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Original poster

DD (16) has to self isolate - how does it look?

55 replies

tenlittlecygnets · 18/12/2020 14:52

If your dc have had to self isolate, how strict are you? Do they stay in their room all the time and do you leave meals at the door, or do they come downstairs but you all distance, she has separate bathroom, you clean more, ventilate house, etc.?

DD is distraught at being told on the last day of term that she has to SI...

What a PITA.

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 18/12/2020 18:26

It was a bit different for us as Dd was only contacted by her school 7 days after she’d been in contact so her isolation period was only 7 days.

She chose to stay in her room but booked a test (allowed in our area) it came back negative and she did the rest of her isolation with the full run of the house.

Original poster
tenlittlecygnets · 18/12/2020 18:44

Thank you.

I've encouraged her to do things she doesn't normally have time for -baths, doing her nails, face masks, reading, and she is chatting to friends and eating her tea in her room.

It helps that so many of her friends are also isolating!! So hard not giving her hugs though...

OP posts:
MotherExtraordinaire · 18/12/2020 18:54

@FelicityPike

Full run of the house UNLESS they have symptoms.
Pointless waiting until symptomatic, as by then all likely to have been infected. The idea.of isolating is to protect against transmission and reduce contacts.
SaltyAF · 18/12/2020 18:57

Perhaps my perspective as a secondary school teacher influences my response, but there's no way in the world I would make a member of my family stick to their room, even if they tested positive.

ineedaholidaynow · 18/12/2020 19:06

I don't think people are saying they have to all but lock their teenager in their room @SaltyAF, but there are times we encourage teenage DS to come down and join the rest of the family when he has been lurking in his room for hours. However, if he was isolating we probably wouldn't do that as much if he is happy in his room. As I said before as long as he has WIFI, tech and food he would be happy. He could grunt to us once in a while!

Original poster
tenlittlecygnets · 18/12/2020 21:53

Fuck. The girl who tested positive sits next to dd in form. 25 mins x2. 😥😥😥

OP posts:
QuantumJump · 18/12/2020 22:00

Don't panic OP. When my DD had to self isolate it was because her best friend tested positive. My DD never got it, and neither did any of the rest of us (or if we did it was completely asymptomatic for all of us).

capercaillie · 18/12/2020 22:06

If isolating, then stay in house but no difference when in it ie full run of house etc. If symptoms, then may think differently but it depends on which child it is. Can’t see how isolating in their room is good for them or mental health.

MistletoeandGin · 18/12/2020 22:07

My DD’s best friend tested positive too. She sits next to her all day, every day at school.
She didn’t develop any symptoms. She was tested on day 7 as we’re a tier 3 area which was doing a mass testing programme, and it was negative.

MistletoeandGin · 18/12/2020 22:08

Oh and she had full run of the house as normal while isolating, with hugs etc.

Lovemusic33 · 18/12/2020 22:11

My 16 year old would happily stay in her room 🤣 but my 14 year old wouldn’t (she has the box room).

bumblingbovine49 · 18/12/2020 22:17

When DS 16, had symptoms last week, we waited several days for a postal test. He did more or less what he wanted to but he was happy not to be made to eat with us and generally sits in another room from us anyway about 90% of the time Hmm so we didn't do anything different except

We had the windows an d back door open all the time ( it was blooming freezing for me but DS was fine as he often sits with the back door open)

If DH or I ( in our mid 50s) were cooking and DS was in the the PlayStation/sofa nook off the kitchen , he went to his room until we had done cooking. I did clean our only bathroom a bit more often as well . In the end he was negative and I was delighted to shut the windows but other than that not much else changed.

frustrationcentral · 18/12/2020 22:19

Ds1 had to SI a couple of weeks ago, I asked him to stay isolated from the rest of us for the first week (meals in room, own bathroom) just because I felt the chances of him getting it were very high - had spent the weekend with 4 people who had all come down with it within 24 hours of being with him. Had it have been more of a "someone in your class" issue then we probably wouldn't have been so cautious.

I just wanted to avoid us all getting it, I work in early years education and my boss was insisting I should still be working and DS2 is in school. Just felt wrong to be mingling with DS knowing he could be about to get it. He was more than happy though, I popped my head in at least once an hour and he had his phone, PS4 and laptop on tap so wasn't bothered in the slightest. Was more bothered that he missed seeing friends, but he wouldn't have seen them either way. DS is 17 though, he would have struggled if he was younger - I'm not sure if DS2 would have coped

Original poster
tenlittlecygnets · 18/12/2020 23:23

@frustrationcentral - and was your ds positive??

OP posts:
amicissimma · 18/12/2020 23:30

It depends what the rest of you are doing.

You can catch it before your DD shows symptoms, so if you are in close contact with other people you and she should definitely isolate from each other. This just isn't possible with small children, so you should bear in mind that you are potentially infectious in your other interactions.

My friend's DS was self-isolating but moving freely round the house. Never got ill but tested positive when parents became unwell. Both parents caught Covid, fortunately neither of them had any other contacts. Mum was over it quickly but Dad, early 50s, is struggling.

NK346f2849X127d8bca260 · 18/12/2020 23:58

My 19 year old son has has to self isolate since Tuesday, i have told him to open his window in his room a few times a day, been doing it downstairs too, apart from wiping over high touch areas more frequently that is all we are doing.
He is eating with us but he spends alot of time in his room when he is home anyway.

He had Covid bad beginning of April, in bed for 13 days so wondering if he may have some immunity.

frustrationcentral · 19/12/2020 00:00

[quote tenlittlecygnets]@frustrationcentral - and was your ds positive??[/quote]
@tenlittlecygnets - nope!! Absolute miracle, everyone he was with (no social distancing, sharing bathrooms/car etc) dropped like flies within days of each other. No idea how DS managed to avoid it, unless he was asymptomatic?!

Original poster
tenlittlecygnets · 19/12/2020 11:17

So fucking cross. The girl who sits beside dd came in to school Monday and Tuesday when all the rest of her family had fucking symptoms. I'm absolutely furious. The guidelines are clear.

She didn't have symptoms herself - does that mean she had a lighter viral load than the rest of her family? DD is having a Covid test today as she has a headache.

OP posts:
Frazzled2207 · 19/12/2020 11:19

@tenlittlecygnets
I’d be furious too. Make sure the school are Aware. Hope your dd tests negative.

Hoppinggreen · 19/12/2020 11:20

When my 12 and 15 year olds had to do it they just didn’t leave the house, nothing else

Toocold · 19/12/2020 12:23

My daughter (15) had to isolate for a total of six weeks this term...whole year group goes off... no way would I expect her to isolate in her room for that time, it would be extremely cruel. Teenagers are different to six year olds but they are still children, still need their parents and mental health is at an all time low in teenagers in this, that said I understand if there are others at risk within your house then it’s a different scenario.

UncomfortableSilence · 19/12/2020 15:06

@tenlittlecygnets

So fucking cross. The girl who sits beside dd came in to school Monday and Tuesday when all the rest of her family had fucking symptoms. I'm absolutely furious. The guidelines are clear.

She didn't have symptoms herself - does that mean she had a lighter viral load than the rest of her family? DD is having a Covid test today as she has a headache.

This happened to DD too I was furious, it was her second isolation and could have been avoided and it's now happened to me with a work colleague coming in while members of her family have symptoms, on both DDs isolation we didn't make her stay in her room although she is 15 she is quite anxious and a real worrier so I didn't want to isolate her in that way.
Original poster
tenlittlecygnets · 21/12/2020 12:45

No test results yet but dd has a sore throat that's getting worse... 😥

OP posts:
Inpersuitofhappiness · 21/12/2020 12:59

DD developed symptoms yesterday. She is in an isolated state,
Not that she cares! She's 12, and has run off to her bedroom, she's taken the Ps4, and she's getting food delivered by me. We're texting, face timing and I went with her to do her test today, but the people at the test centre did it instead. I've sent her up Christmas cookies.
Fingers crossed and prayers that it comes back negative as this feels like its the complete opposite of every parenting instinct I have.

But being at risk I don't want to risk getting it and not recovering.

CoolShoeshine · 21/12/2020 13:16

We’ve just carried on as normal whilst in the house. I did take her out on drives and country walks (not sure if that’s technically allowed but we didn’t get anywhere near anyone from another household). Had two lots of isolating so far. I think another thread on here said that only about 4 in 1000 school children who have to isolate only actually get COVID.

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