Working moms and daycare

TazziRN, RN · May 21, 2007

My mom has offered to watch Little One all the time, but I want her to be exposed to other children and to learn how to play.

lizzyberry · May 21, 2007

My mom has offered to watch Little One all the time, but I want her to be exposed to other children and to learn how to play.

My mom can sometimes watch my children but I believe my kids need to be exposed to other children as well because they are really shy right now.

TazziRN, RN · May 21, 2007

Then off to daycare they go!!

jrbl77, RN · May 21, 2007

if it makes you feel any better, my children that are now 24 and 20 tell me that daycare wasn't as bad as i thought it was for them. my kids went to day care from the time they were 8 week old until age 7. my husband always took them as i had to be at work before him. i got the good part -picking them up. the hugs i got at the end of the day made it worth while. as a working mom, i have always felt that each age has its own problems and day care is one problem. good luck and try not to be to hard on yourself.

kstec, LPN · May 21, 2007

I worked prn in the hospital pharmacy until my second child was three years old. When I say prn, I mean 8-12 hours a week. I only worked when my husband was off. When I started my pre-reqs I went one class at a time at night when my husband was home. I don't mind the whole daycare thing but I figured that if I was barely making enough to pay for daycare working full time than it wasn't worth the time away from my kids. I went to nursing school when my youngest started all day kindergarten. Some how it all worked out. Now when I work, still prn, my boys go to before and aftercare at their school and I pretty much take summers off because fulltime daycare is way to expensive. Around here they want $140.00 a week/per kid. So I come home with, NOT MUCH. I commend any woman who is single and works fulltime and does it all. I always tell my friends who do, that I am not woman enough to do that. But I guess if push came to shove, I would. No I will not have a big retirement fund and I have no benefits, but I'm glad so far, that I've done it this way. So I guess my piece of advice is if you can wait until your child is in school and work than it's less time away from them, because their at school already, while you work or go to school. Also, I have to mention that before me and my husband had kids, we said we would always budget that I would never have to work full-time, because his mother stayed home with him and his siblings and we agreed that is what we wanted with compromise of me working prn. Whatever choice you make, make sure you can live with it, and that school and work can always wait, bringing up a child can't.

TazziRN, RN · May 21, 2007

fulltime daycare is way to expensive. Around here they want $140.00 a week/per kid. So I come home with, NOT MUCH.

Ouch. When Little One went to a licensed daycare it was $25 a day for part time or $60 per week for full time. She goes to an unlicensed one now, $15 per day. That includes meals. And there used to be times when L.O. wasn't picked up until 8 at night because Hubs had to work late, and there was no extra charge.

LateBloomingRN2B · May 21, 2007

Greetings. I have been a stay at home mom while going to school, evenings. My youngest is 3 and I'm going to work evenings or weekends (so my hubby has him) until he goes to kindergarten. :) Think about other shifts, and join a play group or take them to the park during the day, lots of moms and kids meet there and they get to know their kids and you can have them over to play as well. Also, you meet other moms and can trade daycare / babysitting for each other. Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong. Just my 2 cents.

hope3456, ASN, RN · May 21, 2007

OMG, Tazzy that is cheap for daycare. Where do you live? I live in CO, and the going rate is $40-50 a day for daycare....for the 'home' providers, the centers are even more.

Maybe I just have to vent, but my DD is 13mo old, and I have had some problems with the childcare situation. I feel like i have 3 strikes against me.

It is hard to even find providers in my area that take infants, or children under age 2. Then they are only open M-F 7a-6p, or similar hours, and want you to pay for 40hrs a week, whether you use them that much or not.....they are definately not accommodating to nursing schedules.

I work night shift part time, and only needed childcare from 6:30a when my DH leaves for work and 8:30 when I get home twice a week.....I found a neighbor who agreed to this - although she would watch her all day 1x per week when I slept. She was a young SAHM and she was agreeable to this for about 5months, I think she liked the xtra money.....but then quit on me one day when I went to get DD, she gave me a lecture on how I was 'spoiling' her, and was a @#$%@. Also she told me that babysitting 'just isn't her cup of tea.'

After this happened, i was only 'lucky' that I was able to change my schedule to only weekends when my DH isn't working, but if it wasn't for that I don't know what i would have done..

jannrn · May 21, 2007

Unless you really need the money, or to get out and do something for yourself, your kids are only little for a short time (make a timeline and see) and soon enough you can work out a little early care before school or after care, or work nights and sleep while they are in school. Good luck deciding! You sound like a very loving and attached mom (lucky kids!) because sometimes when you HAVE to work (or think you do, or don't want to give up the second car or whatever) you do have to mentally 'check out' of being attached or it hurts to much!

TazziRN, RN · May 21, 2007

I had no problem with leaving Little One in daycare and I lasted most of the first day before calling to check on her.

Am I a bad mom?

jannrn · May 22, 2007

I had no problem with leaving Little One in daycare and I lasted most of the first day before calling to check on her.
Am I a bad mom?

I was writing to the original poster, and not passing judgement on those who find separation from thier children easier than others.