To think SMP isn’t enough?

[Yuda]

Regular user, name changed.

I’m expecting my first baby and wondering how we will manage maternity leave financially. I have an enhanced package through work for a few months and then it goes to SMP and later unpaid. I wondered if the solution could be to return to work earlier but it comes with its own issues: I want to breastfeed for as long as possible and avoid weaning onto formula if I can, plus childcare is so expensive. On childcare - I’m only in first trimester & having enquired many nurseries round here are full until our child will be 2. Unless, of course, you want to send them to a nursery a couple of towns away or with a poor rating. Many moons ago I worked in early years myself and I’m not willing to make the compromise of picking a nursery I’m unsure about.

My husband’s wage covers all our essential outgoings but leaves nothing left at all for fun, emergencies or savings so it won’t be sustainable for us to just live on his wage for more than a couple of months.

We’re saving as much as we can for the rest of pregnancy but I just don’t think SMP is enough. How do families do it? Especially multiple times? Unless there is something I am missing!

SMP is crap. But some people get it from the get go and can’t afford their bills. The tax payer isn’t there to fund fun or savings

Just an idea, but if you've already got experience of working with young children, would you consider the idea of registering as a child minder? That way you could stay at home with your baby plus have a steady income too.

We saved like mad before ttc each child to cover maternity pay issues. Maternity leave wasn't really a huge issue. Childcare costs were worse as they took all my wags and some of dh to cover them

Saved before TTC so we had enough to cover maternity (only had 7 month maternity as ran out of money). Lived frugally.

Checked out cost of nursery's before TTC to make sure we could afford it, minimised nursery costs by changing working patterns so dh worked at least one day at weekend and had a week day off. Took accrued leave during maternity off as one day a week to reduce nursery costs in first year.

Went on waiting lists and took first half decent nursery available (which he loved).

Stopped at one child.

The baby/preschool years are expensive but short. The primary school years are a logistical nightmare!

It's tough, we saved to make it possible, and I am taking on extra freelance work to have some 'fun money' whilst on mat leave. You can continue to breastfeed once you're back at work, I'd google 'reverse cycling' which tends to occur if you continue once you're at work.

I honestly think the only answer these days is to really plan your babies and save up in advance. I’m due our first baby in April and we spent the best part of a year saving up before we started ttc because I didn’t want to have any money stress while pregnant or a new mum, and we knew we didn’t want to put our baby into nursery until they were at least 1 x

The research shows that babies are better at childminders, It is about age 3 that nurseries start to benefit children.
Find cheap parents and toddler groups, church ones are often a pound or two.