This is OP. Thank you very much for your helpful responses! In the instances where you have been called as an emergency contact (or someone was called as an emergency contact for your child), why weren’t they able to get in touch with you? I’m not asking judgmentally. I’m trying to problem solve ahead of time so that this doesn’t come up. I don’t want to carry my personal phone into all of my meetings at work, but I can. (We don’t have a receptionist or anyone who could be called in an emergency.) Would that have solved the problem? Or were you flying/ down in the metro/ something else I’m not thinking of?

Agree to pick your most reliable friend. I work FT and have three kids, but I'm glad to be a good friend's emergency contact (if they can't reach her and her husband). Pick a reliable mom friend or two--after you've asked them--and put them down.

Funny I'm a working mom who works 1/2 hour from our home and I'm everybody's emergency contact.

Because I can drop everything and leave and be there in 30 minutes.

Other moms don't answer their phone at yoga or the gym or can't just leave a sleeping baby.

Pick you most reliable friend no matter their working status.

I have been used about 10 times for 3 families over 20 years.

Allergic reaction, broken bone and the other 8 times was getting the kids when school was closed for weather.

I’ve always had a combo of other parents and childfree friends. I always figured that in a true emergency, my childfree friends could Uber to get my car and use it to tote my kids around. These particular childfree folks are very close friends and **very** kind people, though.

I have to do other parents from school or my kids' friends' parents. One your child is school aged it will be a little easier. You should ask someone who has kids, OP, not your childless friends with no carseat. But expect it to change over the years.
We just moved and it is so hard in a new city. Going through it all over again...

I would just pick someone. There is a 99.9% chance this person would never be called. In the event of a true emergency you would rather have a friend than a random person at the school taking care of your kid.

I would pick someone that either knows other family/friends to contact on your behalf (maybe grandparents or a family member that would be able to come in from out of town and friend could watch until they arrive) or someone from the list that handles most situations fairly well, isn't always traveling for work, etc.

It is easy to pick a million reasons why this person or that person won't work but in reality in a true emergency most adults would be able to figure out how to make everything work out just fine.

I usually picked a mom in the school my kid knows who I knew to be reasonably available and would not be put out if called (and of course I asked them first).

I WAH very close to our school, so about 30 kids have me listed. I've never been called.

Our nanny. We have no family in the area.

My retired neighbor, a coworker, another mom in the class. I lucked out and had my kid in a daycare near a Metro. A young coworker agreed to be my backup because her apartment was 1 block away. If she needed to get him, she could walk him to her place until I got there. No car seat needed.

Close friend who works in the city far from daycare. Unlikely to arise.

Anonymous wrote:Until my oldest hit age 18, I had no one that could consistently be counted on in the event of an emergency. But occasionally, a neighbor would pick up one of my kids if we weren't able to make it (think the car broke down or another kid had to go to the ER- not, we left late from work). I learned that it things are much easier if you list them as your emergency contact.

Also, when my kids were really young, some of us parents in the class would list each other as the emergency contact. That way, if our kids wanted play dates we could just take them from school. Also, we did cover for each other if the trains or buses were late.

At most schools the pick up list is different and can be longer than the emergency contact. For example, my aunt who lives on another continent was on my kid’s list because one day they were visiting and wanted to take my preschooler to the zoo, so I added them.

Anonymous wrote:Myself

Then who do you list as parent?

As a teacher, I think I’ve called an emergency contact 3 times in 25 years? For things that were pretty much emergencies. I am happy to be a friend’s emergency contact and have been for many people, and have been called once. The kinds of things teachers call for I’d be willing to leave work for.

Until my oldest hit age 18, I had no one that could consistently be counted on in the event of an emergency. But occasionally, a neighbor would pick up one of my kids if we weren't able to make it (think the car broke down or another kid had to go to the ER- not, we left late from work). I learned that it things are much easier if you list them as your emergency contact.

Also, when my kids were really young, some of us parents in the class would list each other as the emergency contact. That way, if our kids wanted play dates we could just take them from school. Also, we did cover for each other if the trains or buses were late.

Myself

All of my mom friends work (and downtown, which is far from DD’s daycare). I have a couple of single, childfree friends who work closer to her daycare or work more flexible hours but they don’t have a car seat in their cars for if they needed to pick her up, and honestly, even though they know her and spend time with her, they wouldn’t be the most comfortable caring for a young toddler in a medical emergency. That’s just out of their zone. I don’t have local family, and I’m a single mom. Ideas?