Yes, my toddler is in daycare while I’m on maternity leave

"No, I don't feel guilty about it," the mum adds.

2 min read

June 1, 2023 - 2:34PM

Parenting

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A mum has decided to continue sending her toddler to daycare, while being on maternity leave, and claims everyone in her life has questioned her decision.

So she took to a popular internet forum called r/workingmums to ask for opinions.

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'I tell people it's because of logistics but actually, I get more done'

"I'm on maternity leave with baby number two. It’s 24 weeks long. The thought didn’t even cross our minds to pull our toddler out of daycare while I’m on leave. And no, I don’t feel guilty about it," she began her now-viral post that has nearly five thousand upvotes and 800 comments.

She notes that the people that often question her about her choice often don't have kids or are stay-at-home parents (her own mum being the "chief" among them, apparently.)

Her typical response to them is: "My daughter would lose her spot in school if we pulled her, and she likes going. Her friends are there and she loves to play all day.

"If she was home with me all day she would get way less attention and stimulation. Also, my husband works from home, so the house would be chaos and I’d be constantly trying to keep the toddler out of his office."

Then she explains to the forum the "real reason" why she keeps her toddler in daycare.

"What I don’t say (for fear of judgment) is that I’m really enjoying this time spent with my baby, and my days are a million times easier without my toddler being home," she admitted."

"I’ve gotten so many of our house projects and family To Do’s completed in the past weeks. It’s incredible."

Image: IStock

'It's so important they have that stability'

People in the comments were ultimately supportive of the mum and said that keeping her toddler's routine is super important, especially at a time when their lives are about to be changed dramatically.

"A kid’s life is already upended when a new baby comes home. Why would you want to disrupt their routine even more? This is the best situation for everyone involved," one user remarked.

Another top comment asked, "People question this? We will be doing the same come my maternity leave this year and I never thought twice about it. Why would I continue to pay for a spot at daycare and not have her go? It also affords me one on one bonding time with my new baby."

"I'm sorry you felt the need to defend this position. It's a no-brainer and frankly nobody's business," someone else added.

Then a fourth person pointed out that "Maternity leave is meant for bonding with the new baby and healing from giving birth. NOT for having time off of work and trying to do everything else."

They also told the woman to "Rest, bond, take care of yourself, enjoy your time 'off' and let the haters be haters."

'Pulling my toddler out of daycare for just one week was a mistake'

One commenter shared that they took their toddler out of daycare when they had another child and they regretted it.

"We pulled my three-year-old out for one week, the week her baby brother was born, and it was a MISTAKE! Seriously. The worst mistake," they said.

"Not only did we get her off her routine, but she had to sit around and watch me hold a newborn and nurse all day. If I could go back, I would just keep her on her same routine and not pull her out of daycare."