How many people have formed a childcare bubble with a household that ISN'T family?

[ArcheryAnnie]

I am just wondering how widespread this is. My own DS is a six-foot teenager so doesn't need childcare any longer, but I know that if this had happened 15 years ago I would have joined forces with another single mother, a friend of mine - the kids would have some social interaction, and we would each at least have some time each to work if we shared childcare.

But on social media I see this allowable facility being used primarily between family, not friends, and I am interested how many people are making use of this provision.

We are sharing childcare with a friend

I would imagine most people have casual childcare arrangements with family anyway so that becomes their childcare bubble. I don't know very many people who regularly have friends provide childcare for them.

Really, luxxlisbon? I'm surprised. This is often how I managed with other working mothers - we'd swap after school sessions, holiday sessions, etc, to give each of us time to work, and the kids loved it as they saw their friends, and saw it as playdates, not childcare!

Most of our childcare is done by friends! We don't need a childcare bubble at the moment, but if we do it would be a friend.

And when I say childcare I mean if we need anyone to babysit for any reason

I’d have liked too as my mum is ECV but the purpose of childcare bubbles for us to help look after my children while we both do jobs that are impossible with young children at home. Unfortunately, all my friends work as well. I have Fridays off & so do 99% of my part time pals! So it’s no good & I need to use my retired relatives!

We have no family so friends it is.

We do. Two three year olds. It’s great. Neither family has wider family in the country.

I think because technically in normal times you can’t provide childcare on a regular basis unless you are registered as a childminder or are family, hence why most people have existing childcare arrangements within family.

We have friends we would have done this with, but they have local family so have bubbled with them instead which is fair enough :)

One of my friends is doing childcare for me twice a week, on the days he doesn’t have my son I use his flat as a workspace. He often provides a bit if childcare and sometimes does the off school pickup etc.

My aunt is a single mum of teenagers and has bubbled with a friend so their kids can socialise. Lucky that the kids all get on I suppose!

We don't live anywhere near any family so are forming a childcare bubble with our neighbours. We're all working so hoping that by letting our kids go to each others houses after school will enable everyone to get a bit more work done & delay screen time for an hour or so. Both families have also had Covid recently so should be low risk.

@Stokey

We don't live anywhere near any family so are forming a childcare bubble with our neighbours. We're all working so hoping that by letting our kids go to each others houses after school will enable everyone to get a bit more work done & delay screen time for an hour or so. Both families have also had Covid recently so should be low risk.

This is the sort of thing I was imagining, Stokey - or for families with smaller children, one household having them half the day, the other household having them the other half. That way, at least each household gets half the working day to actually focus on their paid work.

I also found that when my DS had a friend over they were much less demanding of my time than when DS was alone in the flat!

I'm just surprised that there's not more of this happening.

Almost everyone round here has local grandparents who have always done childcare. At toddler groups half of the carers were GPs.
We found friends would always look after our kids (we have no family) but we could never repay the favour because they had family help.
Most of our friends are key workers so have no capacity to offer childcare during the working day.

I have. Children have keyworker school places and we help each other out with before and after school care because of our jobs. We do this normally anyway.

I've never used friends or family for childcare. All my friends and family work full time during the week so we're all at work at the same time.

Yes we're doing this. Only started it this week though since both families had KW places and then had them withdrawn (despite both families having 2 KW parents with 1 working out of home), so we're alternating care for the 2 girls between us.

I do know someone doing n this (our neighbour) but the exclusivity makes it quite a high barrier - I know lots of people who would ask one of a range of friends to do a one-off babysitting favour in 'normal' times, but no one with a regular, frequent arrangement they use to work (other than lift-sharing) and it's a big leap from one to the other.

Exactly what people organised in my ds primary class before the closures were announced as the majority thought it would happen..not that quickly though I must add! It works well and ensures parents can work half a day child free or alleviate the pressure on school in not taking up keyworker places.

@Hardbackwriter yes, I imagine the problem is you can only do it with one household so if you do it with a friend you then can't see grandparents. Though can you only do it with single-adult households?

We are bubbled and swap kids one day a week.

[quote Defaultuser]@Hardbackwriter yes, I imagine the problem is you can only do it with one household so if you do it with a friend you then can't see grandparents. Though can you only do it with single-adult households?[/quote]
No - it's a childcare bubble, not a support bubble, so the adults can't socialise, but you can swap the kids. But this does mean couples can form this bubble as well as single parents.