Curious - are you the only one there for kids during day??

[Pagan]

That title probably doesn't sound right but I was wondering if there was anyone out there who had few people to call on if something was required during the day. I'm a SAHM through choice and I love it. If there was a real emergency then I do have lovely neighbours but all friends and family either work during the day, are too far away or are too elderly to have to deal with anything of an urgent nature.

Anyone else in same situation and do you have a back up plan just in case??

My mum lives 130 miles away, and over the summer my dh was working mon-fri 200 miles away. I worried about this, what would happen if I was in a car pile-up or something.
I do use a childminder part-time, who would probably help if I was really stuck (altho' she doesn't usually go out of her way for me IYKWIM).

In a real emergency, my cleaning lady and her husband would do anything to help me (they're lovely) but have no experience with children, but I could rely on them if necessary.

It is worrying tho'

I'm in a similar situation - I'm the only full time at home mum I know. My parents are 500 miles away and inlaws are 250 miles away. Don't know my neighbours well enough, but I guess in a dire emergency they wouldn't turn me down. We're moving back home (Scotland) for this very reason. My parents will only be 40 mins away, which is a bit different to 7 hours!

I have 2 dd,s 7 months and 26 months and am a sahm. It takes my dh about 1 hour to get home, all my family live about 2 1/2 hours away. Thankfully we have never had an emergency where we needed anybody to help out. I do have a good circle of friends, most with children the same age as mine, a few of these are in a similar position to me so I'm sure I could call on them. But apart from that I have no body else and yes it is a little worrying at times.

I'm in Scotland Mudda. You're moving to Loch Lomond as I recall aren't you?? I'm on southside of Glasgow which is about an hour away in bad traffic so could rush up and mop your fevered brow if required

Pagan - it's a deal!

Posted my front garden on another thread...50 yards from my front door!

I don't have anyone really. I am a sahm but don't really know anyone in the area. It would take dh about 2 hrs to get home. I guess there is someone who could probably get here in about 1/2 hr but they don't have experience of kids.

Wow!!! How fantastic is that! Me & DH still have our wee dream but tis on the back burner for a while - one day!

I'm sure I've built a wee fire on that beach and toasted marshmallows around it!!

I have no family nearby

but am very lucky in having a few really good SAHM friends nearby ...and we kind of watch out for each other .. not just emergencies either, when one of us seems stressed invariably one of the others will take the kids of their hands for a few hours ..

how old are your kids?

I met one at tumble tots, two at a really bad music event (one of these is my bestest mate now ) and two others when DS started pre-school. I couldn't imagine enjoying this life without them

I've not had anyone close at hand for many years, not even dh when he's been working offshore or abroad. It was awful when one of the children was very ill just after we'd moved and I knew no one at all, parents were 500 miles, dh offshore. I had to pluck up courage and ask a neigbour to help me out and they were lovely about it. I didn't have a back-up plan, just hoped for the best, I suppose. But ime, people are generally very kind and willing to help in a crisis so you just need to take a deep breath and ask for help.

I have no family or close friends nearby
Dh also works away during the week so I am a bit of a loner. On the forms for school another mum and I swapped names for emergencies as she is in the same boat.

Pagan I'm not a SAHM but I now am delighted to say I have lots of friends, some work pt, many don't work, who I could certainly rely on in an emergency (though in fact when I went into labour a bit early with DS2 it was my neighbour we called on - but then it was 5am and I knew she wouldn't mind!).
I was just wondering like twiglett how old your child(ren) were. I met my good pals through NCT group, DS1's nursery and various other toddler groups, gym class etc. Can't imagine life without them now.

Could you try and meet some other SAHMs not even for emergencies, just to keep you sane/have the odd bit of free time while you look after each others' kids?

DD is 13 months old. I have met some nice folk at Mums n Toddlers although no actual numbers have ever been swapped. In a real emergency though the neighbours here are really nice and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help.

I work part time but really we need the back up network just like SAHMs do. DH is away over night a few times a month and often 2-3 hours drive away on other days. At first when DS started nursery I put my Mum and my MIL down as emergency contacts but they are both over an hours drive away so not ideal. But since then I have got two friends whose names I have added to the list. One is a SAHM and the other works part time but her hours only partially overlap mine. And they know I would be prepared to help them out eg last week while still on mat. leave I looked after my friends two kids with chicken pox (can't think where they got that from...) because she had a hospital appt.

Mudda - pretty certain I drank rather a lot of cider on that beach too, while at University (no kids around then, though, and we cleared up after ourselves). Happy days, I'm very jealous

I do't have any family or friends that could help at short notice (or long notice come to that) and I had an emergency when my back was very bad. My partner took one day off but being a teacher its really hard to do and we had no idea when I would get better so we had to take our 7 month old to an emergency childminder we found via the council. It worked out fine as I was only really bad for a few days. But it was very scary.

Am very jealous of friends who have family & friends nearby that give them a break or at least give them a bit of adult company.

I work during school hours 3 days a week but am always contactable on my mobile. I do work from home though although in hte next couple of months I'll be working from the office. If an emergency arose I would just leave work and tend to it. My kids are far more important to me than my job and if this was a problem with my boss I would simply leave. Dd goes to school just round the corner from our office so could be with her within 5 mins and be with ds within 15 easily.

Pagan,
I have no friends that can help as pretty much they all work in the day and my close friends have no real experience of kids. However, am very lucky to have a mum and mum in law who are both retired and can help out if i had an emergency although they don't live too close. i think some of my neighbours would be willing to help too if I really needed them.