Working parents - what do you do when kids/nanny are sick and you have to be at work

[Anonymous]

I would try to pay the back up sitter double or more and say she can park kid in front of tv all day. Or just the hours of the meeting that you or DH has. $200 for a few hours where she is across the room from a sick kid may be worth it for 4 hours.

Is just the 5yo sick?

[Anonymous]

My work offers emergency back up nanny care. I've never used it but it seems like a nice service that could be valuable some day. I think it's not a bad idea to have an emergency back up plan somewhere (with a nanny agency, etc.) for these types of instances if neither you nor your husband have flexible jobs.

[Anonymous]

We try to have a few college sitters around for sick days. We offer increased pay and make the job super easy by letting the kids zone out on screens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for acknowledging that your 5yo has to stay home from school and not being one of the a**hole parents who gives a dose of Motrin in the morning and hopes no one realizes what’s really going on.

and for not guilting or making your nanny show up sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My work offers emergency back up nanny care. I've never used it but it seems like a nice service that could be valuable some day. I think it's not a bad idea to have an emergency back up plan somewhere (with a nanny agency, etc.) for these types of instances if neither you nor your husband have flexible jobs.

For a kid with a fever??? Its not just the nanny who is sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for acknowledging that your 5yo has to stay home from school and not being one of the a**hole parents who gives a dose of Motrin in the morning and hopes no one realizes what’s really going on.

It’s really crappy when parents do this BUT it’s understandable when they have jobs where they’d actually be fired if they didn’t come in, etc. It’s the larger lack of social safety net that’s a problem in those cases, really. Not everyone has a nanny, a spouse, a salaried job or “sick leave.”

[Anonymous]

Using back up care for a sick kid depends on the level of illness. Ours has an in home option for “mildly ill.” It’s defined somewhere in the peovider’s policy; I can’t remember off hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Using back up care for a sick kid depends on the level of illness. Ours has an in home option for “mildly ill.” It’s defined somewhere in the peovider’s policy; I can’t remember off hand.

Yes, my employers Bright Horizons backup care has an option for an ill child. My colleague has used it, I’m not sure what it cost but she was happy with the service.

[Anonymous]

WTF OP, one of you stays home. Prioritize!!! You can’t outsource all of parenthood.

[Anonymous]

I once sent my kid to school on Tylenol knowing kid was sick. I had an important morning meeting I couldn’t miss. I got a call from school, picked up kid and asked my admin to sit in the car with my sick kid. Not one of my proudest moments but I was desperate.

I now stay home with my 3 kids.

[Anonymous]

I call into meetings while my kids are separated from each other and each watching their own screen with plenty of snacks and water.

For the afternoon, my 3yr old naps and I have a few $10-15 emergency Lego sets. If I get one out on the day the 5yr old is better but not 24hrs fever free yet, that buys me 2 hrs.

[Anonymous]

Get on with a good temporary service. This only happened to us once (daycare kids not with a nanny) and the agency sent a nurse. DH and I cut our work day as short as we could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have backup people. Dh has his own law firm so absolute worst case scenario is the kids go to work with him and lay on his couch all day.

But we call our backup people - often one person will do morning and one will do afternoon so it's not too much of a strain on anyone.

We have the kinds of kids who, when they're sick, just lay in bed and sleep or color or watch a screen.

This is crappy of you to do. I’m sure the employees love being exposed to your kids’ illnesses and don’t see it all as your husband abusing his power as the boss.

?????? I’m an associate at a law firm and I love it when my boss’s kids come in even if sick. And sometimes my kids do too since he set that culture.

You’re nuts.

I left biglaw for a more family friendly culture at a boutique and I got it. A firm where the men outsource every little thing to their wives is not for me.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny will work when sick if she has to. She said it was like being a SAHP - not optimal but doable when sick. We get home as soon as humanly possible.

[Anonymous]

Drop the one who "can't afford to get sick".