Holiday or extra 2 months maternity leave?

[siggysig]

Faced with this choice having a couple of thousand pounds spare. WWYD? Making family memories would be absolutely lovely, but I know so would two extra months off work with my baby (although we wouldn’t have much disposable income at all for these two months).

I am already taking 10 months off but could have 12 if we decided not to holiday.

I am returning to work part time anyway if it matters

What would you do?

I am not a huge holiday person, but I have never understood spending by thousands of pounds for a week lying on a sun lounger. I’d far rather have 2 months off work making memories with my baby than a week at center Parcs / in Spain etc.

Could you do both and do a budget friendly week/ long weekend staycation in UK?

How old is the baby? I find holidays with small children hard work, especially knowing they probably won't even remember it! I'd go with the extended time off work, no question.

6 months when we plan to go

Taking a baby abroad would be my worst nightmare
I'd prob actually keep to plan of 10 months keep money for something in future

At 6m I think its 50/50 dealers choice…

personally I’d go earlier if you can 4-5m or not at all. Nice and immobile not crawling and your got a routine… if they are starting to crawl it’s awful you have to pay attention ALL the time. You just can’t relax at all.

my second is 10m now and I couldn’t think of anything worse than being trapped on a plane or abroad. We aren’t bothering until youngest is 2.5…

equally I don’t love baby stage but I do LOVE when they get bigger and toddler phase. 1yr is when personality starts to come out so I took 13m with both of mine and thought the last months were the best.

i put both into ft childcare a few weeks early before restarting work to sort out house / my wardrobe / myself.

id rather spend cash on that than a non restful holiday

It’s the week before she turns 6 months that we are looking at travelling out.

I'd take the extra 2 months off every time!

If holidays are important to you maybe you could split the difference and take about extra 4-6 weeks off and then a simpler holiday? The baby won't remember the holiday so it's all about memories for you so this might be a sweet spot.

Extra time off. Holidays with little ones are a crapshoot, and at just short of 6 months you're in first tooth territory. I wouldn't spend a couple of grand on anything that relied on them ruining it by being ill, at that age.

Two extra months.

Holiday can happen any time. Two months off to spend with your child won’t happen again.

And holidaying with babies are either great fun and really chill, or so stressful that you vow to never do it again, until you do. Hard to know which category your baby will fall in until you go.

Two extra months off definitely

Extra time with the baby, no contest.

I would take the extra maternity leave and I am someone who usually priorities holidays.

Absolutely the holiday

I adore holidays but I would take the extra two months off without a doubt

Wouldn't do the holiday. It might be shit and you'll be mourning that two months you could have had. You won't regret the extra two months off. If money is tight take one month off and be more flush for that one month.

Yeah, it's the unpredictable nature of the holiday that settles it for me. It might be shit. If you knew or at least could reasonably assume it'd be good, the decision would be harder. But with a baby that age, there's a reasonable possibility that it'll be a waste of two grand. It's a gamble.

The baby is not going to benefit from making memories at six months, but might from a longer ml.

I think it really depends to be honest... when my babies were 9/10 months I was going back to work because I wanted too 😂

We went on holiday when my youngest was 6m (eldest 3) and the baby was so good! She slept a lot of the way, hardly made a peep and wasn't trying to escape off my lap. She's nearly 2 now and there's no way I'm taking her abroad again until she's a bit older and can sit still 😂

I'd choose the holiday, the baby may not remember it but you'd still have a lovely time!

You’ve got plenty of time to ‘make family memories’ when the baby is actually old enough to remember it. That’s just soppy-speak for ‘I’d like a holiday’.

How bitter! And I’ve read some things on here