what does everyone do re emergency childcare if you are ill?

[earlycomputers]

Just wondered what everyone does if they get ill (flu/fever etc) - and basically cant get out of bed, - with respect to having someone take care of their kids?
I have a newborn and a toddler and dont have family nearby who could stand in to help if I suddenly got ill. My partner travels a lot and wont always be there if I needed him. It doesn't so much matter now when the kids are young - but I am thinking when they have to be taken to school etc when they are older - how would I take them if I was ill? What do other parents do in this situation?
thanks for any advice!

by the time they get to school age, you'll probably have met a few parents/nannies/childcarers who have children in the same class as yours and you'll be able to ask favours off them (and vice versa)

ive never had to use anyone else really but I guess if I was hospitalised my sister would step in a bit to take hte children to school etc. Mine are older though - i was thinking it would be worse when they are small to be honest

well, TBH you just cope - somehow. Unless you're hospitalised, that is.
I've looked after the children whilst having flu, pneumonia and pleurisy all at the same time, also once had raging food poisoning but still managed it (puked in the drive when I got back from school though!).
Motherhood is merciless.
My dh has taken time off sometimes - but obviously that's not always feasible.
And as I have 3 I can't just easily leave them with someone else.
Must say, being able to just lie in bed when being ill is one of the things I miss most from my pre-children life.

the kids wouldnt go to school in your situation. nothing you can do - no one is going to lock you up - or cast judgement. they miss some school - big deal.

Same as Geekgirl.

Like geekgrrl I just have to get on with it ... there's no-one else to do it. I've hauled myself off to school with dd with all kinds of illnesses, sometimes barely able to put one foot in front of the other. But you do it - you just have to.

Well, I am single and TBH you just get on with it, it is not often that you are really so ill you can't get out of bed - in fact I can only remember once since I had children and I just put myself on the settee and stayed there and held a bucket in front of me whilst I pulled some lucnh out od the fridge and changed the nappies. Dialed out for tea and thanked my lucky starts that I have such wonderful children!For normal cold/flu stuff it is a case of nap when they nap if they are young, get them to bed as early as poss and organise activities which you can just sit and go ooh and ahh at rather than activly join in too much.

I have only had to go to hospital once, when my baby was young enough that he had to come with me and older ones went to their fathers. Now I guess lo's would have to go to Social services if I went into hosp again - guess I should avoid that if at all poss!

Most of the time I just get on with it - as others have said, it's rare to be so ill one can't leave one's bed or sofa.

When your children start school, you will probably get to know other parents with children at the same school whom you could ask to do emergency school-runs for you. (I did that when my youngest caught chickenpox). And older children can get themselves there .

last time i was sick, dd held my hair back for me. she's 4.

I was ill in January with a 4mo and a toddler.

I had food poisoning and was throwing up all night. DS1 was constipated and kept waking up with tummy pains and I had to breast feed ds2.

If ds1 hadn't been poorly too, I'd have tried to get him into nursery for an extra day. I think most nurseries do that. Some will even do emergency childcare even if you're not a regular.

I had to resort to a solid day of CBeebies - the perfect baby sitter.

yep...make a lot of juice, sanwiches, lock the door and put ceebeebies on..its amazing what you can sleep through!
i had this issue last year, but both of mine were at school, so mumm did the walkto school, i slept all day and did some dinner for them when they got in, then they helped me 'lie on the bed' and tried everything to make me better!
thankfully two days was all it took, and then i had to catch up with the housework, college work and the shopping!