Has anyone regretted going part time to spend time with pre-school children?

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Because financially it was a struggle?

Is it always the case that spending more time with dc is worth th financial loss?

It'll be a short term (2-3 year) thing for our family but we will be looking for lots of cheap, or free, things to do as we definitely won't have lots of spare cash.

I changed my job because my managers wouldn't let me return on reduced hours after my maternity. I wanted to drop from 30hrs down to 22.5 but they said they couldn't facilitate it. I handed in my notice as I didn't want to be away from DS and put him in childcare for 4 days a week.

My new job means he will only be in childcare for two days a week which is much better.

I will be better off financially with my new job but it also has downsides to it in relation to how it will impact on my time with DS

It's about looking at all the options, weighing up the pros and cons and just going with what feels right.

Never regretted it.

I am a teacher and work 0.6 over three days. I have 2 DC in nursery.

I feel I have the perfect balance. Yes, there are days at home when it feels like I'm a drudge but then I go to work and after three days I'm feeling stressed and ready to go back to the other "me"!

It is a struggle financially but I'm sure the FT childcare would be as much. We never even did the sums as I was sure I wanted to spend time with the DC in their early years.

Just think, if you managed on mat pay u can manage on part time wage.

It's funny how you just manage to adjust spending, the things that you thought you once needed you realise you don't actually need.
Shopping bills can be less as you've got more time to shop and prepare cheaper meals, rather than convenience foods etc.

We invested in camping gear, we knew foreign holidays would be out of the question for the foreseeable future so at least we can always get cheap holidays now.

FWIW I'm a teacher who works 0.6 over 5 days. I have to use before school club every day but I'm around for every pick up at 3.30 and it's brilliant.

I love being pt but needed it esp once they start school just to get the homework done. However if we were going to be crippled financially then I wouldn't have considered it

I was on benefits before I had my DS and was a carer for my exH ) not ex at the time) stopped been his carer when DS was 1 ..I never worked till DS started year 1... It is easy to adapt to low cost living. You might need to think a bit more. Lots of activities are free , parks. children centre, Buy toys from car boot they are only interested for a short time and can be sold on. Shop more frugally. Use slow cooker cheaper and good for cheaper cuts of meat.

There are so many ways to save money ..none to get the time back once they are at school. But this does depend if you can financially manage or simply miserable without money to do anything

While now working the financial choices are far easier. I don't for one minute regret the time we spent together.

Yes. Needed to be part time initially, because DD was tiny. However I was then stuck part time with outgoings far in excess of my income, and a real pickle. I'm glad I then went full time, and progressed with my career when DD was perfectly happy in nursery (and when I did take her to toddlers, she ignored me, so I may as well be at work!). I was then able to return to part time once she started school, which as PP say, is actually, apart from the really tiny stage, when they really need 'parent' rather than 'someone who loves, cleans, plays with, cares and feeds me'.

I think once I get used to living on a budget this set up could really work for our family.

I'm doing 0.6 at a secondary school with my 2.5yr old DS in nursery. It works in theory but my intention is to quit and do freelance work once he's in school. A previous poster said that your children need you more then and I agree. Financially we're ok (I think mainly because we're pretty frugal anyway) but I would say be careful as teaching always spills over into any spare time and I'm often writing lesson plans while DS is playing.

I'm a teacher too and first went back at 0.4 (2 days) but then went up to 0.6 (3 days) just before DS was 2. I loved having 2 days at home with him especially the last year before he started school and we could potter around the supermarket or go to library. It's time with him that has gone now he's at school.

I know do 0.6 over 4 days which means I can do most of the drop offs and pickups together with DH. If you will have to go FT again after 3 years then make sure you time it so you can be there for your child when they start school, at least some of time.

Nope haven't ever regretted it. DCs at primary school now and its equally positive. All the old cliches of "it goes so fast " are true.

I am going to go against the grain, I work 0.8 and regret it, because I do more than 0.8 of a full time job, I have the pressures of a full time job, and the responsibility. I don't care about the money though as I am well paid and more money would just go into savings.

I thought that the day off would give me some time, but it has just meant I have had to juggle more. I would go back to full time in a heart beat. However the reason I am part time is because DS is disabled and I need to have a day off to deal with appointments, medical stuff, education stuff statements etc. It's not to do fun stuff even though for example in some moods it's swimming. I will of course never get the time back, but I can't ever see me missing that.

I appreciate that I have particular circumstances but I know quite a few part timers who do full time jobs, and end up feeling resentful and underpaid, and stressed because they haven't in fact been able to "enjoy" the time with the children, they just end up working odd hours and tired. It does depend on your job, whether you enjoy young children, or actually enjoy your job more. I certainly find my job far more rewarding intellectually, and the normal weekend time off with my child is the fun time. I suppose the extra day off helps create that time as chores etc get done, but equally money means I can have a cleaner etc to do housework.

I worked part time after having ds1. I hated it. Felt like I wasn't able to commit to my child or the job. I battled with pnd at the same time.

I found myself working harder than a ft member of staff trying to prove myself, then ds1 wouldn't get the best time with me.

I went ft after maternity leave with ds2. Dh works part time and he loves it. I am happier with life now I work full time than I was part time. Money wise its about the same because of dh's wage, but I wouldn't change my working hours for the world

Yes I work part time and in some ways I find it really hard. The constant pressure of being a part timer, constantly having to prove yourself as some see it as lack of commitment, trying to do a full time job in fewer hours. I am trying to increase my hours atm to 0.8 from 0.6 because the truth is I can't do my job properly. But I guess with teaching you will just have less time so it's easier to manage.

That said, I wouldn't want dcs in wraparound childcare Monday to Friday either

I have one in school and one still at nursery. For me once dd2 starts school the key will be in using flexibility to work from home, move my hours around a bit rather than classic part time. I am also lucky in so far as dh is self employed so he can move his hours around also. That way no need for after school club every day, I can make sure I'm there for parents evening etc.

I'm early 60s and look back with great fondness at being part time when my DCs were preschool.

A tip for being frugal: don't even bother going into clothes shops or looking online, even at sale time. If you don't see it, then you don't want it.

I found it impossible to do my current job at 3 days a week, it was good in terms of home life but every day at work was stressful, so for that and financial reasons increased my hours.

Also as a previous poster has said, me covering stuff at home didn't help in terms of DH doing his fair share of domestic work/admin when my hours increased, led to some conflict!

Agree about school-age DC.

I went PT then FT within a few months for all three kids and that was perfect. We were still skint for a few years though.

I actually agree with a previous poster who said be careful it doesn't just mean extra drudgery/housework on your days 'off' plus work the rest of the week!

We can all have rosy views of being with the kids more, having quality time etc but actually it often means you can't justify a cleaner or feel like the lionshare of housework should fall to you if you are at home half the week.

concretekittens post sums it up nicely for me - it is a lovely age of learning where they need you more and it isn't long before they've grown up, are glued to a computer and communicating with grunts

If it doesn't put you into the red and just means more sensible budgeting then I'd do it.

The one thing I did find really hard and stressful though with a foot in both camps was the mental juggling of having my work head/home head on. Also having clear expectations with your employer that you are PT and not trying to squeeze a FT jobroles worth of duties into PT - you have to be able to switchoff for it to be beneficial and it's hard at first to find those boundaries.

Save part time for when they are older. I found they me most from around year 3 which was when all the friend issues, harder homework and after school activities really kicked in

I gave up work completely for a few years while my children were young. we struggled financially but managed. Well worth it if you can.