Help me decide 2 days a week for 6 months, or 2.5 days for a year

[Mushroo]

Hoping the hive mind can help. I’m starting to plan out my Mat leave and return to work.
When I return from Mat leave, I’ll have accrued about 25 days holiday.

My plan is use these to either:

• Take Wednesdays off for 6 months. This would mean baby would be in nursery 2 days, me 1 day and my mum for 2 days
• Take Wednesday afternoons off for a year. This would be 2.5 days in nursery, me for an afternoon and then my mum for 2 days.

Im leaning towards the second option, as the idea of a full year at 4.5 days a week is lovely. But, I suspect the worse part of nursery is drop off / the initial separation, so under this option I’d still have that horrible bit 3 times a week.

I wfh and nursery is across the road so travel time to / from nursery isn’t a factor.

Which would you choose?

Have you actually run this by your employer?

Id do 4 days. An afternoon off will mostly be taken up with nap time etc

@Missingpup not yet but my job is very flexible and my manager is doing the 4 day a week option so should be fine (hopefully!)

I would do 4 days as well, a half day will just be a rush between pick up/nap/snack/stick a washing on/play/dinner.

One long day where you don't both have to rush out the door sounds much lovelier!

I was going to say the travel will cut into your 1/2 day, and then read your last line!

What about 1 full day a fortnight for a year as another option?

Don't forget that when the baby starts nursery they are likely to get every bug going, so you (& the dad) may need to factor in illness time as well.

Check policy with work that might state how you can take this leave or when it must be used by ie you can't usually roll it into another year so unless your joining back exactly at the beginning of the year the option 2 might not be viable.

But any time they let you take I would have a full day off from the morning routine. Plus naps. Napping schedule changes a lot in the first year and there'll be a period that lunchtime pick up would be really bad timing.

Contractually or taking annual leave?

@Missingpup taking annual leave.

My mat leave falls so that I’ll return 1 Jan, and our leave runs calendar year so I will have a full years leave accrued, and a full year to use it.

Lots of support for the 4 days for 6 months! Really interesting points I hadn’t thought of re naps etc.

Your boss is taking 4 days a week using up her annual leave?

Yes. (But will be back to 5 days by the time I would be working 4 / 4.5 days).

How long has your boss been doing this for? How long have you been at the company?

I used accrued annual leave to do one day less a week for the first three months back. It worked well, and meant he was happy and used to nursery before we stepped it up another day. He does a half day once a week now (he's 18 months) and it is a bit of a pain with naps - they either have to keep him up after all the others have gone to sleep or his nap is cut short by me arriving to pick him up.

@Missingpup why? For the sake of the thread just assume work have agreed it.

@NoLostCause thats really helpful thank you, a good point about more of an ease into nursery.

Is two half days for the next 6 months an option? I'd probably do that if it is because I think a full day at nursery is a lot for a little one (and maybe see if your mum could do one more afternoon).

If not then I'd take the full day for 6 months.

I think one afternoon a week will slip away and you won't notice it in terms of time off from work or time with your child.

From a financial point of view, do nursery even offer half days? And do those hours fit in with a work half day timings? If you would end up paying for the full nursery day, just to use half a day, would that be a problem to you?

personally, I’d work 4 days for 6 months, ease you back in a bit more gentley. I think a half day might end up being tricky, like others have said, naps might be a problem and the hardest bit of childcare is generally getting their in the morning and dropping off, so you’d still end up doing that 3 times a week.

Two days without a doubt.

You will feel the benefit of a full day off mid week 2 days in nursery is a great start.

1/2 isn't usually that much cheaper anyway.

You may find being so close to nursery you could change your hours and do 4.5 days over 4 for example and keep that day off long term

Because….
a) if your boss works 4 days and it’s contractual rather than annual leave - then irrelevant
b) if your boss works 4 days and it’s using annual leave but it’s only very short term - not the same as 6 months/year
c) if your boss works 4 days and it’s using annual leave and it is for 6months/year but she’s been there a decade and you’ve been there a year… it puts a different slant on jt

So my point was - what you are asking of your employer is potentially very disruptive and I wouldn’t assume either options are on the table

I do 4 days with Wednesdays off, and have done since going back after my first DC. It's really nice, and I'm planning to do it when I go back after my second DC too. Half days end up being messy with naps etc, and with a full day off we can go out and do something or just chill at home if they need the downtime. I found my first needed a proper chill day on a Wednesday for the first 6/12 months actually, and usually to be at home for their nap so they got a good couple of hours. It also means you stay pretty fresh for work, as you're only working 2 days at a time so I don't get bored/tired/lazy thinking I can do stuff another day Highly recommend it!

@headcheffer thank you!

Ok we’ll that’s a completely overwhelming majority so I’m going to request the 4 days 😊