I'm a recently divorced mom of a 2 year old and I need to return to work full-time ASAP but don't know what to do when my DS gets sick, which is often! He attends an in-home daycare but dropping him off when he's sick is not an option. My ex is inconsistent with visitation so asking him to help out is not an option and my family lives thousands of miles away. I did consider moving closer to my parents so they could help out in such situations but I came to the difficult decision to give my ex a chance to form a relationship with his son. So my question is: what do other single moms do when their kids get sick?
I used to cry, try to sell my soul to the devil for someone to watch them but in the end suck it up because I was going to be out the $$ for work that day. :(
There was a question about single moms a couple days ago and I tried, perhaps in vain, to get he OP to understand being a single mom is about the physical support (babysitting/breaks) and not about the money per se.
Check and see if there is a 'Sick Child Drop-in Daycare' through any of your local hospitals. Not all areas have them, but some do. They admin meds as needed, and the kids basically spend most of the day curled up in bed watching movies resting or sleeping.
Have you checked to see if there is a sick child care service in your area? Ask your local hospital or maybe your child care provider will know.
We take off work and risk losing our jobs. I have friends who will take the kids for me if I really need it.
Many of my parents have had to break up their vacations and use them a day at a time. What's bad is when a parent works for one of those companies that gives points for any kind of missing. Some of these people had to fake much worse illnesses for themselves or their kids in order to miss 3 days so that they could file those family medical leave papers.
I can tell you that when my oldest was little I built up a network of SAHM’s who were willing to help out. I was usually the neighborhood parent so I took their kids on activities a lot so it was a fair trade. Now (although I am not a single parent anymore) I have a daycare provider who has a room that the kids usually nap in that if absolutely necessary she can use to keep the “sick” child in. Don’t be scared, it happens. If you find an in home care provider with mostly school age children (like mine) it makes it easier. Good luck
When my son was young and I was a single mom, I had to have family or friends help out or take off myself. It isn't easy but even as married mom, I have the same problem. Is there a good friend/neighbor that you would be comfortable leaving him with sometimes when he's under the weather but not terribly ill? Then at other times have his father do it. When he's terribly ill, you probably want to handle those yourself.
I have to suck it up and take the day off. If they are not that sick I am lucky enough to have a job that I can take them to work with me.
Hi J.. I am a single mom and thankfully I have a full time nanny in addition to my son's part-time daycare so I am covered. My company also offers a "back-up" daycare service from a company called "Bright Horizons". You can bring your child to one of their facilities or they have people that will come to your home. Personally, I wouldnt like having a stranger coming into my home but I guess if I was desperate, I would consider it. If I were in your shoes, I would work on finding someone who is available on short notice to fill in when you need someone- like a neighborhood stay at home mom or retired woman who would like some part time work. I know its not easy to find, but those people are out there. Good luck!
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Hi J.. I am a single mom and thankfully I have a full time nanny in addition to my son's part-time daycare so I am covered. My company also offers a "back-up" daycare service from a company called "Bright Horizons". You can bring your child to one of their facilities or they have people that will come to your home. Personally, I wouldnt like having a stranger coming into my home but I guess if I was desperate, I would consider it. If I were in your shoes, I would work on finding someone who is available on short notice to fill in when you need someone- like a neighborhood stay at home mom or retired woman who would like some part time work. I know its not easy to find, but those people are out there. Good luck!
I've not been in that situation but friends who work FT sometimes have had an older (retired) neighbor or an adult sitter just for those cases--or they would stay home :(
There's probably a good niche market out there for sick child care on an as-needed basis......I wonder if working moms would pay a small monthly stipend to keep a sitter "on call & available" for those types of situations?
