AIBU to take another year off work?

Definitely do it! I'm a teacher too and it is challenging fitting your work in around childcare, working when the little one is in bed, being your lovely self for the kids when you've had 2 hours sleep cos they are still teething at 18 months.... Enjoy your baby while you can, they're only little once! Honestly, you will never regret it

Agree about it being easier to pick child up having been fed and come back to house how you've left it! Rather than if they've been there being looked after by someone else (DH in this case). But I guess that's a case by case basis.

I'd go childminder rather than nursery though (for the other days), much less sickness, and then they can build up to being in a larger group when a bit older.

I’ve seen people who work 9-5 try this out and still the same but it really depends on you both, your DH might be the sort of person who absolutely loves every minute of time with DC, builds a circle of friends, doesn’t mind going to baby groups, clears up after himself and DC, doesn’t ask you what’s for dinner when you’ve just got in from work etc so it might work like a dream. That just hasn’t been the reality for couples I have known and they’re found it a lot easier to just pick up a child after work who has been fed and go home to a house as they left it that morning. However if something your both keen on then give it a try, don’t think your DP will have any problems going back full time if wanted
to in teaching. Hopefully you’ll be one of those couples that are really happy with the arrangement

With our next one we’re hoping to enrol DC very part time at nursery as soon as start accumulated annual leave at end of maternity leave and then DH have some leave once I go back to work so to get us through at least the first few months of the illnesses

Thats a shame, it’s just what I’ve observed, not so bad if it’s only a day a week dad drops to do childcare and couples where dad works full time and mum works part time seem quite happy.
The one advantage of the opposite days is not having the stress about having to take time off work when baby sick and they do tend to suffer a lot of sickness in those first few months at nursery so can see the advantage of perhaps this in those first few months back at work but it’s not an arrangement I see many couples being happy with longer term. Although DC would obviously have to be in nursery during some of that time to be building that immunity

P.s. i.e things are taken care of when your child is a nursery and house isn’t getting messy and food not being used up etc whereas there’s nothing worse than coming home tired from work to another stressed person, messy house etc. Having extra days to spend as a family together though is lovely (even more lovely if some child free time too 🤣)

Both working part time where you actually get to spend some time together is nice, but have seen couples where they work opposite shifts and don’t use any childcare and they always seem more stressed!

I wouldn't go back full time when the baby is 2, and wouldn't let work convince me to spend savings having a year off when I could be paying into a pension.
I'd pay off more mortgage instead. It's mad to have a debt gaining interest and savings.
Go back part time. Keep your hand in. Don't earn over £50k or it will affect your child benefit.
Part time with teaching is a gift in my opinion, especially once they are in school. Having contact with their primary, doing drop offs and pick ups. Full time with kids is exhausting for everyone.
Enjoy your mat leave. Extend it a bit if you wish (I added on parental leave and took 14 months, then went back 0.5 after my third).

I wouldn’t! I think a mix of both makes me a better parent. So if you could go back part-time it would be better. Also, with the number of redundancies happening lately are you 100% you ll be secure?

I'd do it but start saving now so you can still have some treats whilst off for that second year.

Wow, who took the jam out of your donut?! What part of what I said indicated I wasn’t happy to be the one home with our boy? My working life isn’t expendable but it also isn’t well paid enough to support us all for a year. As I said, WE didn’t want to send him to nursery and I am incredibly grateful that I am able to be at home with my son for this extended time

OP if you really want to offset the pension issue, you can purchase some additional pension when you return (I’m a teacher) - you can do via deductions annually for a small amount.

I felt the same at the end of mat year (actually took about 14 months off as added in AL etc. And went back 3 days. To be honest once he reached 18 months I was glad to have the break when working as found that (till about 2.5) quite a challenging age!! But if the choice was full time of stay at home I'd go stay at home.

Thats great, I’m glad you made the right decision for you and your family and I wouldn’t question that decision or expect you to justify it.
My partner would have also loved to take the time out of work to be at home with our son but financially that wasn’t an option, which fortunately has meant that I get to be the stay at home parent

Thank you! New to mumsnet, can you tell 😂

@Mummingit85 Just FYI, if you click on the three dots at the top of someone's message and then select 'Quote', people will be able to see the message you are replying to (and be notified that you have replied to them). The 'Reply' link doesn't work for some reason.

Do it!!!!!!!! 100%

Best of both worlds and won't be such a shock / won't be out the loop as you would be if took longer off.

I'd go back part time, and get a childminder rather than nursery for childcare.

I would definitely do it. Provided you have also costed in the pension hit. Sounds doable. And very much something to relish.

That said, and as something of an aside, I am kind of surprised to see yet again that old chestnut trotted out that no one on their deathbed ever wished they had spent more time at work. I am entirely certain that some may wish exactly that. It is absolutely not a given that people with rewarding careers would not wish to have devoted more time to them.

Exactly, well put! We’re all entitled to our own thoughts and feelings, no need to get our knickers in a twist about other people’s decisions and the zero impact they have on us 😂