For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

i am really nervous but i dont have a choice. I think after my maternity leave ( 3 months) i am going to have to put the baby in daycare.

I just feel so nervous! A 3 month old in daycare? seems so young?
or hire a nanny? which is safer?
isn't a nanny more expensive?

what do you plan to do?

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

We are VERY lucky, my MIL stays home and has already offered to watch our baby. So after 6 weeks of leave, I'll be going back to work.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

I still have no clue.... Luckily, I have a flexible work schedule, so I am going to try to have my SIL watch him 1-2 days a week i guess

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Personally, we will be putting our child in daycare full time beginning at 5 months or so. I have other options for daycare, but am choosing this alternative. In my personal experience, children who have been placed in daycare have better social skills and language skills then some of the others who are home. Again, I am speaking from my experience from my family and friends. I will have no guilty feelings at all.

Message edited 5/12/2008 9:42:33 AM.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

We dont have any relatives that are able to watch the baby. I am only going back part time so we will also be looking into daycare

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

DH switched his schedule so he now works overnights, 11pm - 7am. My job is 8:30am to 5:30pm.

It was important to us to have one of us home for the first few years.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

The earliest you can put a child in daycare seems to be 6 weeks so that's what I'll do.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

DH works a rotating shift, so he is off at least one day during the week, but usually 2. i am hopeful that my sister will be able to babysit for us the other 3 or 4 days when we need her! if not, we will either ask my MIL or try to find a flexible day care/sitter.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

My In-Laws will be watching them both for three days a week and I will work from home two days with a mother's helper.. once they are a year I will put them in day care.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

I am taking 12 weeks mat leave and then my mom will be taking care of the baby.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

I plan on going back to work only P/T, which will either be on the weekends or one night a week so DH can watch the baby. We also have my mom and my MIL who are willing to watch the baby on the days DH can't so we're VERY lucky.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Full-time day care at 3 months....now I just need to
find a place.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

DH & I would prefer to wait until the baby is at least 6 months before putting him/her in daycare. I do believe that the social aspect of daycare is important for a child's development. I just don't want to put my child in daycare too early. Another reason is the expense. Daycare is expensive and the younger they are the more expensive it is.

I HAVE to go back to work & I don't really have the option to work from home. Both of our parents still work. DH might be able to work from home. We are hoping this works out so we can keep the baby out of daycare for at least 6 months. If we have no choice, then we have no choice & the baby will go to daycare when I go back to work, which will be about 9 weeks.

Message edited 5/12/2008 10:27:30 AM.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

We are lucky enough that my ILs are home (MIL watched kids for a living and FIL retired 4 years ago) so they are watching DD everyday.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

I'm hoping that my parents will be moved down by then and will be able to watch her.

If not, I will explore other options

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

I am a nurse and am able to work 4 pm till 12am. Dh is home from work by 3pm so he will be with the baby all evening while I am at work. This gives him the time to bond with the baby alone :)

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

We have a nanny. Because I work in the city, I couldn't work out a daycare schedule and get to/from work in time. It's been great for us, and we plan on keeping her with DS#2. I'm not worried about DS#1's socialization/language skills either. I take him to Little Gym on the weekends and the nanny has him out with kids in the neighborhood all week. He's 23 months and knows his letters, colors, speaks pretty well and to us is doing great overall. This was a huge concern for me, but it's all working out just fine

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

I have no family here (at all - closest relative is in Virgina)

Hubby's Mom lives in Brooklyn

We live in Suffolk (huntington)

So no family support.

Both hubby and I work full time and I MUST go back to work.

So daycare for us at 3 months old.

already did a walk through.. very nice.

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

My parents will be taking him twice a week - which is great!
I am going to try to switch to a 4 day work week - someone else at my job has one and we have the same job, and I have seniority over that person
So he will probably be in daycare twice a week. I cannot fathom having to put him in full time. Its so expensive. I would basically just be working to pay someone else to watch him. If it came to that, I would rather stay home

Re: For those that plan to return to work after maternity leave, what do you plan to do with your child?

this is such a hard thing to decide. When I go back to work DD will be about 4 months. Luckily my aunt will watch her three days a week and then the other two days the mother of someone i work with who lives in the town i work in will be watching her . there are very nice daycares out there though that i know a lot of people have been happy with. it'll work out fine