If your parents usually look after your children

[Slipslide2020]

While you are at work what will you now do?

Work from home - both parents sharing the old and doing shift patterns to let one work whilst one sorts children out and then swaps

If you are key workers and unable to work from home please contact your local councils children’s / early years department.
They will have a list of settings open and available to you at this time

Had to go full time nursery as both key workers and cant work from home. It will really affect us but better than alternative and exposing older family. Were going to really struggle as our income isnt affected so won't get any help?? but out outgoings have gone up beyond what we can afford but can't not got to work as we are needed. I also can't reduce hours as the situation means I am needed. In grand scheme of things though I'll happily get in debt if my family are protected it's the lesser of my current worries :(

ExP is considered a key worker and is due a baby in 1 week. He’s told me he won’t be covering any childcare.

I’m not a key worker and nor is DP but we both still have to work. DP will have to go into his job and I’ll be WFH with DS (7) there. It’ll be hard but work have said anything goes WRT hours as we’re a global company with workers on lots of time zones. I work 30 h so easier to spread across the week than full time.

I’m just going to have to work out what I can manage.

Both DH and I are working from home and will do a shift system to split work/childcare.

However as anyone with kids will know this won't actually work. There is no way I will get to sit and work peacefully for 3 hour chunks. Despite the best efforts of the other parent the one working will inevitably be disturbed numerous times.

Yes we are struggling with this. I tried to WFH with a 1 year old and a 6 year old yesterday. 6year old was fab but I cannot work with a 1 year old. It hit lunch time and it was impossible. I have no idea what to do. OH could stop working (he is still expected at the office and cannot WFH)and watch them as I earn a fraction more than him (both lower than average earners) but we can't pay the bills on only one wage? The government had advised not to send your kids to grandparents so who do they think will look after them when both parents are working?

I’m working from home but I only work 22.5 hours anyway so it’s doable. My DH might not have a job soon so at least we won’t need to worry about childcare if that happens we have a 5 and 2 year old and we are going to try and split the day between us, so I can still work/DH can job hunt or do housework or whatever.

I’m very grateful right now I have an almost 17 year old dd who will be helping me out a lot with her 9 year old brother.
Dh and I both key worker categories but my part-time job more essential than his so his routine day to day work is winding down to become essential and emergency which will allow me to increase my hours so either him and dd will be at home all the time.