For context: DS (nearly 2) is moving to a new nursery, & although I originally inquired about 4 days, they do have 5 available. They also offer a discount on the 5th day, so the cost impact is less of a concern.
I'm very lucky to mainly WFH & have a flexible employer, & I'm doing compressed hours 8am-6pm due to only having childcare for 4 days.
However, I'm thinking about moving to a 5 day week; I could start earlier & finish earlier (likely 7am-3pm), so DS would be in childcare from 8am-3.30/4pm rather than 7.45-6pm as he is currently (DH collects him while I finish work).
The pros:
- I would have more time with DS every evening; in the lighter days we could go to the park on the way home or play in the garden, in the winter we could pop into the library.
- DS would be less tired & it wouldn't feel like such a rush to do dinner, bath, bed.
- more similar to a school day (& could hopefully continue with the arrangement so no wraparound care when he starts school)
- I was studying for an accounting qualification but put it on hold as was struggling to find revision time. I could pick it up again & do an hour each day before collecting DS...
The cons:
- I won't get a full day off during the week with him (sometimes I love these days but sometimes they are exhausting, especially after 4 long days at work...)
- Will cost a bit more (but after the discount and tax free (and later, the funded hours) its not much more - I'd probably spend the same over the average month on soft play / train fares to go to a museum on my day off).
- The longer evenings together might not be so appealing in winter when it's harder to fill the time?
- I'd have to make dinner every night; DS currently has a hot dinner at childcare at around 4/4.30pm, & generally has a second dinner with us too (!) or a snack before bed. Because he's had a meal already, I just give him a bit of what we are having but some days DH & I have a bigger lunch & then we'll just have a sandwich or toast with peanut butter, or sometimes just a yogurt & a banana in the evening. At new nursery, it's a hot lunch & then a cold tea around 3pm - so he would need a more substantial evening meal.
I feel like I should cherish that day off (& I'm feeling crippling mum guilt for not feeling like that...) in the week but actually I think I'd rather have an extra couple of hours each day?