Emergency contact when you don't have friends?

[Anonymous]

I do not have any close friends still in the area (I had friends pre-baby, but they all moved), and the folks I'm getting to know are at the acquaintance stage. Is anyone else in this situation, and if so, who did you put as a local emergency contact on daycare forms?

[Anonymous]

We used a coworker of DH who also had a child and understood our need for a contact. Never needed her and now we have more family nearby to use. Do you know any other parents who might be willing? Neighbors?

[Anonymous]

A co-worker. I figured, if I wasn't at my desk when daycare called, she would be and would know where to find me (meeting, client site, whatever). It's not a promise that the contact will go fetch your kid, just help track you down, and a co-worker was in a good position to help with that.

[Anonymous]

Neighbor?

[Anonymous]

Out of state relative. If an emergency happens with my child - suppose my child has to be taken to the hospital or something happens to me and dh and neither one of us shows up to pick our kid up.

Would I want the school to contact "random neighbor" or Grandma/Grandpa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Out of state relative. If an emergency happens with my child - suppose my child has to be taken to the hospital or something happens to me and dh and neither one of us shows up to pick our kid up.

Would I want the school to contact "random neighbor" or Grandma/Grandpa?

+1

[Anonymous]

The person close to you who is also most likely the answer the phone in an emergency. Your mom? Your FIL? Etc. then Give that person emergency contact info (pediatrician contact # etc.)

[Anonymous]

I listed two contacts--one as "local" which is my colleague who would be able to track me down on the complete off chance neither DH or I answered our cell phone. She also would be able (and willing) to care for our child if she needed to for some reason. The other is listed as "non local" which is grandma and grandpa who live a 6-7 hour drive away or 1 hour by plane in a real emergency. I remember back in the day the nurse's office only had to call my parents listed emergency contact when I was sick and that was pre cell phones. It's rare but I think good to have at least one local person.

[Anonymous]

13:23 -- also we gave our "local" contact all our emergency contact numbers for pediatrician etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of state relative. If an emergency happens with my child - suppose my child has to be taken to the hospital or something happens to me and dh and neither one of us shows up to pick our kid up.

Would I want the school to contact "random neighbor" or Grandma/Grandpa?

+1

-1

What are my child's grandparents going to do on the other side of the country? This would only freak them out and they'd feel helpless. I'd rather have someone I sort of knew but had a resourcefulness about them be able to ask around for me and/or go to the school to pick up my child if necessary. I think most neighbors would fit the bill.

[Anonymous]

Do you have any acquintences in the same boat? We're a military family so we've had frequent moves with school- age kids. I totally get your dilemma and would be more than happy to be someone's emergency contact if they needed a local person to put down.

[Anonymous]

Another military family here. I lie on these forms. I have no friends and no local family. We don't know our neighbors. I work from home, so my coworkers aren't local either.
In a real emergency, my parents are 3 hours away by plane and can afford the ticket.

I think these requests are stupid and demoralizing.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with many PPs and feel this should be someone with an actual ability to pick up your child. A friend of mine just asked me to do it because I WAH, so I said sure, but that I need a key to her house (as I know longer have babies or baby stuff anymore!).

They're more likely to use this contact because you can't get there in time for pick up (snow storm, horrible traffic, etc...), some type of emergency (natural disaster, etc...), or your kid is sick (they can't give fever meds but you or your contact can). Is there a SAHM on your street you can befriend? I know this is tough, but I'd encourage you to choose someone with an ability to show up.

[Anonymous]

Oh, this is an interesting conversation. I didn't realize there were two schools of thought on this - emergency decision making versus local contact/pick up. I have local family, but always put my out of state mother for a second contact, because I trust her judgment about whether to go to the hospital, etc. But I totally understand the logic of putting someone who could pick up the child or hunt you down if your cell phone is off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of state relative. If an emergency happens with my child - suppose my child has to be taken to the hospital or something happens to me and dh and neither one of us shows up to pick our kid up.

Would I want the school to contact "random neighbor" or Grandma/Grandpa?

+1

-1

What are my child's grandparents going to do on the other side of the country? This would only freak them out and they'd feel helpless. I'd rather have someone I sort of knew but had a resourcefulness about them be able to ask around for me and/or go to the school to pick up my child if necessary. I think most neighbors would fit the bill.

Grandparents would be the ones to talk to EMS/hospital. They would also have details about where dh and I would be during the day, along with contact numbers.

If you have a trusted neighbor/coworker/friend to contact who is local - great. Op, is saying that she doesn't have someone like that and might feel awkward (and uncomfortable) asking someone that she barely knows to be an emergency contact for her child.

If emergency contact means having an occasional back up to pick up your child, that's different.