Can I do this with a baby......any fliers out there???

[lionsandtigersandbears]

Am long haul flight attendant, DS is only 4 months so not an imminent worry but time is speeding by so quickly and need to seriously think about what to do. All my trips would be 4 days, with possible 5-7 day trips, all in asia, my roster can be played around with to some extent (ie, leave friday, back mon which gives my fiance the weekend with DS, he is teacher so does the mon-fri thing). But obvioulsy have big worries....childcare in London soooo exensive, what if DS/DP poorly when I'm due to fly? What if a long delay happens, inevitable esp in places like Thailand. (We have no 'stay at home' grandparents to step in as they all still work). I could go on with all the questions. On paper it seems clear that its sensible not to go back, however, just prior to my pg I was promoted and its a very big airline so career wise it would be excellent for me to take up the post for a while and also the part time option (if we can manage) is very good financially. HELP!!!!

I'm not crew, but I do travel a lot, so have some experience of being away with a little one (DS is 2.7, and I've been back travelling since he was 6 months). Would you be able to roster so that you worked within a definate week (every other, or 1 in 4 for example), which would make finding childcare easier. A childminder or nanny share might be flexible enough to deal with this.

Personally, I'd want to have my planned roster as Mon-Fri where possible, so that if you were delayed you'd still be back for Monday and your DP being back at work.

As for DS being sick (DP just has to get on with it I'm afraid), there is a service called 'Emergency Childcare' or similar who provide nannies at short notice for such eventualities, or your DP would have to take time off from school to care for him

Thanks cmot...I couldnt plan a roster with a definite week/same days each roster period unfortunately. I would know every 7-8 weeks exactly what my hours would be for the next 7-8 weeks(part time with us means you have no stand-by's or anything which is great)so any child care would have a bit of notice but it may mean no need for 2 weeks and then a full 4-5 days...who would be that easy going???!!! With the best will in the world our scheduling dept would try and help if I got a dodgy flight but there would certainly be no guarantees.....Interesting re the emrgency childcare info tho. thanks

You'll probably be best with a childminder then - some are very flexible around rotas. If you post in the section on here, you might hear from some.
I know some nurseries are as I used to live v near to Gatwick and there were several nurseries who were very much set up for crew - even doing overnights, but not sure about elsewhere.

If you have room for an aupair, that would make life a lot easier too

A friend of a friend lived in egham I think and her local nursery was really geared up to cabin crew and airport staff - flexible enough to deal with change every 8 weeks or so. Was very good nursery I understand. Of course, that costs, but the cost does decrease as your dc becomes older (with nursery grant) and eventually goes to school.

As long as you're willing to pay for full-time childcare, you should be fine. That way a CM or nursery would allocate you one of their places and it would be open whenever you needed it, whilst your DP would cover weekends. A very nice provider might be willing to reimburse you for some of the days you don't use or work out some other kind of special rate, but realistically, they won't be able to use your free days for other clients. The good thing is you're alreadying planning ahead so can do lots of research and find the right provider who is affordable and meets your needs, rather than giving up your job which would be rotten. I don't think it's asking too much to have a promotion and a baby. Good luck with getting the right solution sorted.

I have a flight attendant friend who works short haul since having children and her family's life looks incredibly complicated from the outside but they manage it with a fabulously flexible childminder. I think before dcs went to school she worked part time, one month on one off - are those sort of options available to you?

our nanny had an overnight/ weekend clause in her contract (both armed forces) but the majority of time was m-f...
when dd1 was tiny i lived o'seas and flew back to uk to work - she flew with me lol and was deposited with anyone who would have her (tee hee, usually gps tbh)
a childminder has also covered up to 5 day trips for me, so it does happen...
you just have to start looking - i would be expecting to pay something of a retainer for the days/ nights not needed though, so you know your cm will always have a space if you need one (even overnight) at short notice...
you will need to draw up a really good, tight contract - use someone like nannytax or any of the other tax/ employer advice folk, and start ringing round nanny agencies and cms to discuss possibilities...
good luck!

Thanks for the supportive and practical advice....if we can stretch to full time childcare we should be ok but it is a big if. Sadly can't do month on/off....possible 8 days on, 20ish days off but again not a set thing....hmmm, much to think about....

have you got living accom for a ft nanny?

I would speak to some childminders in your area to see if there is anyone with spaces and then ask what fees they would be wanting.

If you were near me I would recommend you send your son for 1 or 2 days each week to help him stay settled and then agree a retainer for the other days.
Just work out the hours per day you would need the childminder for if you were away and DP needed to drop off and collect.

Ha...no, we're in a one bed flat at the mo....hoping to sell, is up for sale as we speak, but with the way the market is at the mo . I will check out childminders and whatnot. Seems awful to think of leaving him already.....

aw. have a look around and see what you come up with. no rush. hope you work it out.

Thanks...muchly appreciated

Big sympathy. But you can make it work and won't be as bad as it seems now ... as long as you love your job. The worst that can happen is you have to do something else if it doesn't work. I also have to travel, only few days at a time, but fairly frequently. And we are living overseas, and my husband is sometimes away at the same time. So it is quite scary and feels bad going away, but I have set up a lot of back-up / emergency planning because this is what makes me feel better. And I THINK the DS is ok. Good luck, try not to squander your precious time off worrying about it too much.