2u2- how would you use your partners 9 weeks paid parental?

[kateypops]

Hi all,

For those with 2 under 2s, I'm wondering how you would use your partners 9 weeks paid off, would you use during the newborn months or would you wait until you are back to work and then have partner be off on paid parental or? :) which do you feel would of helped more

He is also off the first 2 weeks of second baby being born and has 4 weeks holidays he could take sometime too

Definitely an extra day or two off a week for a longer period. Once the baby starts to be more awake rather than a high maintenance pot plant it can feel like a long week.

Is it shared parental leave i.e. you have to reduce your leave to give him some? Or is it a different occupational benefit from his employer in addition to your leave?

Is the pay definitely still the same if he takes it later (we originally thought I'd take my leave, go back a few months earlier & then DH would cover the next couple of months, but then realised it would be unpaid so not doable as hes the higher earner).

My relative has used theirs for a 6 week holiday of a lifetime to New Zealand

I would use it all at the beginning, as that was the hardest part with a baby and toddler. Cluster feeding babies are not the most interesting to a toddler and much harder to run after them. We have extended leave at work and most of the men take it at the 6 months point, once things are easier and the mum has done all of the hard early work 🙄.

I'd use it all the beginning I think. But it depends what childcare you need/have lined up and whether him covering for a couple of months when you go back to work would be helpful financially/practically. If you're using nursery it's maybe worth seeing if he can use his parental leave to cover sick days when the baby inevitably gets sent home from nursery.