Childcare bubble

[HeyDouglas]

I've had a look at the rules and it doesn't say what work you need to be doing while your child is being looked after by your bubble

I am a SAHM - can my mum come and look after my son while I do my chores for half an hour?

If not, can you tell me why?

Forget the health risk, am looking at the rules online

I didn’t think it was right either Pinkblueberry, but if the PP has more details and a link to the legislation that would be helpful. Not that it’s going to make any difference to me sending my child to nursery, but you can’t just say stuff like that without backing it up

There is no mention of needing to work, it says informal childcare in the rules. As long as you are not mixing with your Mum it's fine. My Mum takes my toddler out for a walk every now and then. It's fine and within the rules. Also, she is retired and me and partner WFH (me part time) We don't know anyone else in area to go for walks with so our human contact day to day is literally one of us doing the weekly shop. I feel like we're low risk and for our daughters sake of spending time with someone other than me all day (no toddler groups or other children nearby so she really would only see me all day).
Before anyone jumps down my throat read the rules for yourself, you are entitled to a childcare bubble. I am surprised people don't know about this or use it if you are low risk (both parties WFH / retired, very low contact).

The only reference to work says: “this is mainly to enable parents to work”. Mainly clearly implies that it is not only to allow parents to work, a reasonable recognition that there are other reasons childcare may be necessary.

There is also no limit on using childminders, nurseries, etc, for children below school age. If children are of school age then they can only attend a childminders if they are vulnerable, key worker parents, etc.

@HereComesATractor

Seems to be actively encouraging normal attendance as timetabled for kids in nursery settings. No mention of reasons, parental working status etc.

Taken from www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak

@MarthaWashingtonsFeralTomcat are you referring to me?

My child stays at my mams one night a week...my mam lives in the next town along..he stays overnight as one night a week I have a late meeting at school which doesn't finish until after his bedtime and my husband works out of the house for 12 hour shifts.. he starts nursery at lunchtime the next day...I could then drag my eldest child out to collect the toddler after his bedtime, take both home, redo the whole bedtime routine as both now disrupted, then start my online lesson marking and prep... before getting everyone up at 5am to drop my youngest back at my mams at 6.30am so that I can get into school by 8am ready to set up my classroom to teach the 50% of my class I've got in school...

Or he stays overnight for childcare reasons which are valid... a bit of housework is not a medical appt, mental health reasons, studying, medical need... it's a pisstake tbh!

The childcare guidance did change, as before you had to have a support bubble which was only allowed for single parent households and now you’re able to use a childcare bubble. The change in guidance is referenced here.

www.gov.uk/government/news/childcare-to-be-exempt-from-interhousehold-mixing-restrictions-in-local-areas-of-intervention

@Justcallmecaptainobvious where have you seen that?
www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-childcare-bubble-with-another-household#national-lockdown-stay-at-home this is what I am following

@Justcallmecaptainobvious ok

Mainly clearly implies that it is not only to allow parents to work, a reasonable recognition that there are other reasons childcare may be necessary.

Very reasonable. Until people start asking whether that also covers doing household chores...

@Justcallmecaptainobvious sorry, I meant ok I just saw your link. To be honest I wouldnt take a press release as guidance, I would use their official guidance page

@LetMeOut2021

The hoovering got done but the washing up was often left 😉

So as usual the government have said one thing but official guidance is left vague so they can pass the buck!

@Pinkblueberry

Mainly clearly implies that it is not only to allow parents to work, a reasonable recognition that there are other reasons childcare may be necessary.

Very reasonable. Until people start asking whether that also covers doing household chores...

Yes exactly. Nobody would argue that medically appointments aren’t reasonable. My dog had a nasty accident and I rushed him to the vets, I’d say that falls in the realms of reasonable.

But I manage to Hoover, and work!

@Justcallmecaptainobvious that's really interesting - "mainly... work" is mentioned under the childcare section of the gov.uk guidance but not at all in the Support and Childcare Bubbles Section. But you're right, it does mention work, albeit only "mainly" for work, clearly allowing for other reasons.

Surely anyone homeschooling their children at the moment is doing 'work'.

@MarthaWashingtonsFeralTomcat as usual, vague information from the government. Why am I not surprised. I had never read the part about 'mainly working'. I just went to the gov guidance page. If I had read that bit first maybe I would feel different about it.

[quote MarthaWashingtonsFeralTomcat]@HereComesATractor

Seems to be actively encouraging normal attendance as timetabled for kids in nursery settings. No mention of reasons, parental working status etc.

Taken from www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak[/quote]
Thank you. So Meredithgrey1 is talking nonsense. Good to have that cleared up :)

I don't think it's against the rules, not that I think it's right to interpret them that way just so you can see your mum. However if you do feel like you really need to create a childcare bubble because you need to do something that requires childcare then it's okay.

@coffeeforone she doesn't want to do it to see her Mum.
She is probably like me and spends 7 days a week with a small child with no break and wants 30 mins to herself so she can go take a shit without being asked what she's doing.
I have a lot of sympathy for the OP. I can't see she has done anything wrong by the official guidelines but has been lambasted by a lot of users on here.

@Imtheodbasyoucansee trust me I know exactly what it's like to spend 24/7 with a small child. I would give so much for 30 minutes childcare so I can tidy up! That's basically what I'm saying!

She is probably like me and spends 7 days a week with a small child with no break and wants 30 mins to herself so she can go take a shit without being asked what she's doing.

I think if that’s the case and she simply said that then she would have had a much more sympathetic response - obviously people are going to roll their eyes when someone says they require childcare to do housework. That’s just a ridiculous notion at any time, never mind during a pandemic.

@coffeeforone ok I get you, and that I think like you say, if you think you need childcare then you need it. I just don't get why Mums are so savage to each other. It's tough, if someone wants help can't they get it if it's ok and within the law.

Why don't you just read the law/guidance and answer this question yourself? Why come on an internet forum and ask for other people's input? I really don't get people anymore.

Oh, and you are beyond pathetic if you can't do housework and look after children at the same time. Isn't that what being a "SAHM" is all about?

@Pinkblueberry exactly and this is why I don't ask questions like this on mumsnet it never ends well!

"Oh, and you are beyond pathetic if you can't do housework and look after children at the same time."

I think that depends on the child/children you are looking after.