https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:48:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9894 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 07:49:19 +0000 tessabella76 9894@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ideally, I'd love to work part-time after having children. However, the bank branch I work at now is only 10-15 minutes from home but there is no part-time position available and won't be for the foreseeable future. So if I want to stay with the company I'm with now, I'll have to travel at least 20 to 30 minutes for a part-time position (2 or 3 days a week). Which will cost me more in fuel costs, plus childcare. If I stay full-time, I can stay where I'm at but I'd be paying for childcare more days a week. Since we're just ttc, I haven't really researched how much childcare will cost in my area. I have had a very close neighbor/friend who has said she would love to watch our child 3 or 4 days a week (she's done childcare in the past, plus we love &amp; trust her). Her price would be very reasonable and my MIL would probably handle the other day or two a week. I sometimes work Saturdays and DH would be home with baby then. Unfortunatley, I don't think we are in a position for me to not work at all (plus after being unemployed for almost 2 years, I realized I need to get out of the house regularly!). So I think working full-time is going to be our best option. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9873 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:17:34 +0000 L2sweetpea 9873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Though I'm still currently on my maternity leave, I honestly couldn't imagine going back to work full time. If we could afford to have me stay at home I totally would! Unfortunately that's not the case (darn student loans)....but I have worked it out with my employer to drop down to 3 ten hour days, so that gives me 4 days home with my LO. Though on those 10 hour days I'm sure it's going to be tough because I won't get much time with her...I'm going to enjoy every last moment on my 4 days off with her! It's hard for me to turn my child over to someone else to "raise" while I am out of the home, but it's inevitable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9861 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:10:14 +0000 looch 9861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Before I went on maternity leave, I had agreed with my employer that I would return at 80%. There was no option to work from home.</p> <p>We had a tough time finding childcare, the only option that could take him for the 4 days was a 40 minute drive in the opposite direction, so I made the decision to stay at home.</p> <p>Insurance is separate from employment where I live, so thankfully it didn't factor into the decision. We also prepared by banking my entire salary for 3 years, which in hindsight, was so worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9472 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:23:58 +0000 mamabolt 9472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira Yeah luckily it's not too different from the schedules we have now, DH's schedule will stay the same and I'll move mine an hour earlier. We might actully see each other a little more since he'll have to get up earlier to care for the baby so I can start working instead of still being in bed after I'm already at work! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9467 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:19:39 +0000 Adira 9467@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Stephbolt - oh yeah, I can definitely understand that. Luckily we'll be on my husband's health insurance, so my working or not doesn't affect that. I wish that I had the option to work from home - that would actually be the most ideal for me, but unfortunately I can't.</p> <p>Good luck with staggering your schedules - that's a good idea, but I hope you don't end up missing each other too much. It doesn't sound like what you're doing will be too bad though. My aunt and uncle did completely opposite schedules in order to avoid having to pay for daycare, but it meant they never saw each other! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9463 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:15:45 +0000 mamabolt 9463@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I'll have to stay full time, as my job is the one that carries cheap health insurance for me and the baby. I'm hoping I can work from home 3 days a week to get back the time I spend commuting and have that time with the baby instead. DH and I will also stagger our schedules slightly - with me working 7-4 and him working 9-6 so baby will only be in daycare from about 8:30 to 4:30. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9453 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:47:30 +0000 Adira 9453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Andrea - Thank you for your input! I was actually just talking to a co-worker that said similar things that you did. Basically adding a child into the mix increases what you have to do everyday and leaves you with a lot less time to do your other tasks, like chores and unwinding. Another co-worker said they use their days off to catch up on all the housework and other tasks they fell behind on during the days they were working. I think I'll try to take your advice and at least start off with part time since we can afford it. Hopefully my husband can get on board with that idea, haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9448 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:39:18 +0000 Andrea 9448@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira - It sounds like the decision comes down to a personal one since you can afford either scenario. I personally think if you can make ends meet while working part-time then do that. It is really difficult to have both parents work full time and raise kids. It was a mad dash every day to get my daughter to day care then another mad dash to pick her up. Or at least only commit yourself to part-time to start with and see how things go. I think you will really appreciate not having to rush around all the time. Why do that if you can afford not to? My two cents! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9408 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:17:26 +0000 Adira 9408@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jbhops - Thanks for your input! Your situation sounds similar to mine, especially the hours. I also work 8 am to 5:00 pm which really equals 7:30 to 5:45! Your #3 is my biggest concern I think... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9405 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:15:33 +0000 Adira 9405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, I definitely want to continue working... I was just leaning towards working part time to spend more time with my children.</p> <p>Regardless of how much I work, we'll be putting our kids in daycare when I work. I make enough to be able to cover the daycare plus have extra. Working more hours would mean more extra after daycare.</p> <p>I'm curious if working the extra hours (full time instead of part time) will be worth it if it means sacrificing time with my kids... I definitely <i>have</i> to work to make ends meet, but I think I technically could work part time and still make ends meet. It would just be easier if I worked full time... but that would mean the kids would be in daycare more than they see me... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9404 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:13:55 +0000 mediagirl 9404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are considering the same thing, Adira. We are saving up enough to cover me for 3 months after the baby is born. Here are the things I think about with pt vs. ft:</p> <p>1. Health Insurance. If I stay full-time, I get paid a stipend for the health insurance I am not using at my company. That will cover mine plus some of the baby's health insurance on my husband's plan. If I go part-time, we won't get that.</p> <p>2. Daycare during the part-time hours. How much will it cost? Would it be better to get a Nanny over sending him/her to daycare? Would it be worth it to do part time or would my paycheck be covering just daycare? If that's the case, I need to be full time.</p> <p>3. Time with the baby. If I go back full-time, my hours are 8am to 5pm. I leave the house at 7:30am and get home around 5:45pm. That's not a lot of time to spend with the baby on weekdays. I feel like someone else will be raising our child. If I went PT, I could have more daytime hours with our child.</p> <p>4. Going PT is better than leaving the job completely because then, when you're ready for FT again, you have your job and probably can go FT with no problem. I'm considering doing PT for one year and then going back FT when the baby is a little older.</p> <p>It's a pretty frustrating thing to think about. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9401 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:10:37 +0000 tequiero21 9401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>what are you going to do with your baby if you work full-time? you should do a cost analysis of how much childcare would be if you worked full-time vs part-time...</p> <p>i think people go part-time or just become SAHM based on the options available to them. i'm going SAHM because we can afford to and i want to be there for my babies. my SIL became a SAHM because the cost of a nanny would be similar to her net pay so it's not worth it for her to work. </p> <p>some people just enjoy what they do and want to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/working-full-time-vs-part-time#post-9399 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:07:31 +0000 Adira 9399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Even though we haven't started TTCing yet, I've been thinking a lot about the future and making personal plans for myself. Last night, my husband and I were talking about what to do after my maternity leave is up. My husband has always planned to go back to work full time, but I had been thinking about working only part time. Last night, my husband was saying that I should work full time for the extra income.</p> <p>What do other working moms do? Do you work full time or part time? Is there a reason you chose one over the other?</p> <p>I understand where my husband is coming from - the extra money would definitely be nice. But a part of me feels like I should spend more full days with my kids than days working... I don't know. What do you all think? </p>