Seeking Input on Maternity Leave with in Home Daycares

I am pregnant and run my own in home daycare. My plan is to take the two weeks vacation (paid) from my contract-and then to have family and friends subsitute for teh next 4 weeks. I will be at the house with them-but this way if I need to breastfeed or anything-I have the extra set of hands. Hope it helps.

You have to work out the numbers to see what works financially. When I took maternity leave I only had three children I was watching. I was able to hire someone and it worked well, except one child left two months into my leave, so I could no longer afford to pay for help. I had to go back to work one month after having given birth. Thank goodness my daughter already slept through the night or I would have been a basket case. If you don't think your families are truly committed to staying with you through this and you can make it financially a few months without working, I would take the time off and find new families in the Fall.

A.,
I can tell you from my own experience, make SURE you take ENOUGH time off for you and your family! I had one full time family and I was so worried about losing them that I took two days off before my son was born and one week after! I was so wiped and I felt like I couldn't give my son all he should have had, as well as my kids with a new sibling. I spent all of naptime just holding my baby and being with him to sear the memories into my mind, he was my last, too. I would not take any less than two off in any circumstance. I found out I was pregnant just two months after starting full time daycare so I did not feel competitive, so this family was it! I did a very good job even having the new baby. I have a philosophy. I have five kids, it's always going to be loud and busy, what's a couple more? ;o)

Ideally what I would want is a week before the baby and a month afterwards. A lot of it is personal preference.

Do not forget that you may feel ill at times, too, very important to have someone to bring in for you at those times. My husband helped out a lot, but he had a job that allowed for that.

"From Michelle: If on the other hand, you close down for any amount of time you risk losing them because finding temporary care is hard to do and it is easier to find permanent new care."

Michelle is so right! I have to think, also, that the parents looking for temporary care may not tell the new provider that it IS temporary, and leave her in the lurch! [[[ past experience :) ]]] In any case, parents and providers, don't be secretive...it bites!

I am an in home daycare provider and delivered my second a year ago, i told everyone in Sept via a letter.. i do quarterly newletters, i was due Dec 4th, and planned on closing for 6 weeks, which everyone was surprisingly very ok with, but after some complications and needing bed rest, i had to close early and was closed for 8 weeks, they all were ok with it and came back... I think birth is so amazeing and they are only that little once, take all the time you need and can afford... its worth it!!!

I run home daycare and when I delivered my son almost 2 years ago now, I continued to work up until 3 hours before labor started on a Friday evening. Then I closed the daycare for one week paid vacation and had my mother come sub for me the second week. I went back to work myself after only two weeks off and was absolutely fine with it. I did have older kids at the time, like three 3 year olds and a 1 year old, but I don't regret it at all! We are now trying to conceive our next baby and I have already let the daycare parents know that we are trying and could be having a baby by the end of the year if we get pregnant soon. Honesty is the best policy and they will respect you more for it! Good luck and congrats!

Hi A.,
My daycare provider and her husband are pregnant and my family has known about it since very early in her pregnancy. She is due January 25th and has asked off between Christmas and April 1st. We adore our provider and want her to take the time that she needs and wants to bond with her family before and after her childbirth. I believe anyone who truely respects you and your talents as a daycare provider would respect your choices. My provider cares for three children and all of us are have found interim placements until she is ready to have our children back. If you have good relationships with the families of your children I would recommend honesty in explaining your situation and needs. They should be respectful. Remember to take the time you want and need. If you feel confident in the services you provide you should not have any trouble finding new clients if your current ones leave you. Good luck!
--B.

Hi A.! I do daycare also and I'm a Mom of 3 girls. I took the normal 6 weeks off for maternity leave. I looked at it like this you need the time off and almost everyone else takes the time off. I did end up loosing a daycare child because of my time off. I would look at the time you think you need to spend with your baby and go from there. It's hard to decide, but in the long run you need the rest and the baby will really need that time with you also. Good luck!

L. :0)

I did in home daycare for years and when my son was born I hired a high school senior to come in and help 4 days a week and then took Fridays off for a couple of months. It was also the summer and had a great time. It made it much more relaxing. I also had a back up plan. My cousin had just graduated from high school lived in Wisconsin and I asked her to come up and visit and help take care of my 2 and help out with the daycare as well and she was able to do this for several of the weeks as well. Actually my cousin and the gal I hired are still very good friends. They are planning a trip to Mexico for Spring Break.

Do your current families know yet? If not, I would wait before telling them. They may leave now. Were any of them with you when you had your other kids? How much time do you feel you need off? How much time did you take off after your other 2 were born? Being summer, I would probably take off all of July and August. Really. Or at least a week or two before the baby is due, then the rest of the summer, just before school starts again. In my experience, parents have a much easier time finding back up care in the summer, so hopefully they would be understanding. Otherwise, hiring a teen age helper for the summer might work. Or can you cut down the number of daycare kids you have or the hours you work for the first few weeks or months? Honestly, I would take off the time you feel you need, want, deserve. If the parents are happy with you, they will make it work. If they leave, you can always find new families. Good luck.
S. - mom of 3 and daycare provider since 1988

I ran a home daycare for six years and found that maternity leave was difficult!! I heard the same thing from many of the other providers that were in my area as well.

In my case when I told the families that I was expecting all but one of them left shortly before I gave birth. None of them liked the idea that I was taking a few days off and all were concerned that my baby would become more important than their child. In my case I asked for only a few days off, but they still all left.

My suggestion (if it is possible) would be to find someone to come in and help you or do daycare for you so that the parents wouldn't be worried about when you go into labor, how long you will be out, etc. Often times they do not like to be inconvenienced and so if you make the transition easy for them that might help. If on the other hand, you close down for any amount of time you risk losing them because finding temporary care is hard to do and it is easier to find permanent new care.

At least those were my experiences.

I liked Michelle's advise on finding an extra worker to help you. I use to work full time for a woman who ran her own home daycare and it was really nice if she had an appointment or was sick I was still there and the families and kids knew me and trusted me and were at ease when the owner had to step out which wasn't that often. You could hire someone a few months before and a few months after you give birth that would help you out tremendously and make a easy transition.

We went through the same thing, but on the flip side of the coin. Our daycare had a baby, she told us when she was 3 months along. She also was due in the summer and did what others had suggested... she hired someone to come in. She did this in the 8th month of her pregnancy so that the kids were familiar with the person. As it turned out, after she was ready to come back and take it back they had decided to do the daycare together. It worked out great!
But also at the time she came back, I became a stay at home mom.