Back-up care for mildly sick kids
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Anonymous
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For those without family in the area who use daycare - anyone have recommendations for reliable back-up care for when kids are sick and daycare won't watch them? I am just talking mild cough, runny nose, exposed to COVID (but not testing positive), etc. Our company offers back-up care from Bright Horizons but unsure if they will care for sick kids and wanted to weigh some options.
Right now, DH and I just juggle work and watching toddler when he needs to be home, but it's not ideal. |
Anonymous
| There used to be a service specifically for sick kids. It wasn’t a daycare setting, because if they’re excluded from one they should be excluded from others. That used to be somebody who would come to your house. I’m sorry I don’t remember the name but there is a service out there try googling if you haven’t already. |
Anonymous
White House nannies used to do this (but come to your house). Not sure if they are still providing sick services post-COVID. |
Anonymous
| Thanks! I'll definitely look into White House Nannies... |
Anonymous
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White house nannies still takes "mildly ill children" but they have changed the guidelines on what mildly ill is:
https://www.whitehousenannies.com/services/temporary-care/ |
Anonymous
It sounds like they wouldn’t be able to care for most kids who are sent home from daycare for illness. Their illness exclusion is pretty much most daycare’s illness exclusion. Special COVID-19 Notice* (updated 3/9/22) White House Nannies is continually updating its staffing procedures as it relates to COVID-19 to help ensure the health and safety of the families, children, and caregivers we work with. At this time we are resuming mildly ill care for children, as long as the child does not have a fever and can provide a negative rapid COVID test. If your child is instructed to stay home because of potential exposure to COVID-19 (including daycare and school closures), we are unable to send a caregiver into the home until after receiving a negative test (PCR or rapid) taken on day 5-7 after exposure – not before – or after day 10 of quarantine without testing if the child or family members are not displaying any symptoms. Our caregivers are following the same exposure guidelines. If there is a confirmed case of COVID in the household, a negative rapid test from all members of the household would be required after 10 days before sending a caregiver into the home. Additionally, based on recommendations from pediatricians, we are unable to place temporary nannies in homes where children have: Flu Head lice Highly contagious viruses Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (Coxsackie Virus) Stomach Flu w/ recent vomiting within 24 hours Strep Throat/Pink Eye/Ear Infections (UNLESS antibiotics started 24-48 hours prior) Our babysitters require signed authorization and explicit instructions from the parent(s) in order to administer medicine. |
Anonymous
Mild has not changed. Mild illness includes coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, headache, stomachache, ear ache, body aches, lethargy, etc. It does not (and has never) included fever, vomiting, diarrhea or highly transmissible diseases which might keep the nanny temp from working. A FT nanny who only works with your family is much, much more likely to be amenable to coming in for moderate illness (vomiting, diarrhea, fever, contagion). But most are going to want the parent to take over if the fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea are dehydrating the child and the situation becomes dangerous. |
Anonymous
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I have had sitters from Care.com come in and was up front about COVID exposure quarantine/mild symptoms like runny nose. Most of them don't mind.
Anecdotally I've had friends who used Bright Horizons backup care through their work and they said they dropped off kids with mild runny nose, etc. and no one cared. I do not personally have that option, otherwise I would use it. My daycare accepts runny nose and lingering post-illness cough so I just send my kid and pray. |
Anonymous
| Those poor poor babies covered in snot, sent to a daycare. Breaks my heart. Mom's should have more sick leave. |
Anonymous
| Where are you located? I have all the time in the world except Wednesdays. |
Anonymous
Parents should have more sick leave! |
Anonymous
Honestly if the government wants to increase the birth rate, this is a good suggestion (that and guaranteed paid parental leave, and some kind of childcare cost offset). Childless people complain about coworkers with kids being treated differently but imo parents have huge disadvantages that discourage having further children. Especially women. |
Anonymous
This was literally one reason my DH switched jobs recently. He now has 15 sick days on top of 25 PTO days and 12 holidays. His sick days can be used for himself or dependents. |
Anonymous
This is one reason why I’ll never change jobs. I have the best boss ever. He has a special needs child and we cover for each other for family/kid illnesses |