Anonymous
Post 04/07/2026 07:45     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
Anonymous wrote:
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.


Funny how the women always manage to make it work somehow. It's only men whose jobs are too important to take time off to care for a baby.
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 20:39     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
I think finding the right longterm childcare fit is important, so I would figure out how to make it work (if possible). The childcare game is so crazy that it's really not unusual to transition back to work slowly and/or have a transitional care arrangement. A lot of people are in your shoes!
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 20:37     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
Anonymous wrote:It baffles me that people are about to pop out a child and are bewildered by the child care options.


What a ridiculous thing to say about a first time parent currently planning 9 months out from when she needs childcare.
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 12:18     Subject: Re:Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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.


Only companies that have 50 employees or more are covered by FMLA.


Approximately 56% of U.S. employees are both covered by an FMLA-compliant employer and meet the eligibility requirements (worksite size, tenure, and hours) for the Family and Medical Leave Act. This means that nearly 44% of workers are not eligible for FMLA-protected, unpaid leave, often due to working for smaller employers or not meeting hour/tenure requirements.
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 11:15     Subject: Re:Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
Anonymous wrote: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.


Only companies that have 50 employees or more are covered by FMLA.
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 11:13     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
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.


Your husband can take FMLA for paternity leave. Mine did. I took a full 12 week maternity leave and my husband took a full 12 week paternity leave. Mine was paid, his was not. His company has since changed the policy so that men get a full paid paternity leave, too.


Thanks for this. His would not be paid but that would definitely be an option (we could swing it financially). I wish more companies did what your husband’s did!
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 11:12     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.


Good catch!

Maybe she's talking about fiscal years, LOL


OMG - I meant I would need daycare early next year. Oh my goodness, error on my end.
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 10:31     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
Anonymous wrote:
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.


Good catch!

Maybe she's talking about fiscal years, LOL
Anonymous
Post 04/06/2026 10:30     Subject: Is this realistic? Short term infant care…
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.


Your husband can take FMLA for paternity leave. Mine did. I took a full 12 week maternity leave and my husband took a full 12 week paternity leave. Mine was paid, his was not. His company has since changed the policy so that men get a full paid paternity leave, too.