There are a ton of threads on this, if you want to search for them you will find a lot of answers but probably none you haven't already thought of.

Take the day off work.
Split half a day off with your spouse.
Call on family in the area.
Call on friends in the area.
Emergency back-up sitter ($$$).
Drop-in daycare if provided by your company.
Telecommute.

Not a bad list, except for the suggestion to telecommute. Most companies have explicit policies that require childcare for telecommuting.

Keep in mind you should only have to use these options very, very occasionally. Most time off is either planned in advance (like a vacation or a day off for tooth extraction or something), or is an extension of the emergency (car accident Monday so off M-Th, or 3-day stomach bug).

If you find you're having to scramble more than a couple of times a year for last-minute cancellations, your nanny might not be a good fit. My nanny has kids, and so has more than the usual number of emergencies that make her late sometimes, but since I work from home, I can be flexible as long as she stays later so I can finish up. Might not work for you.

DH often works from home, so as long as he doesn't have any meetings, that's a possibility. I can sometimes but less frequently work from home.

My BIL works from home and lives five minutes away, so he's a backup option.

We have a neighbor who's a writer and works from home, and she has said she will be emergency backup, but she's best with an hour or less of awake time, or just when the baby is sleeping. So we really try to never call her unless we need her to fill in just until someone else can get there.

My friend's widowed and retired mom is happy to watch the baby for a day or two, so that's another option.

There are also a few neighbors on our street who are SAH parents who are options.

If your nanny is sick, please make sure that she doesn't come in. If she is pressured to come to work, who knows what germs she will bring into the home which will create a vicious cycle for everyone. I know many families who have pressured me to come into work even if I was running a fever. So lame.

Anyway, perhaps you can have a list of contact info for a few back-up nannies. As soon as you know your current nanny will be ill, hopefully you can contact one of these women who can stand in for her.

Or go on Care.com and/or sittercity.com and place an ad for an Emergency/Last Minute Sitter.

I get these types of calls sometimes and have been known to show up with even 2 hr notice!

Remember:
Arranging back-up childcare is YOUR responsibility and YOUR responsibility alone.
You can always ask your current nanny if she has a friend who can come in for her, but it's not her duty.

DH and I both have jobs that are really difficult to take a day off from (unless there is a major emergency) and we have no family in the area so we use an agency. If the nanny calls in sick then the agency will find a replacement right away.

Some nannies wouldn't mind, but do expect to be paid, of course! We have one friend with a nanny who will do the occasional emergency day, though since I work from home, I am the default emergency back-up. DH then tries to get home early and takes over so I can get somewhat caught up. If I'm really slammed, DH takes the day off, but right now we're trying to save his leave days for a new baby in June.

Find a college student (or a few) with experience that doesn't want a regular FT schedule that could be open to doing a random day here and there when needed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make friends with your neighbors who are home, or have nannies, and do favors for each other. Why not?

Oh, as a neighbor who is at home, I am NOT your back up childcare option. Don't even think about asking.

[b]

As a nanny I don't want to look after your kids for free either!! Your kids, your problem.

Anonymous wrote:Make friends with your neighbors who are home, or have nannies, and do favors for each other. Why not?

Oh, as a neighbor who is at home, I am NOT your back up childcare option. Don't even think about asking.

Make friends with your neighbors who are home, or have nannies, and do favors for each other. Why not?

There are a ton of threads on this, if you want to search for them you will find a lot of answers but probably none you haven't already thought of.

Take the day off work.
Split half a day off with your spouse.
Call on family in the area.
Call on friends in the area.
Emergency back-up sitter ($$$).
Drop-in daycare if provided by your company.
Telecommute.

For those of you who have nannies, what do you do for back-up childcare in emergency situations (i.e., the nanny is sick)? Do you or your spouse take the day off? Do you have an agency or business you use? I'm trying to think through what our options would be if we get a nanny. Thanks!