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I'm planning on leaving E in daycare when I'm on leave with DD, for the reasons you stated. I'll probably still do drop-off and pick-up.

I kept LO #1 in daycare when LO #2 came and didn't change the schedule at all.
Drop off and pick up where a little challenging at first but i'd bring baby into daycare in the car seat. It probably looked like a circus, but we managed I just planned that it would take a little longer than usual. If it was raining outside, i'd call the front desk and ask them to get DD ready and i'd pull up to the front door so i didn't have to get the baby out of the car.
my biggest fear was not having 2 free hands to keep DD (who was 2 at the time) from running in the parking lot while i was getting the car seat out of the car. It doesn't take too long to get the logistics figured out. I can't say it was always easy, but it was in no way as bad as i had imagined it would be.
good luck!!

LO will go to school full time while I'm on maternity leave. I'm sure I'll keep her home for random days here and there but for the most part she'll be in school. She loves school and would be bored at home with me and the baby all day. Plus, we have to pay for it to keep her spot anyway so I might as well send her! My parents will handle drop off an pick up for the first two weeks since they'll be in town. Then my husband will do drop off and I'll do pick up (which is the same thing we do now).

@Mrs D: My DS was also 2.5 when I had my DD in March

I kept him in FT DCP - it was best for him and me!

My mom drove him the 1st two weeks and after that I did drop off and pick up

I take her mon-fri! DH does pick ups. It's hard to feed T when E is home. Plus I'm selfishly enjoying spending my leave organizing the house, cleaning out drawers and closets, and watching lots of adult TV, not Mickey Mouse

@lovehoneybee: that's a great idea! Never thought to ask them what they do to "manage" the kids!!

We left her in daycare, and DH did drop off/pick up. Once we established a somewhat routine (and got a little more sleep) I'd keep her home for a special day of fun. I knew she needed the interaction with the other kids and I needed her to be entertained while handling with a newborn.

@Mrs D: People would ask me if I was going to keep Xander home with me while I was on leave, but I just pointed out that I couldn't just take him out of daycare for 12 weeks and then put him back in, so I'd have to continue to pay for it full-time anyway. Plus Xander LOVES daycare, so it would be mean of me to pull him out just because I was home. Plus with feeding the new baby around the clock, I wouldn't have much time to devote to Xander anyway, so it would've been a disservice to him to keep him home.

i have a similar dilemma but i think it's different because i get a full year for mat leave. i think i will keep LO full time daycare for the first month, then i am debating between pulling him out completely or keeping him part time (2 - 3 days a week). I know people who have done both and I can't decide what will be best for us. After my mat leave, i only plan to go back to work part time, so if i go with the part time option, it would just continue, I wouldn't have to bump him back to full time.

I think if I only got 6 weeks mat leave, i would definitely keep LO in daycare full time but perhaps keep him home once or twice or pick him up earlier to spend some extra time together. I also think some ppl in the US get 3-4 months in which I would at minimum keep him part time.

I pulled mine out but I have a long leave. Even with long leaves here, lots of my friends leave them in daycare or leave them in daycare for at least a few months. It is very hard to take care of a newborn, toddler with a disrupted schedule, and heal from childbirth all at the same time.

I took DD1 out of daycare while on leave. Would have maybe been different if we had to pay to keep her spot, but since we did not, it was an easy decision for us. It worked really well for us and I absolutely loved having DD1 home with me. She was 17-20 months, which is such a fun age. I don't know if I will ever have another 12 weeks to spend with both of my girls without working so it was important to me to take advantage of the time with both of them.

@Adira: Yep. We'd have to pay to hold his place there, and if we took him out there'd be no guarantee his spot wouldn't be filled. And he LOVES it and thrives there, and he's at an age where he would definitely not be okay with it, lol!

LO1 stayed enrolled in daycare when LO2 was born. Once in a while, she stayed home, but I think overall she enjoyed her usual routine and seeing her friends. Once cleared to drive, I picked her up early on occasion, but always after nap time haha. DH always did drop offs since it's by his work. DH was home for 1 month and I was on leave for 4 months.

When LO3 is born, our director will allow us to do part time daycare for a portion of my maternity leave for LO1 and LO2. We expressed to her that paying for full time care for 2 while not working is difficult, so they made an exception. I think it was reasonable since they don't even give any sibling discounts.

Our daycare has a very long wait list and is corporate run so if a student de-enrolls, an opening is flagged in the system to bring on a new child. You have to pay to keep your spot!

My daycare is actually fine with me taking LO 1 out while I'm out on mat leave, so DH and I couldn't justify the cost of keeping her in (plus, she goes near my work and I'm obviously not commuting while I'm on Mat leave).

If childcare were less expensive, or closer to home, I would probably keep her in full time.

As it is, I found a pre-school close to home and got LO 1 enrolled in a 2-day-a-week program but even that is pretty $$$$, so it's not fun trying to swing that payment while on unpaid leave, but I think she needs the stimulation.

I reduced LO1 to part-time daycare (3 days instead of 5). DH still did drop off and pickup as he usually does. It was great! Got to spend some extra time with LO1 and it broke up the week for me (I get a little bored with a newborn). That being said LO2 was a good baby who slept a lot which made it all doable.

We will keep LO1 enrolled FT but probably pick up earlier and do a few special days home depending on how things are with LO2.

Left him in daycare. I was driving and doing drop offs pickups when she was about 6 days old.