want to cut working hours - is it better to start work at 10.30 am or is it better to start early and then have afternoon, say after 14.00 off?

[Hotpotatofood]

Have 2 kids: one is 4 and one is 10 months. DH and me both working full time. I can ask my school to have 2 late mornings start ( then I woudl have a quality time when getting kids TO schoolll ( with 10 months old I would just play till 9.45 am in the morning, then give him to a childminder). or is it better that every morning kids go to a childminder and then I would request my employer for me to have 2 afternoons off - so that I pick up kids FROM school/ childminder and have more quality time with kids in the afternoon? we also planning to ask my DH job to give him 1 day off a week so that he has more quality ime with kids ( especially 10 months old while not in school). please help with ideas

I'd prefer starting early then having the afternoon off. You'll be constantly thinking in the morning about what time you need to leave and I don't think it will give you a huge amount of time, whereas its nice to finish early and then have time with the children, plus don't need to change it when they go to school.

yes, you are right. I would be stressed in the morning thinking about getting to work on time etc. I was also thinking about my husband job - working 5 days a weel - start 8 and finish 4, at home at 5.00 pm - is it better to ask his eployer to work 4 days a week LONGer hours + 1 day off ( he would be at home at 6.30 pm) or is it better while children under 5 - to ask 4 days work ( he woudl be at home at 5.00 pm) and a pay cut becasue the 5th day he would not work?

I would say early mornings too and for your dh a pay cut as it otherwise he will hardly be seeing the baby by the time he gets home.

I have a flexible working arrangement for my office based job and it's much easier to be in earlier - on my late days, starting at 10, everyone else is already up and running and demanding stuff, so it's better to be there at the start. Plus I reckon everyone thinks I just can't get my act together to be in on time.

Start early and then concentrate on DCs when you can shut the work noise out for the day would be my advice.

For your DH, it will depend on what he does tbh - the extended hours might not suit his employer - they don't have to give you what you ask for if there's a business reason not to.