Childcare or let dh look after her when I go back to work?

[rockdoctor]

I am considering going back to work in September. Originally planned to take a year off but dh was made redundant at the end of last year and the money is running out. I think I will have the option of full time or part time and at this stage really need to go full time for the income. I am interested to hear peoples' experiences of having dh stay at home looking after the baby while I go to work? Any supportive websites for stay at home dads? I would consider paying for childcare longer term but at this stage our financial situation means it makes more sense for dad to stay at home.

I have to say that there is no way I would work to earn money to pay for childcare if the child's father was at home!

If you weren't around anniemac, would your DH's standard of living be higher or lower on his single wage than on your joint wages?

It sounds as if you are quite generous, by many people's standards, in paying for childcare for your DD when your DH is out of work (nothing wrong in being generous towards one's DP though ).

The best teams are generous towards one another IMO. I completely understand your position about not pulling your DD out of childcare when your DH is temporarily not working.

HI, I LIVE IN THE MIDLANDS JSU ON THE OUT SKIRTS OF LEICESTER AND COVENTRY. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP A SMALL CHILDCARE BUSINESS, COMPROMISING OF NANNYING AND BABYSITTING. I NEED TO RESEARCH HOW MUCH PARENTS ARE WILLING TO PAY PER CHILD PER HOUR. CONSIDERING I WILL HAVE PUBLIC LIABILITY, CAR INSUANCE. ONE TO ONE SUPERVISION, TAKE TO PLAY GROUPS ECT.
APPRECIATE ANY RESPONSE.
THANX CHER

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interesting read - I went back to work f/t when our son was 5 mths old, and DH became SAHD because of money and because neither of us wanted full time child care. Despite some wobbly moments, it's been mainly a good thing for us - DH and DS have a great boisterous relationship tho' can be difficult for DH when DS, now 2, tells him to 'go away' when I'm at home - that's gratitude for you!

SpangSpang - ditto ditto ditto!

DH does a terrific job at looking after DS but he does feel a little claustrophobic at times. He does a little part time work now, but it's completely pointless from a purely financial point of view, it's more for his own sanity. But all in all, it's worked really well for us and if your DH is up for it, and as long as you enjoy your job, you should both go for it.

Anniemac - I understand where you're coming from completely. Our other option was for DH to carry on with his career, which meant spells working away from home interspresed with spells out of work. It would have been a logistical and financial nightmare.

Despite what one's DH may feel about looking after children, it's just not as easy as putting a child in and out of childcare as it suits. Certainly for us, we'd have had to pay for childcare whether DH happened to be working at that time or not. And there would have been nothing "generous" about that on my part - it's just a plain fact. I would never have expected DH to look for/plan work while having to be a full time SAHD at those times as well.

Well, it's DH's child, so it's not really 'letting' him look after her.

DH was SAHD for years and it worked great.