Looking after grandchildren whilst sick

Always had them when sick …. my granddaughter is asthmatic ( quite bad) but my daughter was VERY bad , so I know how to cope, and I know when to call the blue lights !! She knows she can trust me… saw them both through chicken pox ? (That was fun) ….stomach aches ….broken bones….colds and I never caught anything from them !
I’ve been lucky I suppose.

My Grandson is a real bug magnet, and my DD brings him to visit no matter what, so we get everything...including shingles and covid, he had hooping cough but luckily we just got dreadful coughs. Love him to bits though x

Always looked after them through colds and coughs etc. And they were always fine with me, but on one occasion, my granddaughter just wouldn’t stop crying for her Mum. So, after a an hour or so, I had to ring my daughter, who had a very good boss and allowed her to take the day off.
Another time, this same granddaughter, just wouldn’t settle in the night. My daughter was again away overnight with work. But this time, I just let her cry herself to sleep. Cuddling her, taking her to my bed, nothing worked. So I’m afraid I had no choice, but till this day, I feel guilty about it.
Sorry, I think I went off-track 😂

It seems that bugs go with the territory of looking after GCs - I could live without the D&V bugs but heyho!

Yes, they are both under 5, though oldest is in Reception. At least one of them usually has a cough or cold, but we look after the little one once a week and both in the school holidays. The parents always used to ask if that was OK but know now we don't mind. I often seem to have a cough nowdays but no underlying health conditions, so all good.

Yes our GD is 3 and we look after her 4 days a week. Because of the pandemic they lived with us for a while so we are very close. We look after her even when she’s ill, we’ve had many coughs colds and even tummy bugs. She’s not had chicken pox yet so we’ll have that ‘joy’ to come. I actually don’t mind coz there seems little poking for my DD or SIL to have to take time off work, especially as she seems to catch every virus going!!!!

I don’t think twice about having my granddaughter when she sick. I do normally get it after her but I’m not bothered.
My daughter will carry on at work and I can Nonna away to my hearts content.
Obvs if was serious she would take time off work

I always help out when i can but I invariably catch the GC germs. As I'm starting to get older it takes me longer to recover but it's difficult to say no.. especially when my son and DIL sulk

Bungle - maybe your immunity is low and you can boost it with a vitamin supplement or more fruit. I would never refuse to have a grandchild on the grounds that I might catch something. If you've accepted the role of childminder that can't really have conditions attached to it other than if you yourself are sick and not able to do the job.

ElaineI

We have them ill or not. Occasionally catch something. Since school/nursery went back in August it's been a nightmare for kids - scarlet fever twice, colds, tonsillitis, flu in the 9 year old despite the vaccine lasting 3 weeks (passed to DSil not us), chest infections etc. Now DD1 has 12 children off in her class with chickenpox! Apparently it is due to the Covid lockdowns and restrictions as children have not been exchanging viruses therefore their immune systems have not built up immunity to childhood illnesses which are usually mild.

Like most older people we seem to have immunity from previous coughs and colds so we rarely catch anything.

Yes, have always had DGD sick or well. We’ve caught the odd cold but nothing more.

Yes we do school run Mondays and are emergency / illness cover when needed .I haven't caught too many of their bugs usually colds

You are all amazing grandmothers. My grandchildren are too old now to need day-care and frankly we are too old , if they had still been young, to look after sick children. Our children didn't have their children until well into their thirties. We would help out in an emergency but not as a matter of course. We both despite being old are self-employed and still working so we are not really sitting at home waiting to be needed.

I look after my granddaughter one day a week, she is at Nursery most of the time but she has an almost constant cough, cold, ear infection. I used to think I had a good immune system as I rarely had coughs or colds but now I also have one nearly all the time. Roll on summer when hopefully most of these bugs will disappear. 🤞

Yes I do as well. Most times we don’t seem to catch what they have but if we do it has been mild and short lived . I ensure I get extra sleep and try to nap when they do as well as faithfully take an immunity multi vitamin daily through the cold season .

grannyactivist

Not usually. If children are sick enough not to go to school then their parents will try to stay home. Occasionally my husband will go and care for them if a parent really can’t take take off, but my children won’t let them come to me and risk me catching anything.

How fortunate you are! You apparently live somewhere where parents can take time off when their children are ill!

I taught for most of my adult life, and could neither take time off when my children, nor after they were grown up, my aging parents needed my help.

Yes, Bungle, if you agree to mind children, you will have them when they are ill, as the creches and kindergartens won't take them.

If your health cannot cope with this, then I am afraid you will need to ask your daughter if she can make alternative arrangements, but most likely she can't.

Have you tried disinfecting door handles, sterilizing the mugs, spoons etc. the children use when they are ill, in boiling water, frequent hand-washing all round, and airing the rooms for five minutes once an hour?

This might just help a little.

I don't mind having GC if it is just a cold / sniffles but draw the line with tummy bugs !!!! I have taken care of G C one day a week for many years! But my AC would not expect me to have their children if they were really poorly. I recognize how difficult it is for parents and that nurseries refuse to have a sick child. However I have had my children, parents must take responsibility!!!! I am not prepared at my age ( husband older than me) to put me or my DH in the firing line for every bug going. That is simply not acceptable!!!!!

It’s very difficult if your ACs rely on you for childcare. Thankfully I don’t have that issue, my GCs are all grown up and starting their own families.
If it’s mainly coughs and colds that they’re passing on to you I recommend Vicks First Defense. Two squirts in each nostril as soon as you’re exposed, and repeat as per instructions. I’m paranoid about picking up any respiratory illness because of existing lung problems and it does work for me. The secret is to use it immediately you’ve been in contact so good to have it in the house.

I have occasionally looked after grandchildren when they’re poorly. I have also been called by their schools to go and pick them up when they have taken ill when their parents are at work as I am one if the emergency contacts and I’m reasonably close by. I would rather not look after a child who has severe sickness and diarrhoea but if there was no alternative I would and I’d do as grandtante suggests, take all the necessary precautions and hope that stops me from picking it up.

When my grandchildren have colds I increase the cleanliness. The house usually is lived in and not sterile. When anyone has a cold etc. I make it a more sterile place. Bleach everything, including the toilet seat and washbasin, always separate towels and increased hand washing. Their cups and plates are bleached too. Of course the bleach is carefully rinsed off.
Some may think this is OTT but my house, my rules resulting in few colds. For me this works resulting in few colds for granny!

In their early years they do seem to go down with everything but that builds up a child’s immune system. It is interesting that one of the reasons for all our colds/flu/viruses since Covid seems to be that isolation and social distancing reduced our immune systems.
With 6 grandchildren I have been called on and done granny duty on the occasion of snuffles/ tonsillitis/ scarlet fever/ chickenpox but only as an emergency stopgap as a poorly child always wants Mummy more than any body else!
Why wouldn’t you?

I’m amazed I don’t catch more from our little ones. The youngest seems to have had a cold for most of the winter.
All those snuffly hugs and kisses, and being coughed all over, I’m always expecting to catch something.
If they are ill enough to stay off school, my daughter, her partner and I work it out between us

I look after the 2 youngest GCs a couple of times a week. I often catch colds from them but put up with it. I draw the line with Noravirus however. I caught it from an older GC, cousin of ones I currently mind 2 days before going to New York which ruined the trip as I had zero appetite and felt weak and same again from 1 year old 2 days before the Fairford Airshow last year. He has a malady of some kind every other week.

If their off with a cold or cough yes
If it's a sickness bug no.
If it chemo week definitely not for both!

Well guess what!! We were going for Mother’s Day dinner later on with DD2 and family. The 22month old GS had Noravirus a couple of days ago and now the 4 year old GD has it so dinner is postponed. Tomorrow we meet up with the other AC and GC so will see what happens. DD2 could not afford to eat at the upmarket pub booked by DD1 which looks entirely child unfriendly. Not sure what DD1 was thinking.

That’s the one illness I will definitely swerve as I said up-post as I always catch it if I’m in contact.