Going back full time

Hey mamas, so my little one is 20 months and up until now I've only had him in daycare two days a week to work. I had to leave that job and have been job hunting. It hasn't been great, the market is pretty shit right now. Anyway I found something and have been offered it but it's 5 days a week so bubs will have to go into daycare full time. I don't know if this is the right decision. I don't want him to feel abandoned but also we need another income. How do you juggle working 5 days with your children? Is the mum guilt horrendous? Thanks for any insights x

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Hey lovely! I’m a Thermomix consultant. I make my own hours and able to be at home with my girls (they’re both 2 days a week at day care). Between them being at day care, hubby and my mum, I’m able to work when I want/need to. You earn great incentives all the time, one of many being an all expense paid trip to Fiji this year! Plus commission on top. Let me know if it’s something that interests you. I can flick you more info :) x

Can you have family help out? So it's not so harsh as full-time care?

You’re baby won’t feel abandoned, the carers will take great care of him, he’ll learn lots and make wonderful friends. The juggle is hard no matter how many days you do, remember to take some time out just for yourself so you avoid burnout 🫶 As for mum guilt, it varies person to person. I felt guilty at first, now I can’t wait to drop my kids off to daycare/preschool and have adult conversations and a sense of importance outside of being a mum. It’ll be hard at first, but it will be fine ☺️

Congrats on the offer! I work full time and have been since my daughter was 1. I found the guilt was harder when transitioning from 3 days of work to 5 after mat leave. After about 2-3 weeks of 5 days, there was a strong sense of routine and the guilt shifted after that. I love to work and kind of felt terrified to admit that 😕 My LO is 18 months and loooves daycare - it was daunting to realise I could never meet her social needs on my own. Walks in by herself, says hi and sits down and has her 2nd breakfast. Giggles and squeals when she’s picked up, then does a kiss parade goodbye. There are always downsides to our decisions however we will always do what we need to do- you need an extra income then that’s it, everything else will fit in with time. If you feel down the line it was the wrong decision then you can change course!

I work full-time with 3 young kids (6, 4 and 16- months) and I think your worries will go away once you realise that your toddler is having so much fun going 5 days a week (often it's better for them than going only 1 or 2 days - less disruptive). You will still have plenty of quality time together in the evenings and on weekends. Personally, I returned to full-time work after one year of maternity leave with each child not for financial reasons. I could have done part-time work but I enjoy a full-time job. feel more refreshed having decent chunks of time away from the kids, as our weekends are action packed. You can give it a try and see how you go. It helps if you have a job that is flexible and work for a supportive, family-friendly employer.

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