Returning to work

We're inviting my mil to come over here for 6m from abroad to babysit, works out cheaper than childcare and then my parents will babysit thereafter. But we are also looking to move house so then I'd have to put her in nursery. I'm back in June and a paediatric nurse so do long hours 12 hour shifts and going to be doing 3 days a week...! I've cut down my hours though

We aren’t! Lol … my partner earns too much to claim any money for childcare so I’m just dropping my days down to the weekend which will barely cover my own bills, buts it’s all I want to do. It’s frustrating but childcare costs too much so isn’t worth me paying for it. I’m going to be mostly a SAHM and my partner will look after baby the weekend days I work

It’s hard. We’ve sacrificed holidays, new car, eating out, weekends away, new clothes etc… but spending time with my daughter is more important to me than materialistic things. When she gets a little older, I know that I can always increase my hours if needed

@Kathryn fair play! We aren’t putting baby girl in nursery until she’s 2 as I’m not comfortable with it ( and the cost is outrageous😂) so my mum and mother in law will be having baby girl a day each per week for us which is such blessing!! If I put her in nursery there would be no point me working at all!

I just don't want to go back to work at all. I wish I didn't have to. She's just so small and it breaks my heart thinking she'll cry for me.

@Tia I’ve got a neighbour that’s offered to have him but she can barely walk and I just couldn’t do it because I’d be constantly worried so we decided to do the same as you and wait until he is 2 for nursery instead because I’d rather start his early years myself x

This week has been my first week back (only two days then three from April) - my boy has just turned 1. It’s gone so much better than I’d anticipated. My mum is having my boy twice a week then eventually MIL once. My mum lives 30 minutes away so I drop off on way to work and partner picks little one up. MIL will be having him in our home however. Very similar to you @Tia in that from age 2 I may consider one day of nursery, but not yet. We go to baby classes and play groups at least once a week so he is familiar with other babies/children 🙂

@Kay I know it’s awful thinking about leaving them when all they’ve known is us for all this time!

@Kathryn that’s lovely of your neighbour to offer but I agree I would be too worried about my child to leave her with anyone other than her grandmas! And defo wouldn’t be comfortable with nursery until her speech is at a level that she can communicate with me that somethings wrong 🫶🏻

@Becci that’s so lovely to read! How are you finding having some time away each week? I personally am looking forward to part time work for the bit of independence back, just those money worries in the back of my mind!! I’m the same I think nursery will be great for her, and is for all little ones I just can’t imagine sending her while she’s not able to communicate well with me and not able to tell me what’s wrong xx

@Samina this is a great idea! The cost of nursery is just insanity isn’t it!

@Tia absolutely! Will be putting her in nursery maybe around 2 as well... just not sure how it's going to work out rn. And plus is grandma gets to spend time with her properly as she hasn't had an opportunity to.

I'm going back 2.5 days a week, 2 days in nursery and the other day with my MIL, I have 3 under 3 and the cost of childcare will exceed my earnings, but once they are all older I want to be able to go back full time and I need to keep working as in a licensed immigration adviser, so I need to maintain my license to be able to progress as they get older. It's mental to pay more in childcare than I earn but I'm thinking of it as a temporary measure to allow me to keep progressing at work and keep myself in a good position for once we reach school age. X

I personally don't trust anyone with my kid lol but our parents are old I'm scared to tire them out everyday

If you aren't planning on using a childminder or nursery then the only option is to see if work will allow you drop to those hours and take the pay cut

I'll have to leave at 7am for work and I'll get back around 5.30pm (teacher so ~8am-4.30/5pm generally if I am strict with leaving at a reasonable time) and her Dad works 12pm-8/9pm depending on the day 4x days a week (doesn't drive but baby's nursery is on his bus route to work). So our plan is 4 days a week- 6.45am wake baby and nurse while her Dad gets ready 7am I leave 8.45am ish Baby and Dad get the bus to nursery for a 9am start. Her Dad plans to go to the gym before work as he'll be in town early. 5.30pm I pick up baby from nursery, she'll have had dinner at 4pm. Then 1 day a week a Daddy Daughter day! With extended hours, lunch, dinner, consumables etc and 15hrs funded it comes out about £212 a week, it'll be less in September when she gets 30hrs.

My the time baby. No 2 starts nursery baby no.1 will be in reception so hopefully baby no.2 gets 30hours funding and will be at nursery 2full days. I work from home so I will have to have baby home with me for 3working days but my husband also works hybrid so he should be home atleast 2of those days too so we just manage it between us. If it ever got too much, I will ask to drop my working days to 4days.

I’ve returned 3 days (19.5 hours) 8-3 Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday 10-5 I’m a solo mum on minimum wage so I claim UC also and my son goes to the childminder x

@Tia If I’m honest I was struggling to leave him beforehand, this has kind of forced me to leave him and I think it’s doing us both good. Being back in work felt weird, but also weirdly normal too? It’s also so lovely to see my boy’s face when I come through the door ❤️ Yeah definitely independence as you say and being around other adults! I agree, I feel fortunate we have family to help x

I’ll be doing compressed hours and my 9 month old will be in nursery 4 days a week from 8-6.

Me and my partner work 12 hour shifts so we will be working opposite to each other. Only gives us 5 days off together a month but will save us a fortune and probably the only thing that would work for us due to our early start times at work.

I’m planning on going back 2 days a week and my boy will go to nursery those days. We will get the funded hours so only have to pay for his food. I won’t send him until he’s at least 1

I work full time 5 shifts a week. 2 10 hour morning shifts and 3 late evening shifts. I earn very well and more than my partner so didn’t make financial sense for me to drop my hours. He’s self employed so has some flexibility with nursery pick ups/ drop offs/ sick days etc. We use nursery 3 days a week and then the other 2 days he’s looked after between me and my partner x

Do you have someone who could look after your child one day a week so you could work 4 days? Is your other half able to finish early one day a week as well? Partner finishes early on a Monday to pick daughter up from school. You do learn to adapt with what you get. The other thing to look at is will it mean your “working for free” because of the cost of child care?

I'm going back to work next month (LG will have just turned 5 months). We don't have anyone to help with childcare and my work is very flexible so I'm going back 2 consecutive nights a week and a Saturday afternoon. My husband will look after her whilst I'm at work and when I'm between nights, I'll nap if I need to when she does (my night shifts mean I can sleep from 10.30pm-6.30am unless I get woken) then catch up on sleep during the week. I'm hoping our plan works as childcare would be around £1400 a month if I did different shifts and would cancel out most of what I earn a month.

I’m back second week of May , put in a flexible working request to working from mon-Thursday 9-5 pm , as little one will be in nursery those days from 8-6pm. My partner lives in a diff country so I’m doing it alone so praying for strength 🥲 but I’m excited to return to work.

@Maisie my mum will be having her for the 3 days while I work which is such a blessing :) unfortunately my husband can’t finish early as he’s an engineer and is called to jobs all over the country (typically working 5am-7/8pm)! Looks like we will just have to be a bit tighter with our budget until little girl is in school so I can pick up more work xx