say nannies were best - i actually put nurseries at the top - but as i said i didnt know they shut - tho if they did its rare, but then again its rare a nanny is off (no sick days from me the past 5 + years) but also rare that a cm couldnt have your child as theirs was sick

as i said all have flaws :)

DIYapprentice · 26/03/2013 20:42

Blondes - with a young child I would put a nanny above nurseries with reliability. Children frequently get sick, and you have to keep them at home. But nannies (good nannies, anyway) are less likely to get sick enough to need to stay at home - I'd be quite happy for a nanny to have a bit of a duvet day with the DC if he/she were under the weather!

Tanith - And we're talking about reliability from a parent's point of view, as a parent the reason I have childcare is to enable me to work - so any childcare that prevents me from getting to work on a regular basis is 'unreliable'. You seen to be taking the 'unreliability' as a personal insult - when it is just a factual event.

I have had all 3 forms of childcare, nanny (1), nursery (2 - 1 day and 1 community) and CM, (2 different CMs, both with their own DC).

Nanny was by far the most reliable.

blueberryupsidedown · 26/03/2013 20:44

But if a child is ill, a nursery will call the parents to collect the child. If the baby is constantly crying, hardly sleeping, hardly taking in fluids because of a bad cold, then parents are required to look after the child. Childminder and nurseries have similar policies. If it's a bad cold and the child is clearly unwell, or if it's D-V, ior if the child has a high temperature, or if it's something very contageous such as chicken pox. I thought the policies were very similar in both nurseries and CMs. Am I wrong?

Karoleann · 26/03/2013 20:47

Did the original poster every come back and say if the child had a temperature? At the end of the day if the child did not have a temperature it was very unlikely to be anything serious.
Pyrexia is a consequence of an inflammation/infection in the body, its caused either by the innate immune system reaction to an pathogen or by a bacteria itself. It's very very unlikely unless the child has some immunity problem that there would be no temperature if it was a proper infection.
It's also a bit strange the OP said Mom rather than mum, maybe she's overseas?
Nannies are the only childcare that will look after sick children, but they get sick themselves.
I've been called in to nursery to pick up a sick child only to find they are fine and just teething,.....

ReetPetit · 26/03/2013 21:04

i don't think you can put childcare in order of reliability blondes! it's impossible to generalise like that.

as a chilminder i have had very few days off sick (actually can't remember the last one) and if I am away for any reason (i don't charge parents for my holidays or if for any reason i am unavailable) i try my upmost to arrange for another cm (known to child) to cover for me.

on the whole, i find cms to be very reliable. we have more than one family to consider and all the cms i know work like troopers to provide a reliable service!

Tanith · 26/03/2013 21:09

DIYApprentice: Then, by your own definition, "unreliable" is the wrong word to use since children are not sick "on a regular basis".

Tanith · 26/03/2013 21:17

I'm reminded of the recent adverse weather conditions, when childminders have stayed open while school teachers, nursery staff and nannies have been unable to work.
Does that shove us up a notch in the reliability stakes, do you think? Or does it only count for sick children? Grin

DIYapprentice · 26/03/2013 21:24

Tanith- trust me, my DC were sick on a 'very regular basis'!!!!

DS2's ear and throat infections came around like clockwork every 3 weeks right through summer and winter.

I'm not saying CMs themselves are unreliable so please stop taking it so personally - I'm saying that as a ''form' of childcare they are less reliable than a nanny.

Both a nanny and a CM can be just as ill as each other (or more to the point are both rarely ill). BUT... if your DC are ill then usually the nanny will still be available to look after them (depending on what it is), and other children's illnesses don't impact on a nanny's care of your DC as they can at a CM's.

Tanith · 26/03/2013 21:53

DIYApprentice: And I'm saying you're wrong Smile

Nothing personal - certainly not taken personally - just pointing out that you need to take a much wider view if you are going to claim that a "form" of childcare is unreliable and expect to be taken seriously.

Blondeshavemorefun · 26/03/2013 22:21

Whoops. What did I start ......

Guess depends how ill your children are / if often sickly or under the weather then a nanny is probably the best option as then parents can still go to work and the Childcare (nanny) will look after them

Snow. I drove the first time and walked the last 1/2mile as family lives at bottom of slope and no way my car would have got up it - let alone me risk sliding down

Snow the other week / I tried to get to my night nanny job but couldn't get up the hill after 2 miles - but then again dad couldn't get home either for a few hours and mum was left alone to deal with children - but I tried :)

ChippingInIsEggceptional · 26/03/2013 22:32

I think it's unreasonable to expect a parent to pick up a child because they have 'a cold/are not themselves'. With a policy like that you'd never see some kids! Hmm What's the point in having a carer for your child that isn't prepared to look after them when they're a bit under the weather?

Tanith · 27/03/2013 07:48

Well that's just not good enough Blondes - haven't you heard of skis; husky teams?! Grin
We never closed once Wink

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/03/2013 08:07

Blondesland had much more snow then tanithland [ grin]

No huskies :( but Woofa in old job loved pulling the kiddiewinks and I on sledges

Now that was fun ......

Mb also tied a sledge to him and he pulled their bread and milk home from the shops :)

Tanith · 27/03/2013 21:49

I want a Woofa!!! Sounds brilliant Grin

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/03/2013 23:55

He's lovely - he was think 12 weeks when came to live with us. Barely reached up to my shin.

Now he's waist high

10.5stone of pure muscle

Thinks he's a lap dog - which he isn't lol

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