Working hours -WWYD?

[RoxanaRoxana]

Next September DD1 will be in reception, and DD2 will be 18 months and in nursery. She’ll start there when I’m back from mat leave in the spring.

Before my second mat leave I was working 4 days a week, and loved my day off with DD1. But once she starts school it seems silly to have her in wraparound care most of the week, and I have a day off just with the little one.

Instead, I might do the equivalent of four days spread over the week, so I can pick up DD1 at the end of school ever day. But this means that DD2 would do five (short) nursery days from quite little.

I can’t do less than 4 days without a massive career change. DH works long hours, but has very flexible leave so will cover more of the holidays.

Thankfully childcare costs aren’t a massive issue, so purely based on what’s best for the kids, which option would you take?

4 shorter days

I would do the 5 shorter days. It’s what I do now, though mine are both school age, but at various points they both did 5 days in nursery. It means you don’t need wraparound care and increases the likelihood you can juggle things around to still be present for all the things that happen at school.

I would enjoy the day with dd2 like you did with dd1. Then you also get that day with both of them during school holidays. 5 shorter days will mean people treat you as full time and start booking meetings later

I only have one child but do three full days and two shorter days. The shorter days don't work at all. It's really hard to get other people to respect it and I find it very hard to switch off and always have an eye on my phone. I used to work 4 days a week and that was much easier to manage.

I did shorter days and finished at 3. Loved it. DC only had to go ASC on rare occasion which they then loved.
Easy to take them to loads of stuff after school or just chill. I never worked over as did school run and wasn't getting paid for it