I work from home, and our family helps with childcare. We're still putting our daughter in part-time day care.

As a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom, I americium chiefly responsible for my 18-month-old daughter's childcare during the workweek. Even pinch childcare help from my mom and mother-in-law, it's still difficult to find clip to get each of my activity done connected apical of childcare and family tasks.

I'm truthful fortunate that my activity is elastic and that I get to walk truthful overmuch clip pinch my daughter. And I'm moreover luckier that my mom and mother-in-law thief us pinch childcare 3 mornings per week.

But aft a fewer months of our existent childcare situation, I was still uncovering it difficult to get everything done. And connected days erstwhile I was solely responsible for childcare, canine walks, family chores, and squeezing my activity into nap and bedtime, I was perfectly drained.

And so, we decided to enroll our girl successful part-time time attraction to thief lighten my load. She'll beryllium starting adjacent week, and while it will beryllium a large adjustment, I'm assured we're making the correct decision.

Day attraction will springiness maine much accordant hours to get my activity done

I americium truthful grateful that we person family members who are consenting and capable to thief pinch childcare. My mom and mother-in-law travel complete 3 mornings per week, babysitting my girl for 2 to 3 hours each time.

While that is helpful, it's difficult for maine to get overmuch done successful that time. In summation to work, I'm besides utilizing those 2 to 3 hours to locomotion our dog, prep lunch, do immoderate basal family chores, and sometimes moreover to shower.

The hours and days are besides not consistent. Almost each week, we request to switch days astir to accommodate someone's schedule. There isn't a strict commencement time, truthful I ne'er cognize precisely erstwhile my mom aliases mother-in-law will arrive. Both grandmothers besides regularly spell connected vacation, meaning immoderate weeks aliases months they can't supply childcare astatine all.

Both my mom and mother-in-law person offered to enactment longer aliases babysit connected different days for us, which we really appreciate. But we don't want to return advantage of their generosity, and, fixed their engaged schedules and vacation plans, the childcare would still not beryllium arsenic reliable arsenic a master time attraction setting.

With time care, I'll beryllium capable to driblet my girl disconnected astatine the aforesaid clip connected the aforesaid days each azygous week. Once I'm backmost home, I'll person the full time to get each of my activity and family tasks done earlier I request to prime her up again. No much cramming everything into a two-hour nap!

Despite its pluses, time attraction isn't the cleanable solution

While I do deliberation time attraction will springiness maine much clip to work, I cognize it's not the cleanable solution.

Because day attraction waitlists are truthful agelong successful Vancouver, we've had to look extracurricular our municipality to find a spot. The time attraction we sewage into is farther from home, which will mean a longer commute location and backmost doubly a day.

It's besides a immense expense. Even though our girl will only beryllium enrolled part-time, 3 days a week, it's still a large deed to our fund (CAD $1,000 a month, astir $713). I consciousness blameworthy astir this, particularly because we weren't paying thing before, pinch our moms providing childcare for free.

And moreover though I'm hoping time attraction will beryllium a accordant childcare solution, we'll still person to fig retired what we'll do during closures, holidays, and the inevitable times erstwhile our girl is astatine location sick.

I besides interest astir the modulation to time care, since this will beryllium our daughter's first clip being cared for by anyone different than her parents aliases grandparents. I'm judge she'll adjust, but I'm tense astir a imaginable unsmooth start.

Overall, I deliberation time attraction will beryllium the champion point for the full family

Weighing the pros and cons of time care, I still deliberation it's the champion solution for our family.

Day attraction will springiness maine much clip to dedicate to my work, truthful I tin beryllium a much coming mom and partner during my non-working hours.

Plus, our girl is very outgoing and loves playing pinch different kids. Once she's adjusted, I deliberation she's going to thrive. She'll person societal opportunities we can't supply for her astatine home.

And champion of all, because she's only enrolled part-time, our girl will still get to walk 2 mornings a week pinch her grandmothers and 2 afternoons pinch me. So we'll each still get plentifulness of value clip together.