# Babysitting and sick kids



## saraann (Dec 1, 2006)

What do you do when someone asks you to babysit their sick kid?

I used to babysit a little girl a couple of days a week and more then a few times the mom dropped off her daughter who was sick. It was just a cold but still, it was contagious and dd caught it from her every time. I was annoyed with the mom but didn't say anything.

My SIL just called and left a message asking if I'll watch my nephew who has been sick with a bad cough and diarrhea for about a week now. I feel a little annoyed but am wondering if I'm just being to anal. We're moving in a few days so I also need to pack and don't want dd or anyone else to get sick.

Just wondering how others feel about watching sick kids, or even dropping their own sick kids off with the sitter.


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## Jen_in_NH (Jul 16, 2007)

It depends on who's asking, and what their child has. I babysit for my husband's cousin's daughter when she's sick (has to stay home from school) because I know her job will not let her stay home. I"ve also done it with my neighbor's granddaughter - they've been great to me about watching Christopher in the mornings when DH and I are overlapping shifts by an hour.

But, if anyone had anything I thought Christopher really shouldn't be exposed to, then I probably wouldn't. If it's a cold, strep, GI bug, etc, then I probably would. Pneumonia, probably not.


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## HoldensMama (Feb 25, 2007)

I voted that it depends. It depends not only on what the kid has, but also why they need a babysitter. If it's cause they want to go out to the bar or xmas party or something and want to leave their sick kid with me, I say no. But if it's one of those times where the mom is in a bind, then absolutely.


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## mija y mijo (Dec 6, 2006)

It depends. If I'm babysitting with my DC present, I prefer the kid(s) that I'm watching to be in good health. If I was watching a child by myself I wouldn't mind if they had a cold, but if they had a fever, diarrhea, etc. I'd turn down the job.

If I was in your situation, I'd tell SIL to keep your nephew at home.


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## onlyzombiecat (Aug 15, 2004)

It depends on the reason, the length of time, the symptoms, my family's susceptibility to illness, and the relationship to the person.

I'd give more leeway for family but if SIL doesn't need a sitter for something very important, it is all day, we were going to be moving in a few days and dd always caught whatever other kids had I'd probably say no.

I would not leave my dd sick with anyone unless I absolutely had to.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

I voted no. I suppose in a true emergency I would, but I think kids want their parents when they're sick and I would not want to risk passing an illness on to my kids if I could help it.

Of course a chronic, non-contagious disease is a different story, so perhaps I should have voted "it depends."


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

If it is just a cold, no problem. If the kid has a fever, is throwing up or has diarrhea, they need to stay home. Same guidelines I would use as far as sending my own kids to school or not.


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## Justmee (Jun 6, 2005)

Another it depends here. If a friend was in a bind, unless it was something really horrible (like pnmonia or however that is spelled) I would watch her kids. I wouldn't hesitate for a cold, if I stayed away from everyone who had a cold all winter we would be hermits. Rivka has had a clear runny nose for a week and I've been sending her to her dcp. I don't send them if they had fever or stomach upsets in the last 24 hours, but for a little cold, yeah I do send them (if they are feeling okay, if they want to stay home they can stay home since I WAH / SAH and I can juggle if need be).


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## tm2840 (Feb 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HoldensMama* 
I voted that it depends. It depends not only on what the kid has, but also why they need a babysitter.

Yup, I'm similarly inclined. My answer is "depends" because there's a sliding scale in my mind. If you are a friend who is going to your parent's funeral and have a child who is repeatedly vomiting, yes, I'd take care of your child. Not happily (I hate to have my kids exposed to GI stuff in particular!) but I would.

If your DC has a lowgrade illness I suppose it would be OK - but no one has ever asked that! I don't babysit my kid's friends much. Nor do they sit mine. We do play with other children with colds/coughs all the time; I agree with the PP that avoiding that is pretty much impossible.

If your child was feeling crummy and fevered AND you were a very good friend AND had a pretty good reason (like work, a Pap smear/pelvic exam, even true "mental health need,") I'd be okay with watching your child. Though there might be a lot of handwashing going on!


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

it depends on what the kid has, who is asking, and why. i certainly don't mind a cold (colds don't even register on my sick monitor) but something serious or contagousprobably not outside of a real emergancy.


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## mommy2abigail (Aug 20, 2005)

It depends. I'm not against dd being exposed to cold and flu germs. However, I wont take a baby/kid that has a fever, green boogies, or runny poo. Those are signs that the cold is still contagious and most likely the kid is miserable and needs his mama anyway. I do in home daycare, and you'd be amazed at the number of times I've sent a kid back home in the morning.







: A clear runny nose or cough though, I'll let it slide. The problem isn't so much about the kid contaminating my kid, it's about the kid being so miserable and needing constant care. That leaves me ignoring my own child and I can't do that to her.


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## RubyWild (Apr 7, 2004)

I get one day a month paid sick leave. That's for me and for my DD, both. I can see where people get desperate for care because some kids are sick more than their parents' work has patience for.

My babysitting co-op has a policy of not watching sick children, and I'm glad of it. I don't want to get sick, and I don't have the sick leave to be sick all the time. I HAVE to use it only when my Dd is sick.


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## mamallama (Nov 22, 2001)

It depends. I sometimes provide childcare for pay, so my sick policy is pretty well thought out.

If it's a family who pays me, I don't accept children who 1-have a fever, 2-have recently vomitted or had diarrhea, 3-have running snot of any quality other than thin and clear.

I take my brother's kids (toddlers) in any condition. I don't like it, but he's family and he struggles, so I do it.

I'm a real stickler for handwashing. Not that it makes much of a difference when someone else's toddler sneezes directly on your baby


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

A cold wouldn't annoy me but I would not watch a kid with "bad cough and diarrhea." I'm not willing to knowingly expose my kids to digestive illnesses. Mostly because it grosses me out, but also because of the risk of dehydration and having to deal with doctors/hospitalization for it.


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## LaughingHyena (May 4, 2004)

A few days before moving I can't imagine babysitting even if the children are healthy. We are moving soon and I'm already dreading it. I can;t imagine adding more children







:

In general if I would be happy with attending playgroups etc with the child I'd babysit them. I have left playgroups with children I felt were too ill to be there though.


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## Beeblebrox (Apr 6, 2005)

Simple colds I have no problem with. Gastrointestinal bugs, no thank you. It also depends on how important the situation is. Does the parent just want to go the movies? Sorry, can't do it. Does the parent need someone to watch their child so they don't lose their job? Okay, sure. Also, depending on how old DD was at the time, I would babysit a child who has chicken pox


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## saraann (Dec 1, 2006)

Well, I ended up watcing him. When I spoke to sil she said that the diarrhea was gone and that the cough wasn't contagious anymore. They needed someone to watch him while they ran in a thanksgiving day race so it was only a short time. He came over and he was wheezing, I could hear every breath he took. He obviosly had a lot of fluid in his lungs and when he coughed I could hear it gurgling up. He is normally very very mellow but he fussy and cried unless I was holding him. He's a 23lb. 6 month old so it was a little draining.
I really think that they should have stayed home with him because he was obviously miserable and sick. I know that when I'm, sick I just want to lay in bed and be around my immediate family (husband and dd). He was much sicker then I was expecting after speaking to sil on the phone. I think it's pretty lame that they left him with us on Thanksgiving Day while they ran a fun race, something they could have very easily just not have done. I realize that my priorities are much different from theirs but I can't help the way I feel.
I really hope dd doesn't catch it, I'll be very upset if she does.
I also know that I could have just said no, but she really made it seem like he was fine and I just figured, well, they are family so what the hell.


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