Babysitting a Sick Child?

Last week, I received this question from one of our babysitters in Vancouver . I thought I would open up the question to my valued readers for your opinions, and provide a forum to discuss this. The question is:

If the child I'm caring for has flu-like symptoms, should I care for them as usual or should the parents opt to stay home? Some parents are unable to miss work and therefore it may be difficult to stay home with a child. However, as a babysitter, my job depends on my being healthy enough to care for someone's child. If I get infected, then I am forced to stay home sick and suffer the financial loss of those days, yet I wouldn't have gotten sick if I hadn't cared for the sick child. If I am forced to stay home sick, the parents will have to find alternative childcare. So, should I stay home while the child is sick, making the parents stay home from work, or should I go into work and care for the child and risk getting sick myself?

What do you think? If you are a parent, how you would handle this situation? If you are a babysitter, what would you do?

Post your comments here. Next week, we’ll post our recommendations based on the comments.

Thanks for your input!

Posted by @ 12:04:33 PM

• 4 comments

Comments

In a case like this I beleive it boils down to priorities (on the part of the parents).Would you really want another person other than "yourself" caring for your sick child? Please remember back to the day you discovered that you were pregnant, you are now responsible for another "LIFE". A true gift from GOD, creating another "HUMAN BEING", and bringing forth life. Personally, as a mother of 2 beautiful, healthy daughters (who are now both in their twenty,s)I never forgot, neither did my husband what "An Awesome Responsibility" that is. To this day I still make sacrifices for the sake of their wellness, and well being. "NO REGRETS". "Thank you GOD, for allowing me to become a "Mother".Becoming a parent is a privledge, not a right, please remember this. There are far too many people in this world of ours that have it "Quite wrong". Just my personal opinion.

Posted by Marie Pelletier@ 8:59:18 AM

I think in this case the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. A sick child can make others sick, plus the worker. As a parent, you should expect that you may have to stay home with your child when they are sick. A daycare provider should not have to put the other children at risk just for your child.

Posted by Catherine@ 11:42:58 AM

Just to add to my previous comment, if it is not possible for the parent to stay home, and the babysitter is willing to care for the child, the sitter should use frequent hand washing techniques and also wear a mask to protect themselves from airborne antigens.

Posted by Michelle@ 9:36:55 AM

As a mother of an infant who has been sick recently, and as a healthcare provider, I assess the symptoms of my child to determine if they would be in the contagious phase of an illness. If the child is having a sore throat, runny nose, vomitting, diarrhea, or has a fever, a parent should stay home with the child to limit the spread of infection. They should also refrain from taking the child to public places where they might be in contact with other children.

Posted by Michelle@ 9:34:14 AM

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