Surely young children should not be isolating in their rooms with covid?

[CA0932017]

I get that all families are in different situations and many teens would be happy to isolate in their room for days. But young kids? surely it's too young?

There's been an outbreak in both DC's class. There are class group chats and Facebook groups etc and I'm amazed how many people are saying they are isolating their 6/7 year olds in their rooms. Also in ds's son at 10, I feel is too young still.

We all had covid last month. Dp first then all
of us next. We didn't isolate away from each other. Our house is too small, we have one bathroom. Kids have sen, it wouldn't be an option for mine. They don't leave my side. They weren't overly poorly either.

I feel sad for kids that are expected to stay in their room for 10 days? I don't think I would cope in my room for 10 days, let alone a child.

One poor kid has done a full 10 days in his room according to his mum.

I'm not sure what the point of this post is. Nothing to do with me and people can make their own choices but I feel so sad for them.

I was asked by test and trace which room my kids were in when we had it and they seemed relieved when I said in the same room as me.

It just feels sad when covid is mild in most people!

To add, Dd has tested positive again. I just couldn't imagine making her stay in one room!

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

Yeah I think it’s a pretty awful thing to do.

If one parent has say (the most vulnerable person I know) blood cancer and really, really needs to avoid Covid I could understand how it would be the lesser of two evils. Even then though, I’d think it would make sense for the vulnerable adult to be the one to isolate in a room on their own not the child because a) they’re the adult and b) other members of the household could well be incubating it anyway

My 13 year old has it now but test and trace didn’t even mention him self isolating, just told us he wasn’t allowed out which is fair enough. As it is, he probably had it for a full week before we realised and none of us caught it off him so I’m definitely not locking him in his room for a further week.
My friends 13 year old had it last year and self isolated in his bedroom for 3 days and they stopped because they were worried about his mental health, it’s not worth the impact to children's mental health is it unless someone in the household is immunocompromised.

Absolutely not. I think people have lost their minds. In what world is it acceptable to subject a 6 year old (!!!) to isolation for any number of days or evens hours, let alone 10. It honestly makes me so angry. Do they not realise they are basically happy to neglect a child for the sake of being precious about Covid. If they’re not comfortable going outside when one member has Covid (despite the new rules based on vaccination status) then the whole household needs to isolate.

Personally, I would struggle being trapped in a room, alone, away from the family for a number of days. On that premise I would never force another household member to do the same, even an adult. Children (even teenagers) lack the emotional resilience to face forced isolation. In pre-Covid times it would be unthinkable!

They won’t realise the damage they’ve caused until a while after, where it comes back to haunt the child.

I do understand that households with a vulnerable member have to be more careful, I still don’t think complete isolation is acceptable for a child under 12

I couldn’t do that to my DC, I’m clinically vulnerable (not immunosuppressed though) and I just couldn’t do that. We just carried on in the household as normal. If a family member was extremely clinically vulnerable then I could understand completely but for everyone else I think it’s cruel actually.

@thewhatsit

Yeah I think it’s a pretty awful thing to do.

If one parent has say (the most vulnerable person I know) blood cancer and really, really needs to avoid Covid I could understand how it would be the lesser of two evils. Even then though, I’d think it would make sense for the vulnerable adult to be the one to isolate in a room on their own not the child because a) they’re the adult and b) other members of the household could well be incubating it anyway

I agree ^

People have gone nuts

I know multiple people who have done this and sort of brag about it. A mere 2 years ago, this would be seen as child cruelty.

Not a cat in hells chance.

We have it right now. DS has been in my bed every night. Yes I caught it. Yes I was horribly ill, whilst he was fine after 2 days. Yes I’m a LP and it’s been really really hard- but they’re children. Part of the deal is you prioritise their needs.

CEV parents I ofc have sympathy for and understand it’s not that easy, but if needs be and wherever possible, surely you would isolate the CEV parent rather than the child?

I think the world has gone mad, frankly, and kids have had the Shittiest end of the stick with covid, across the board. They’ve paid the greatest price for a virus that affects them the least.

If we have a generation of very angry young adults in 10 years, between covid, brexit and the climate crisis, I won’t blame them.

I think its cruel. Unless someone in the household is CEV and then I get that it is the lesser of two evils.

My daughter best friend at school had covid they are year 3 so 7/8 and they did keep her in her room away from her younger sister. They did let her lay in the garden and the parents went in her room with masks both parents vaccinated and not vulnerable. No of them got it from her but I don't think I could do that to my child I am vaccinated and work would want me to wfh with a case in the house anyway.

Reading you opening post I had to double check the date! This is the sort of thing we saw in 2020/21 and even then I thought it was harsh for little kids to be put in this position. But now after vaccinations and omicron being weaker than first thought, I don't understand at all! Plus 10 days isn't the guidance now. Poor kids x

I think that’s really cruel. Is any health authority recommending this for young children? Our school have never mentioned a child having to self isolate at home, only message is that they shouldn’t come to school while positive.

I don't know anyone who has isolated their primary age children in their bedroom for 10 hours a day. How bizarre. People on mumsnet seem to know an unusual number of very strange people.

It’s so fucked up to do that to a kid.

We didn't make our 16yo isolate in the house! She's a people person and would go crazy in solitary confinement for days on end. Its cruel.

When she tested positive, we isolated together as a household. I ended up catching covid, DH didn't.

It’s the adults/parents jobs to protect children - mentally and physically. So if anyone isolates it should be the CEV adult not the Covid positive child imo.
We didn’t isolate DS 17 when he had Covid because he had already been in the car with DH and also because my CEV friend isolated from her husband in their huge house and she still caught Covid. Their house it about 4 times the size of ours. So it seemed a bit pointless!

I find it rather horrible to do to any family member, I must admit.

I suppose it is just about understandable if there is someone with cancer or similar in the same household, but I do think it is awful and really quite abusive.

I agree.

What kind of loving and responsible parent would fucking shut a young child in its room for ten days, or even one day. It’s just brutal. Honestly shame on any parent doing that.

I know of a parent who did it to her 5 year old and documented about how socially responsible she was being all over social media. . DS 12 had it and there was no isolation. His 15 year old sister stayed away from him by her own volition but I looked after him, cuddles, no masks. I didn't get it, DH did, he was fine. We've both had far worse colds. People need to get a grip and let go of all the drama.

DH failed to catch it from our bed that we continued to share.
Other than me staying in, and it being that weird Christmas/ New Year week anyway so we were largely in the house on top of each other, domestic life continued as normal.
More normal than if I have a gastric bug and minimise time in the kitchen.

DS2 may have caught a touch of it from me, and we wonder if DS1 may have had it under the radar in the first place from school at the end of term. I either got it from him or doing the Christmas food shop. I'd had a quiet week before and the food shop was the only risk factor I had all week that the DCs weren't exposed to. Not that it really matters.

Teenagers retreating off themselves on their own terms is fine, but parents denying contact with their children especially younger ones without an incredibly good reason (e.g. Chemo) is emotionally abusive.

This is child neglect.

Surely the only way to achieve this is through unlimited screen time and no exercise. Who lets a child of 6 or 7 watch TV or play video games for 10-12 hours a day?

I don't understand the food angle of it either. Are they shoving food in on a tray which the DC then eat on their beds/on the floor. If I let my DC eat in their room with no supervision, there would be spag bol all over the floor and vegetables ground into the carpet.

Its pretty straightforward. If your child is too young to isolate , then you isolate with them. But you cant go out, or have contact with anyone who is not isolating with you.

I personally think that’s going into crazy territory. I can imagine those kids as adults mentioning that they were forced to their rooms and how barbaric it was!