Arrangements for baby sent home from nursery

[levellersqq]

I'm looking for advice on what to do when our baby is sent home from nursery.

We have no family nearby and no-one to go pick our baby up when she is sent home. In 7 weeks we have already used up all our discretionary leave days at work and we're worried one of us will be putting our job at risk by leaving work again, so we need a plan B for when our baby is sent home. Is it common, for example, to have an arrangement with a childminder to go and pick up children from nursery when they are sent home in the middle of the day?

Any suggestions are welcome.

[Northernsoullover]

This is purely based on my non expert research with a cohort of two children but I found that after 3 years of collecting my children after the dreaded phonecall from nursery, they rarely got sick upon reaching primary school. I know it doesn't help now though.

[BackforGood]

Just how many times have your Nursery asked one of you to collect your little one ?
You've either been incredibly unlucky, or your dc's Nursery is being very over zealous.

As someone posted earlier in the thread, I think most CMers can be a LOT more helpful in relation to this than some Nurseries (obviously for the children they are looking after, not for other people), but equally some Nurseries can be more helpful than others.

[MikeAych]

Thank you for the advice peeps.

Our situation is that we've changed nurseries and so our baby's had twice the amount of new germs to content with, and we've doubled the amount of discretionary leave we've had to take. Furthermore, I'm a trainee teacher so my holidays are inflexible, and the Mrs is the breadwinner meaning we don't really want to upset her employers too much.

Yes we're talking about being sent home for a high fever, not being ill, which of course means if go and pick her up.

What does everyone think of contacting an agency and asking them to pick up and mind a baby with a high fever?

[MindyStClaire]

What does everyone think of contacting an agency and asking them to pick up and mind a baby with a high fever?

I know it's tough, but honestly I wouldn't want DD to be looked after by someone she didn't know when she wasn't feeling well.

Could you talk to your nursery? With a temp ours will give Calpol and keep them if they perk up. But if it's high, she's usually needed to be home on the sofa for cuddles.

[MikeAych]

The new nursery is pretty good. They will administer Calpol if baby gets a temp, but their policy is to send babies home with temps greater than 39.

Last week she got sent home for this reason, but her temp came down by the end of the day. If I took time off everytime this happened I wouldn't have a job! I need a third party to mind her under these circumstances but without family or friends I don't know what else to do.

[jannier]

No professional should take a child with such a high fever that is a really bad temperature that could trigger convulsions I assumed you were talking high 37 to 38. Your child was Ill not teething she was fighting some infection. Obviously it came down by the evening or you would have been in a &e.
Children usually play eat go downhill get calpol play eat. It dosent mean they are well just that calpol masks temperature have you been on a childrens ward?
I've had children vomiting who still play and want food in between.
I hope your training teaches you about serious temperatures and the importance of infection control over school statistics.

[SoyDora]

39 is a very high temperature and I wouldn’t want my child with a temperature like that being cared for by someone they didn’t know. I also don’t think it would be fair for an agency worker to care for such an obviously ill child.

[SansaSnark]

I've got no advice re nursery, but I can empathise with the situation if you are training to teach. If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to meet with your uni tutor and explain the situation. Usually there is some slack built into the uni's system--and they can also help you make up placement days at the end of the course.

I know you are probably feeling under a lot of pressure, but if you reach out to your ITT provider you will find there is often support available!

[NerrSnerr]

I agree with others. I wouldn't want someone else to pick my child up if they had a temp of 39 degrees. They'll be unwell and unhappy. You'll want to pick them up.

[hopelesslyunstylish]

Hello OP, whereabouts the UK are you? We live in Scotland and there are nanny agencies which provides emergency care/cover. A very kind colleague recommended them to me even before I knew I needed them, knowing our 'no family around ' situation.

I'm not sure if they pick up from nursery but will come to your house in the morning to look after DC if you cannot take the day off work. Not ideal to leave children with a stranger when they are ill but if there is no other option and let's DC rest and recuperate at home.

[leasedaudi]

We have this problem too. We will always pick our baby up if he becomes sick during the day but we are seriously considering using an emergency nanny / babysitter for the following day (if he gets a 48 hr ban). We'd probably have one of us work at home while the nanny is with the baby. It's just too much to handle work and a toddler. At least if we are at home to keep on eye on things we can work as well. Even though we'd be paying twice for childcare, it's cheaper than a job loss.

[roses2]

Could you make friends with a local babysitter or local au pair who belongs to another family? You'd have to pay them an hourly rate when you need them but it means you could effectively have someone on call when you need them.

[coffeeforone]

Can you talk to your employer and see what they say? Could you ask 'buy' additional leave that you can take in an emergency?

[insancerre]

Have you considered what’s best for your baby?
It does seem to be all about you
I send children home from my nursery because they are too poorly to be at nursery and need to be with a parent
I’d be shocked if an agency nanny came to collect tbh

[Celebelly]

But what are the alternatives? Parents have to work and can't keep taking days off for months on end. It's all very well to say 'I wouldn't want someone else caring for my child when they have a temp' but what do you suggest?

[jannier]

@Celebelly.
A fever of 39 is serious it could easily go higher. The law allows all parents unpaid time off to care for under 5s if all holiday pay has been used you take this unpaid becouse your child has to be a priority. You save holidays for sick children you dont dump them on a total stranger you dont know let alone your child. Why would you leave a sick child who may need emergency first aid to some agency babysitter.

[Celebelly]

Yes, I'm sure a woman has just gone back to work after maternity leave will be looked favourably upon for taking endless days off every time her child has a temperature. I'm sure it can be serious. A lot of the time, it isn't. Most people don't have jobs where you can just disappear at the drop of a hat multiple times a month, unpaid or not. Even if you're 'entitled' (although I believe that extends to arranging for emergency care, not actually caring for your child yourself), there are limits to what even a generous employer will be happy with.

[Misty999]

Use your annual leave.

[Celebelly]

Anyway in terms of actual practical advice, check out your local community Facebook group. There's a woman I found on ours who offers ad hoc emergency care for parents who need cover at short notice.

[jannier]

Is this woman first aid trained and dbs vetted? Temperatures in young babies under 1 can very quickly turn into emergencies we are not talking of a 2 year old with a mild temperatures but a 5 month old who has had calpol and has a temperature of 39.
I can tell you dealing with febrile convulsions is not a nice experience even for experienced childcare.

[NerrSnerr]

The vast majority of parents I know share the pick ups of the poorly children. It's usually worse for the first few months and then settles down a bit. We have always managed it, out nursery understands we can't just drop everything sometimes but are happy if we give them a timescale.

I am a nurse and personally I would want me or my husband to pick up a 5 month old with a temp of 39 not coming down with calpol as when they're small they go downhill so quick I'd want us to be in control of getting any emergency care been there too many times with both my children.

Yes, I'm sure a woman has just gone back to work after maternity leave will be looked favourably upon for taking endless days off every time her child has a temperature

Most children have two parents so the dad needs to pull his weight as well.

[RolytheRhino]

Any chance you could afford a nanny if you did flexible working? So one of you starts earlier and leaves earlier while the other starts later and leaves later to reduce the amount of time you need to pay for the nanny?

[Fandabydosey]

Sick children are the responsibility of parents. Yes it is hard but that is children for you FYI most nursery staff don't get sick pay so if they have to take time off work because your child has given them a bug the nursery may have close due to staff shortage. As for a Childminder they certainly don't get sick pay either. Not to mention sending sick children to nursery puts younger and possibly more vulnerable children at risk especially if they have children with compromised immune systems. Children do get sick I am afraid, especially when they first start nursery

[Fandabydosey]

@coffeeforone legally you can not be sacked for taking time off. Your employer doesn't have to pay but you can not be sacked. I didn't know if you knew xx

[ineedaholidaynow]

39 is a high temperature, I would expect/want my baby to be home with a temperature like that