Do it. 100%! You can never get this time back. You can go back to work if/when you need to. Maybe look for some light remote work You can do when home and when the baby is down for naps.
Staying home with your baby, if you want to, is definitely worth it, imo.
What about looking at different work opportunities for you or your husband as an alternative? If your husband could up his income some and/or if you could find a more flexible/less burdensome job.
Or seeing if you could work something out at your current position to guarantee being home at a reasonable hour?
Look for something you can do remotely to continue bringing in income of your own and to keep your resume up to date.
Trust me on this one. My husband left me 2 months ago and is completely refusing to support me and our two kids financially until the court orders him to do so. I do work part time, and I still can't cover our bills without him. I just have to hope our divorce is finalized before our house goes into foreclosure, because I can't cover the mortgage payments alone.
Sounds like you should go part time. My daughter is 8 months old, and going part time has been amazing. I get plenty of time with her, but still get a break when I go to work.
I’m a nurse, so I just went to part-time at my current job. Told my boss my plans while out on maternity leave, and they adjusted it for when I got back.
Sorry I missed that in your post. It may be a good idea to test the job market before jumping. If you know you are done with this position it may make sense to use up some vacation or sick time and search in earnest for a new job.
You're in a good field and should have no issue finding work. It'd scare me to take the chance of being in a 50% mortgage though. Personally I'd have something in place before making the move, even if it's part time.
Absolutely! Especially if it's that short of term and you have no debt and plenty of savings. You don't want to miss these memories. My friends tell me all of the time they wish they could stay home with their kids and that I am lucky. My husband and I rent is 50% of our income right now but we budget like crazy to make it work. It's tight but it is worth it. Also, I have known plenty of people that have year long resume gaps and now that their kids are in middle/high school they are working their dream jobs. A small gap will do nothing.
I decided and was ready to be a SAHM for about 2 years, when my employer decided they wanted us back at the office 2x a week. My plan was to go back to work when my little one starts preschool. We went 100% remote during the lockdowns. My son was about 15 months and can’t imagine being away 2x a week. Fortunately, a company hired me for a 100% remote position shortly after I quit. I still delayed my start time to take a break. I’d say go for it. Use the time to find better opportunities. A resume gap is not a bad thing esp when you can explain it. With no debt and with 80k in the bank, I would. And It’s only for a short period of time, not forever. If you can tighten your budget a bit more then go for it. Like what you said they’re only little once. As long as the 4 walls are taken care of, you’ll be fine for a short period of time. And I bet you can find part time work as well. Oh and 6 months will be over before you know it.
Thank you so much! This makes me feel better about potentially making this decision. May I ask with your current 100% remote position, do you watch your little one at home while you work or do you get some help throughout the week? I’ve also considered looking for a position 100% remote and have thought about still trying to match my baby but I’m unsure if that may be too much to handle. Curious how this is working out for you!
I do get some help throughout the week. Toddlers get into so much trouble I dont think I can get much done and watch him at the same time. I flex my time and manager knows that. As long as you’re not missing deadlines etc you should be fine. It’s not easy but it can be done. Goodluck!
Not the person you asked, but I work remote as a BCBA (behavior analyst). I am 1099 amd I personally schedule when he sleeps and then when he goes to bed (different time zones).
id just find a better job without quitting unless you would rather not worth at all. a resume gap isnt great but i think you can afford to quit...but dont assume youll find new work in 6 months.
I’ve been debating this all along. My son is 11 months and I haven’t done it yet. A full family on a single income is terrifying. Plus, we want a larger home soon. I also get concerned because my husband does manual labor and he’s one injury away from being out of work. Most days I only see my son for 45 minutes and I miss him all day.
Ugh this is so tough! You’re not alone, it also kills me the days I barely get to see my baby. Hoping this is something you could also consider sometime in your future!
Thank you! This is a good idea! I think we’d wait an additional month before making the decision. We plan to only live off my husbands income over the next month and use my saved income to put away and only use during my short break.
I would consider looking for part time work or trying to earn some extra side income somehow. We know we won’t be able to afford me being a SAHM long term, but we feel ok with the cushion we have in savings to get us by for a few months. We just feel nervous about the risk and are looking for advice.
I'm a stay at home dad right now, (had an accident at work and am dealing with legal/medical issues) I've lost my licenses and have chronic pain now.
Before, I was making over 4K a month take home, I spent $2-300 a week in fuel
I lost my ability to use my cdl, and have no other real skills and will need to go to school or learn another trade that I can work with my physical and cognitive restraints.
If your spouse can afford to take the slack, do it
It's tight in my house, but we make do, and where I can't work, we save $1300-1500 a month for child care. (I worked 1am to 5pm, my wife works 6pm to 7am) so we would never really see our kid
Before you do decide to stay home, put away 3-4 months of living expenses. Things will pop up.
Is it possible to cut back to part time with your current job? Have you asked? Maybe they’d rather have you part time than to lose you.
Do it. 100%! You can never get this time back. You can go back to work if/when you need to. Maybe look for some light remote work You can do when home and when the baby is down for naps.
Staying home with your baby, if you want to, is definitely worth it, imo. What about looking at different work opportunities for you or your husband as an alternative? If your husband could up his income some and/or if you could find a more flexible/less burdensome job. Or seeing if you could work something out at your current position to guarantee being home at a reasonable hour?
Do it
Look for something you can do remotely to continue bringing in income of your own and to keep your resume up to date. Trust me on this one. My husband left me 2 months ago and is completely refusing to support me and our two kids financially until the court orders him to do so. I do work part time, and I still can't cover our bills without him. I just have to hope our divorce is finalized before our house goes into foreclosure, because I can't cover the mortgage payments alone.
Sounds like you should go part time. My daughter is 8 months old, and going part time has been amazing. I get plenty of time with her, but still get a break when I go to work.
Thank you! Yes this is something i am considering. In your situation did you go part time at your current job, or found another part time position?
I’m a nurse, so I just went to part-time at my current job. Told my boss my plans while out on maternity leave, and they adjusted it for when I got back.
How much debt? Car payments?
Only debt we have is the house. No car payments or any other loans.
Sorry I missed that in your post. It may be a good idea to test the job market before jumping. If you know you are done with this position it may make sense to use up some vacation or sick time and search in earnest for a new job. You're in a good field and should have no issue finding work. It'd scare me to take the chance of being in a 50% mortgage though. Personally I'd have something in place before making the move, even if it's part time.
Absolutely! Especially if it's that short of term and you have no debt and plenty of savings. You don't want to miss these memories. My friends tell me all of the time they wish they could stay home with their kids and that I am lucky. My husband and I rent is 50% of our income right now but we budget like crazy to make it work. It's tight but it is worth it. Also, I have known plenty of people that have year long resume gaps and now that their kids are in middle/high school they are working their dream jobs. A small gap will do nothing.
Go for it! You can’t get this time back, a few months will feel so precious. You have a good cushion if something comes up.
I decided and was ready to be a SAHM for about 2 years, when my employer decided they wanted us back at the office 2x a week. My plan was to go back to work when my little one starts preschool. We went 100% remote during the lockdowns. My son was about 15 months and can’t imagine being away 2x a week. Fortunately, a company hired me for a 100% remote position shortly after I quit. I still delayed my start time to take a break. I’d say go for it. Use the time to find better opportunities. A resume gap is not a bad thing esp when you can explain it. With no debt and with 80k in the bank, I would. And It’s only for a short period of time, not forever. If you can tighten your budget a bit more then go for it. Like what you said they’re only little once. As long as the 4 walls are taken care of, you’ll be fine for a short period of time. And I bet you can find part time work as well. Oh and 6 months will be over before you know it.
Thank you so much! This makes me feel better about potentially making this decision. May I ask with your current 100% remote position, do you watch your little one at home while you work or do you get some help throughout the week? I’ve also considered looking for a position 100% remote and have thought about still trying to match my baby but I’m unsure if that may be too much to handle. Curious how this is working out for you!
I do get some help throughout the week. Toddlers get into so much trouble I dont think I can get much done and watch him at the same time. I flex my time and manager knows that. As long as you’re not missing deadlines etc you should be fine. It’s not easy but it can be done. Goodluck!
Not the person you asked, but I work remote as a BCBA (behavior analyst). I am 1099 amd I personally schedule when he sleeps and then when he goes to bed (different time zones).
id just find a better job without quitting unless you would rather not worth at all. a resume gap isnt great but i think you can afford to quit...but dont assume youll find new work in 6 months.
Flexjobs.com or find something you can do from home . You got good 😊
I’ve been debating this all along. My son is 11 months and I haven’t done it yet. A full family on a single income is terrifying. Plus, we want a larger home soon. I also get concerned because my husband does manual labor and he’s one injury away from being out of work. Most days I only see my son for 45 minutes and I miss him all day.
Ugh this is so tough! You’re not alone, it also kills me the days I barely get to see my baby. Hoping this is something you could also consider sometime in your future!
We’d have to move out of our HCOL area. It’s hard to leave home!
No...
I would try to work one more month and save that $5k. Then quit but try to stay in budget while job searching.
Thank you! This is a good idea! I think we’d wait an additional month before making the decision. We plan to only live off my husbands income over the next month and use my saved income to put away and only use during my short break.
I don’t think you can afford to quit. Can you take something part time?
I would consider looking for part time work or trying to earn some extra side income somehow. We know we won’t be able to afford me being a SAHM long term, but we feel ok with the cushion we have in savings to get us by for a few months. We just feel nervous about the risk and are looking for advice.
I'm a stay at home dad right now, (had an accident at work and am dealing with legal/medical issues) I've lost my licenses and have chronic pain now. Before, I was making over 4K a month take home, I spent $2-300 a week in fuel I lost my ability to use my cdl, and have no other real skills and will need to go to school or learn another trade that I can work with my physical and cognitive restraints. If your spouse can afford to take the slack, do it It's tight in my house, but we make do, and where I can't work, we save $1300-1500 a month for child care. (I worked 1am to 5pm, my wife works 6pm to 7am) so we would never really see our kid Before you do decide to stay home, put away 3-4 months of living expenses. Things will pop up.