How are people managing childcare?

[grangeranger]

Serious question. In households where both parents need to work from home (or a single parent does), how are you managing with children to look after? DS is 1 and usually at nursery/with his grandmother several days a week but obviously neither of those options are available. How are you managing if you're not a key worker but still being required to work a full day?

DH only has some work from home days (he’s a key worker). If he’s home we do it in shifts and I’m honest with work about that. If he’s at work I do homeschooling with them in the morning, occasionally checking emails if I can, and leave them to themselves in the afternoon while I work. They’re school age though which makes it easier. It’s so important that childcare is split 50/50 if both parents are home, I’m clear with DH that’s the expectation and negotiate times depending on his meetings. I keep telling him his work needs to be flexible! It’s a bloody pandemic. He’s looking after children as well as working from home now.

We are tag teaming but to be honest it feels untenable.

We're incredibly lucky in that our employers have made it clear no one is expected to be pulling their usual full workload at this time and we are to prioritise our health and families.

So, we're alternating days - like others, we have a toddler so can't get much done when she's around. On DD days I've been answering emails as I push the buggy on our walk and when she's down for her nap etc. But I'm trying to be ruthless about keeping evenings free so we get some downtime as I'm exhausted as it is (pregnant).

I don't really feel like I'm managing it at all. DS is 20 months old and the day currently involves lots of shouting at each other and around 10 hours of cbeebies or films. Not sure how much longer we can do this.

I'm trying to work full time at home and DH is still going to work.

I hope your DS feels better soon! I remember my son getting miserable around 2 weeks after those jabs but it didn't last long and he was back to normal quite quickly.

Single parent - dc 12 & 8.

They've been getting by mostly on their own, and my employer understands I'm juggling.

Lots of screens.

It would be much harder if they were younger.

Its a nightmare - both keyworkers and unable to work from home, reasonably regular hours (as opppsed to shifts which is not an option)

To this point mine have had a school place and weve used a private provider for before and after school (normally we'd use a combination of this and family). However due to low numbers the private provider is closing due to pandemic, no childminders are working or of they are arent taking on new children, cant use family or friends due to the rules.

So this weeks task is to see if i can negotiate some flexibility in my working day ....... if not its onto Plan D, whatever that maybe ....

It’s hard. 6 year old and 2 year old. The 6 year old is pretty independent but the 2 year old is a typical ball of demanding energy. So we are taking shifts and getting less done than usual. Come out of most days feeling like a fairly crappy employee and parent, but don’t have much choice. Work are reasonably flexible and know I have the kids, but I’m the only one with kids this young.

I am a single parent with a 5 and 7 year old. My employer is great and understanding but it’s so hard ( eldest ask has SEN).

Am actually on here now trying to motivate myself to get up and start the week - only been one week but I’m so tired and if I let my mind wander the thought of this for months is extremely depressing.

Need to try and get more of a schedule and stick to it! Am hoping that somehow was weeks go on we get into a rhythm ...

Really hard. We take shifts, morning and afternoon. I can only 'clock in' between 7am and 7pm so if I wanted to work before or after that it wouldn't count towards my flexi time, which is currently reducing dramatically because I can't work a full 7 hour day. DS is almost 3 and very 'full on' from morning to night. I could do this for the next couple of weeks but thinking beyond that makes me very depressed.