Is this realistic? Short term infant care…

[Anonymous]

I am due with my first early next year. Long story short, the daycare we are very interested in does not have a spot for about 2.5 months after I’d go back to work. For reasons I won’t get into, our daycare options are a bit limited and this one checks a lot of boxes.

I suspect my MIL will offer to cover a couple weeks, my husband could take time off, etc., but we would still need care. I do WFH full time so we have a bit of flexibility.

Is finding short term care for an infant for this amount of time totally unrealistic? We’d be willing to pay for a nanny, etc., but don’t want to take this daycare slot if we’d have no options in the waiting period. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Yes you could find a nanny or maybe even a nanny share to cover this time period. Use your neighborhood list serv or care.com to find someone.

[Anonymous]

I think you could find someone if you're willing to pay above market rate, particularly if you're able to be flexible.

So, if you look for a nanny with availability, and then schedule your time, or your DH's time, or your MIL's time around that, that's more likely to work than if you schedule the other things and then look for someone who will do exactly the hours that are left.

[Anonymous]

Your husband won't take 2.5 months off to care for his child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your husband won't take 2.5 months off to care for his child?

If you know of any jobs where you can take 2.5 months of consecutive PTO, please let me know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your husband won't take 2.5 months off to care for his child?

If you know of any jobs where you can take 2.5 months of consecutive PTO, please let me know.

Many jobs are covered by FMLA which entitles employees to job protected (though unpaid) leave for 3 months after the birth of a child. My employer definitely let me use my PTO during that time. My DH could have done the same but he didn't feel like it.

How are you taking 4 whole months off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your husband won't take 2.5 months off to care for his child?

If you know of any jobs where you can take 2.5 months of consecutive PTO, please let me know.

Many jobs are covered by FMLA which entitles employees to job protected (though unpaid) leave for 3 months after the birth of a child. My employer definitely let me use my PTO during that time. My DH could have done the same but he didn't feel like it.

How are you taking 4 whole months off?

My company offers maternity leave.

I was unaware that men could use FMLA. My husband only gets a couple of weeks paid leave but if FMLA is an option, he may use that in combination with PTO to cover the needed time. He would completely be willing, again I just wasn’t aware this was an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your husband won't take 2.5 months off to care for his child?

My brother's company literally had zero paternity leave. And they could not afford for him to take unpaid time off.

[Anonymous]

Yes, fathers have the same FMLA rights as mothers! My husband and I are staggering our leave - I took 12 consecutive weeks, he took 4 at the beginning then 8 when I went back to work.

[Anonymous]

It baffles me that people are about to pop out a child and are bewildered by the child care options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It baffles me that people are about to pop out a child and are bewildered by the child care options.

It baffles you that someone who hasn’t done something doesn’t already know how to do that something? OP, it really does take a village. I hope you get useful answers to your questions. I say this as someone who didn’t know much about FMLA — until I was in a situation where I qualified for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your husband won't take 2.5 months off to care for his child?

If you know of any jobs where you can take 2.5 months of consecutive PTO, please let me know.

Many jobs are covered by FMLA which entitles employees to job protected (though unpaid) leave for 3 months after the birth of a child. My employer definitely let me use my PTO during that time. My DH could have done the same but he didn't feel like it.

How are you taking 4 whole months off?

My company offers maternity leave.

I was unaware that men could use FMLA. My husband only gets a couple of weeks paid leave but if FMLA is an option, he may use that in combination with PTO to cover the needed time. He would completely be willing, again I just wasn’t aware this was an option.

Yes, FMLA applies to men and women.

Here is an ai summary:

Both mothers and fathers, including adoptive and foster parents, can use FMLA leave for the birth and bonding of a child within the first 12 months. To be eligible, employees must have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months, worked 1,250 hours in the past year, and work at a location with 50+ employees.

Key Aspects of FMLA for Child Birth:
Who is Covered: Biological parents, same-sex partners, and individuals standing in loco parentis (assuming parental responsibilities) can take leave.
Purpose: Leave is permitted for prenatal care, incapacity related to pregnancy, recovery from childbirth, and bonding.

Duration: Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave.

Intermittent Leave: Bonding leave can only be taken intermittently if the employer and employee agree.

Same Employer Rule: If both spouses work for the same employer, they share a combined 12-week total for birth and bonding, not 12 weeks each.

[Anonymous]

My DH took fmla for 3 months with our children. We just cut back and made sacrifices so we could have that time. Never regretted it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It baffles me that people are about to pop out a child and are bewildered by the child care options.

It baffles you that someone who hasn’t done something doesn’t already know how to do that something? OP, it really does take a village. I hope you get useful answers to your questions. I say this as someone who didn’t know much about FMLA — until I was in a situation where I qualified for it.

Thank you. I’ve done extensive research on daycares and if something short term isn’t feasible, NBD, we’d just select another daycare with an immediate opening.

People like PP are just miserable and get off on making stupid and unhelpful comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am due with my first early next year. Long story short, the daycare we are very interested in does not have a spot for about 2.5 months after I’d go back to work. For reasons I won’t get into, our daycare options are a bit limited and this one checks a lot of boxes.

I suspect my MIL will offer to cover a couple weeks, my husband could take time off, etc., but we would still need care. I do WFH full time so we have a bit of flexibility.

Is finding short term care for an infant for this amount of time totally unrealistic? We’d be willing to pay for a nanny, etc., but don’t want to take this daycare slot if we’d have no options in the waiting period. TIA!

You're due early next year? It's 39 weeks until the first week of January.