How do other single mums manage work and child sickness

[SingleMumStruggling]

I'm a single mum to a 13 month old. She's at nursery 3 days a week and I pick up agency shifts (I'm a nurse) on her days in nursery. The thing is, she keeps getting unwell. Just the usual, picking up every single thing going at nursery. Twice in the past month I've had to cancel shifts at the last minute which obviously doesn't look good professionally. Especially seeing as I was hoping to apply for a permanent post in this ward in the near future.

I don't really have anyone who could look after her; family all work and the father lives a couple of hours away and travels through to see her once a week.

How do other single parents manage it? Maybe if I had a permanent post then it would be easier to call in sick however I'm just picking up shifts on the ward so I feel that I'm judged more harshly by letting them down at the last minute and even if they understand, I feel awful.

I have to take unpaid days off when my kid is off school unwell (unless my mum or her dad can have her, but usually I have to miss work). It's shit and difficult but I have no other choice.

For what it's worth, you cannot be penalised by your employer for needing to take time off to take care of your children (it isn't the same as you taking a sick day). I know your work situation is more difficult to manage as you've explained). If you have no one else you can ask for help then I'm not sure what other option you have but to take the time off work. It's shit, I know.

It's a nightmare. Expect the first 6 months back to be awful and then it will get better. Be honest with your agency and the ward you like to work on about what is going on and hopefully they will be understanding. It will get better but it does take a while.

Nursery is like that unfortunately. As a nurse you'll know about immune systems and picking up everything that's going. It's just luck of the draw. I wasn't a single parent but a DH working away and I wasn't in the UK with family nearby. You just have to take the time off yourself if that's the case.
Fortunately, this too shall pass!

I used a mix of unpaid emergency leave and annual leave.
Once mine got to school age I'd use weeks of unpaid parental leave in the holidays and use annual and unpaid leave for sickness.
It's a really stressful period tbh. Fwiw, mine got much better at school and hit 100% attendance several times.

Thank you all for your replies.

And thanks for the info @Laurakiaora - I wasn't aware that you couldn't be penalised for taking time off for kids sick leave, I just assumed that an ansence was an absence. It's very frustrating, I can't remember the last time I've needed to take a sick day in all my years in the NHS. Now this.

I'll get through it, I just find it extremely embarrassing having to call in and cancel so often. I feel very unprofessional. I only went back to work at the start of April and have only done around 12 shifts so far - looking back, I've had to call in sick for 3.

Do you call in sick if it is your child that is sick?

You tell them you need to take time off to care for your sick child. It isn't the same as taking a sick day for yourself, it isn't used against you in the same way.