Who do you call?

[kittypower]

What do you all do when your childcare arangements break down, for instance the childminder calls in sick and you have to go to work or even if you just need to run an errand and can't take the kids with you. We seem to have got really stuck recently with situations like this when friends and family are busy and childminder calls in sick, what do you all do for last min things like this?

we split the day, dh will go into work in the morning, me in the afternoon. there are a couple of friends i could ask, but they all have 2 kids each so it's a lot to give them another 2! in-laws live over 2 hours away, and I only see my parents every couple of months. it's tough isnt it?

I am ver lucky in that my mother is on the doorstep and helps out a lot. However, she is also busy and can't always help out. If I'm stuck I have no alternative but not to go to work. I am a single mother so its down to me. I have had quite a bit of disruption recently and have had to take holiday. I have also reached an agreement with work that I can have time off unpaid in emergencies (had to point out that this is something I am entitled to). I feel guilty about letting employers down. The only thing that has really helped has been learning to relax a bit more about it. Its just a job at the end of the day, and there is literally nothing I can do. Good luck.

Personally Kitty - I would call myself in sick. How unethical!

We have; split the day, called my best friend, called Mums of DS's friends, taken day off and made up the time flexi, worked from home, and we have each, on at least one occasion, brought DS into the office!

thanks for your replies, do any of you use agencies who provide last min care?

I have use of a BUPA thing through work where they try to arrange temp cover in an emergency. I've only used it once - rang at 8am, temp nanny available from 11am (cv sent to me on email, nanny sourced from Tinies Agency). As I could work from home that day it was fine. I think that I could have put them into a nursery for the day (can't quite remember as that wouldn't have been an option that appealed to me personally at the time).