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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

WFH with child?

37 replies

Readytopop2022x · 24/02/2022 15:09

Just looking for some guidance basically for when I eventually return to work (3 weeks until due date so I'm a bit premature) 🤣. Do you work from home and look after your child to save £ on childcare? If so, how is it? I know it can't be easy in anyway. Does anyone find it ok and not so bad? Thanks in advance! X

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

fleurpots · 24/02/2022 15:10

I don't think it's appropriate. Your work are still counting on you to be completely available to them even if you're at home. You just can't be with a baby around.

ApolloandDaphne · 24/02/2022 15:12

You cannot care for a baby and also give your full attention to your work.

JammyCandy · 24/02/2022 15:12

It’s absolutely impossible (I tried it during lockdown when nursery was closed), unless you have a very, very, very easy job. So so stressful & my mental health was in tatters.

Also your employer presumably expects you to have childcare in place, most do

You need to get proper childcare eg childminder, nursery etc

Justkeeppedaling · 24/02/2022 15:13

Impossible. It might be OK for a few months while your baby is really small, and sleeping for 22 hours a day, but even then there's no guarantee that your baby will do that. Once the baby needs to be entertained, and certainly when it's moving around, it's just not feasible to look after the child AND do an honest day's work.

Work are paying you to work, not to be a childminder.

chipsandpeas · 24/02/2022 15:13

my work wouldnt allow it - childcare needs to be in place when working from home

BendingSpoons · 24/02/2022 15:16

It's not possible in most jobs. If you can fit your hours in around nap times, evenings and when your partner is home, then OK. Although that wouldn't be much fun!

You can't do focused work and look after a child. You can't focus and the child doesn't get the attention they need. Plus needs change. A placid non-mobile baby will quickly become a busy toddler. People post about not being able to go to the loo in peace, let alone hold down a job!

purplemunkey · 24/02/2022 15:16

Nope. Unless you are self-employed or have a lot of autonomy meaning you can log on and off as you please, this won't work. We thought this would be manageable on the one day we couldn't get childcare when I first went back to work. DH worked from home that day anyway so we thought it'd work. We realised very quickly it didn't! You can't actively work - focus, answer the phone when it rings, be in video meetings etc - while you have a pre-school child in your care.

This was all pre-covid. When schools closed and you had no choice but to WFH and look after DC at the same time it was the WORST. And DC was 5 by this point. Just pure guilt all round, not being able to fully focus on either child or work.

Figgygal · 24/02/2022 15:17

Not fair on your child or your employer in most cases and completely unsustainable.

Chocomelon · 24/02/2022 15:17

You wouldn't be doing your job properly if looking after your child as well. I get you want to save on childcare fees but it's not fair for your employer to pay you while you're at home with your baby.

PotteringAlong · 24/02/2022 15:18

No, you can’t.

And there’s every possibility that if your work find out you are doing it then it’s a disciplinary at best and gross misconduct and dismissal at worst.

Get childcare.

rubyslippers · 24/02/2022 15:18

You can’t do it
Babies are unpredictable and exhausting and take a lot of attention up
Work will be expecting you to be fully available in your working hours and not distracted by childcare
When my kids were small I had childcare in place and am sure your employers will want the same

Aimee1987 · 24/02/2022 15:18

Not possible with a baby at all. I did WFH on Friday with my 2 year old but achieved mabey 2 hours of work in the full day ( mostly while he was asleep). As it was due to the storm causing nursery closures they were understanding but they would not be ok as a long term plan

ethelredonagoodday · 24/02/2022 15:19

Not doable to be totally honest.

Garman · 24/02/2022 15:20

It's impossible, employed or self employed, you'll need childcare.

PeacefulPrune · 24/02/2022 15:21

I could do half a day working from home with a well behaved 3 year old but not with a lively one and no more than that. I defo couldn't do it with any aged baby.

Justkeeppedaling · 24/02/2022 16:00

@rubyslippers

You can’t do it Babies are unpredictable and exhausting and take a lot of attention up Work will be expecting you to be fully available in your working hours and not distracted by childcare When my kids were small I had childcare in place and am sure your employers will want the same

It can take a couple of hours just to feed a baby. And then you wind him, and he's sick all over you, and then you have to get changed, and him changed, and then he has a poo, so you have to change his nappy, and by that time, he's hungry again. It used to take me until about 2pm to get ready to go out to clinic to get DD weighed when she was a baby!

jolota · 24/02/2022 16:01

You should also check your contract - my husband is basically always WFH & his actually has stipulations about his WFH environment, one of which is that he can't be in charge of caring for/supervising a child during his work hours.
Would be a disciplinary if he did & was found out.
Agree with pp that it will be extremely difficult to do anywhere near the level of work you can achieve now if you were to be taking care of a baby at the same time.
I have planned to reduce my working hours by 1 day, will have my baby in nursery 3 days & the 5th working day I will be WFH but I have an extremely flexible job & my husband has tons more holiday than me so will be using that to take 1/2 days to support me if I need it when I'm WFH.
Depending on your job role, maybe it would be feasible to negotiate something with your work? I think planning to WFH with a child without your employer knowing could lead to issues.

helpfulperson · 24/02/2022 16:07

It was possible during covid because it was a national emergency so people were tolerant of distracted parents, children on screen and in many cases happy to pick up the slack of a reduction in parents productivity. But now it isn't OK until your child is old enough to only need your attention in an emergency.

Original poster

Readytopop2022x · 24/02/2022 16:14

Thank you so much for your responses everyone! This just solidifies exactly what I was thinking. My work is far too stressful to have a baby around. So will ensure I have the proper childcare in place. Like you said, totally unfair on baby especially when they could be mixing with other children and early learning! Kudos to all your mums/dads who did it throughout lockdown! X

OP posts:

Ihaveoflate · 24/02/2022 16:16

No, it's impossible.

And you aren't being premature thinking about your return to work - we reserved our nursery place when I was 20 weeks pregnant. We got the last available place on our preferred days.

SmallElephants · 24/02/2022 16:18

Yes I agree with the above - during lockdown when we had no option work were really supportive of having no childcare but it was so stressful!! No down time at all. Logging back in after bedtime. Fielding calls while your child needs your attention. Rubbish.
Now that schools and childcare are available again it would absolutely not be allowed as general way. One good thing is , I do feel there is more leeway for the inevitable sick days.

Original poster

Readytopop2022x · 24/02/2022 16:19

@Ihaveoflate

No, it's impossible.

And you aren't being premature thinking about your return to work - we reserved our nursery place when I was 20 weeks pregnant. We got the last available place on our preferred days.

I didn't realise you could apply for nursery before they were born. Are you in the UK? I'm going to apply as soon as she's here!

OP posts:

Ihaveoflate · 24/02/2022 16:22

Yes, I'm in the UK. I think it's very common for nursery places to be reserved before the baby is even born in areas where childcare options are limited or your chosen setting is very popular. If I were you, I'd start enquiring now.

SoftPillow · 24/02/2022 16:24

We applied when our eldest was 2 weeks old and got a place in a popular London nursery. There will still be places.

You cannot work and look after a child, you obviously need childcare.

PotteringAlong · 24/02/2022 16:27

Yes to getting a nursery place now! I dropped on with DC1 because it was a brand new nursery that had just opened. With DC2 and 3 I knew I wanted them to go and I signed them up after my 12 week scan.

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