Parents, what arrangements do you have in place for emergency childcare?

goodkel
on 8/11/11 4:56 pm
There is one thread and another comment I noticed about women with small children who should have called an ambulance and been taken to the ER, but didn't make the call because they had small children and no care for them.

As a childless person, that contingency never occurred to me. But blockages and severe anemia (among other problems) can turn deadly very quickly. When you have been bleeding heavily for weeks and are almost passing out from dizziness while trying to walk or you've spent all day on the bathroom floor doubled over in agony. You need to be at the ER IMMEDIATELY.

I live in a military town and there are many child care services and babysitters that accept drop ins around the clock . I imagine that they may not be as prevalent in other areas. And then you will need a pre-approved back up who can pick them up and care for them if you have to be admitted to the hospital for a while.

If you are a single parent, or might as well be, what back up plans do you have in place? If you have any helpful tips or resources for getting emergency care for your children, I'm sure there are more than a few people here who could use your help.

Thank you!


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(deactivated member)
on 8/11/11 9:37 pm - Beverly, NJ
I LOVE that you posted this question because It really bugs me when people say they can't go to the ER because of their kids. I think it's part of the Mom fear and lack of preparing.

In an emergency situation bring them with you or if calling 911 let the operator know they are there. At the hospital they have advocates that can sit with them (in most cases anyway, if you have kids this is worth checking out ahead of time). If calling 911 the EMTs have volunteers available to them to help with kids (also worth checking out if you have kids). In all honesty think about it this way; if you get into a car accident and you are unconscious and have to be rushed to the ER and you have your kids with you, what are they going to do? Obviously not leave them in the middle of the road. Most township EMT squads have preparations for situations like this.

2 years ago I was not in too good of a position financially and had to have my son stay with my father for a month or two (so he could be closer to school), during that time my father had a massive heart attack while he had my son and my 4 year old niece. When he realized he was having a heart attack he let the 911 operator know they were there so the EMTs were prepared to be greeted by a 4 year old and a 6 year old. They brought a volunteer with them who sat with the kids until someone could get there. They were AWESOME with the kids and they were never scared or too curious about what was going on. I am so thankful for this, I can only imagine the scarring that could of happened to those kids if not. It also taught me to never put off a medical emergency just because kids are around.

A few weeks ago I thought I might have to go to the ER at the same time my son had to be picked up from camp and had NO ONE else to do it for me. I was lucky enough that I didn't have to go to the ER but had I of needed to I could of called the camp to let them know someone would be there but they would of been late. Worst case scenario he would of had to wait until either 1. A family member was able to grab him or 2. Child services could of grabbed him for me. Child services can be very helpful in an emergency situation. They get such a bad rap but I've had nothing but great experiences with them (thats another lengthy post lol).

goodkel
on 8/12/11 4:53 am
On August 12, 2011 at 4:37 AM Pacific Time, Vanishing_Mom wrote:
I LOVE that you posted this question because It really bugs me when people say they can't go to the ER because of their kids. I think it's part of the Mom fear and lack of preparing.

In an emergency situation bring them with you or if calling 911 let the operator know they are there. At the hospital they have advocates that can sit with them (in most cases anyway, if you have kids this is worth checking out ahead of time). If calling 911 the EMTs have volunteers available to them to help with kids (also worth checking out if you have kids). In all honesty think about it this way; if you get into a car accident and you are unconscious and have to be rushed to the ER and you have your kids with you, what are they going to do? Obviously not leave them in the middle of the road. Most township EMT squads have preparations for situations like this.

2 years ago I was not in too good of a position financially and had to have my son stay with my father for a month or two (so he could be closer to school), during that time my father had a massive heart attack while he had my son and my 4 year old niece. When he realized he was having a heart attack he let the 911 operator know they were there so the EMTs were prepared to be greeted by a 4 year old and a 6 year old. They brought a volunteer with them who sat with the kids until someone could get there. They were AWESOME with the kids and they were never scared or too curious about what was going on. I am so thankful for this, I can only imagine the scarring that could of happened to those kids if not. It also taught me to never put off a medical emergency just because kids are around.

A few weeks ago I thought I might have to go to the ER at the same time my son had to be picked up from camp and had NO ONE else to do it for me. I was lucky enough that I didn't have to go to the ER but had I of needed to I could of called the camp to let them know someone would be there but they would of been late. Worst case scenario he would of had to wait until either 1. A family member was able to grab him or 2. Child services could of grabbed him for me. Child services can be very helpful in an emergency situation. They get such a bad rap but I've had nothing but great experiences with them (thats another lengthy post lol).

That's some very interesting information. It is nice to know that there are safety nets in place for the children in such emergencies.

And I still understand why parents might be hesitant about calling 911 without a known person at home to take care of the kids.

But, they have to consider the alternative. Is dying young and not being able to raise your children at all a better alternative to leaving them in the care of safe strangers until a family member can arrive?
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(deactivated member)
on 8/12/11 5:10 am - Beverly, NJ
See thats the thing... Do I understand the hesitation?  Absolutely.  But at the same time, an emergency is an emergency.  I would rather have to bring them with me to the ER than risk dying in front of them.  As a parent I know him seeing me in an emergency can be scary.  But from experience it's nothing new to the EMTS and hospital staff.  Although I can't speak for all hospitals and EMT's I can rest assured that mys on would be in good hands.
beemerbeeper
on 8/12/11 2:03 am - AL
It is absolutley mind boggling that ANY parent doesn't have emergency back up plans in place for child care.

My children are grown but I have emergency back up care for my DOGS !!!

I just shake my head at people sometimes and if they continue to post things like that I wind up blocking them because my head hurts too much from banging it into my computer screen.

GREAT post.

~Becky


goodkel
on 8/12/11 5:04 am
My intention with this thread was not so much to berate them but to gather resources for parents who hadn't worked this out, yet.

And to bring the point home that this NEEDS to be worked out. That staying home because of the kids when you are having a medical emergency, is NOT an option. Not if you want to stay alive to raise them, anyway.

I thought I would see the back up plans of other parents and information about how they came to arrange them, but the lack of response leads me to believe that maybe this is a more prevalent problem than I realized.
Check out my profile: http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/goodkel/
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DS SW 265 CW 120 5'7"



(deactivated member)
on 8/12/11 12:11 pm - Beverly, NJ
No one is berating anyone. 

I guess as a mom (to children or fur babies) there are certain things that come along with the responsability.  To see another mom or to even talk about a possible mom not taking the nessecary precations that we should rubs nerves in most other moms. 

Not to mentiont he thought of a mom putting her life at risk because of something is bothersome.  Our kids need us, so we need to do everything we can to survive.  

You started an awesome post! 
goodkel
on 8/12/11 2:10 pm
On August 12, 2011 at 7:11 PM Pacific Time, Vanishing_Mom wrote:
No one is berating anyone. 

I guess as a mom (to children or fur babies) there are certain things that come along with the responsability.  To see another mom or to even talk about a possible mom not taking the nessecary precations that we should rubs nerves in most other moms. 

Not to mentiont he thought of a mom putting her life at risk because of something is bothersome.  Our kids need us, so we need to do everything we can to survive.  

You started an awesome post! 
I just wanted to make it clear to the Mom's that attacking them is not the point of this thread--hoping they will venture out of the woodwork and post info.

People make the effort to ensure that their children have care during and immediately post-op their surgeries, but neglect to look at the big picture beyond that. Hopefully this is a wake up call.

And for those women whose husbands wouldn't drop what they were doing to come home, I would have called 911 anyway and had the EMTs call to demand they leave at once. Or ask the 911 operator to do it. Waiting at home in those conditions is the WORST option you can choose if you care for your children. They need you ALIVE.
Check out my profile: http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/goodkel/
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DS SW 265 CW 120 5'7"



beth-28
on 8/12/11 6:39 am
This is a great post, and hopefully it will help people examine their situations and make plans. I have been lucky to have always had 6-8 family members living within a 5 mile radius of me for all of my adult life. My 2 sons (20 and 15) are of an age to take care of themselves now, but my family still surrounds us and will be there if needed (and vice versa). But not everyone has family that close. In those cases, I would hope that they have a trusted neighbor or friend that could assist in an emergency.

Now my 13 furbabies get "babysat" by my 20 y/o when I need to be away for any reason, however they do not require constant care (no matter how much they think they do ).
When push comes to shove....shove hard!

       

Never regret anything, because at one time it was exactly what you wanted.

(deactivated member)
on 8/12/11 12:13 pm - Beverly, NJ
13?!  Please tell me you have dogs.  If so I wanna go to your house and play!!  I always say the best furbabies are those that are not my own lol.  I have two cats (a Bengal and a Toyger) who are spoiled beyond belief but I LOVE playing with dogs, as long as I don't have to clean up after them.  lol
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