Infant child care advice??

Question

I make about $1600/month after taxes, health insurance, 401k, etc. I heard child care can be very expensive especially for an infant! I live in the Los Angeles area and looking for advice.
My husband will support us if need be but if I can work AND afford child care that would be preferred. 
I would be more than happy to spend all of my time with my growing little family 💗💗💗

Answer

Ugh, we were in this position last year with my now 8mth old - child care is just so expensive! I had to quit my job and I stay home with her FT. With commuting and how much I'd make AFTER paying for daycare, it just didn't seem logical for us. Good luck though! I wanted to go back to work a few weeks after having her but now that I've stayed home with her and we have our routine.. BEST job/desicion I've ever made ☝🏻️😊

Answer

Start calling places and doing research now. I found a place that will work with out schedule because my husbad has days off during the week sometimes. I was really worried because one of the places looked awful and then I found the most perfect place. I think people hear horror stories and assume every place is like that. The place I found that was incredibly clean, has cameras and most importantly was their staff had all been there for 1.5+ years. This place was cleaner than my house and the ladies all offered to text/fb pictures during the day if you wanted.
Don't feel bad if you can't afford to not have your kid in daycare or have to go back to work, we all have to do what we have to do

Answer

Sorry this isn't an answer for you, but I just graduated from college and I'll be putting off my masters (my choice) until our kids are in school. My husband is in the military and there is no way, not on his current salary could we afford daycare. No matter where we end up. If it's super "cheap" there is probably a reason for it, aka not safe.

Answer

Honestly based on your income, most of it would be going directly to childcare. For infants it's about $1000 dollars a month on the low end and $1500 on the high end. Once they are preschool aged or potty trained the cost drops considerably. For me personally the cost of childcare is too high to justify working. I'd rather be on a tight budget and be home raising my own kids, between me, and her dad we worked out our schedules so that one of us was with her and then had family fill in the blanks a couple times a week. That way I could work part time and bring in some income that would go towards expenses and not childcare. It worked out pretty well.

Answer

I think this is such a personal issue. I'm not comfortable leaving my kiddo in day care, but I want to work!  I love my job and I love feeling useful. Consider nanny sharing. I found a family wth a nanny who is willing to look after mine for mornings (her son goes to kindergarten in the mornings) then I'll work from home the second part of the day and take care of baby girl. I was nervous to talk to my employer but they were willing to put me on the temporary schedule for a few months. If it works for them they will let me keep it!!

Answer

Ahhhh I know how you feel! I make about 1600 a month, and really have a hard time thinking about leaving my baby all day to make a few hundred dollars in the end...my husband works full time, so we are working on a way to allow me to work part time when we have family available to watch the babe. Good luck with your decision!

Answer

My husband works full time, and I'll be staying home with our son until I get my degree next fall. Our son will be 13 months when I graduate from college. After that, I'll make enough for me working to be worth it.

Answer

Honestly it depends on what you want to do. We will be shelling out most of my salary for daycare however my career is also very important to me and staying at home for a long period won't do me very good in the long run. It will be a struggle but in my opinion it's worth it in my case.

Answer

In my area- a baby sitter is cheaper than day care (I live in Illinois though not Cali)

$3/hour per child usually for babysitters.

Answer

Also to add, child care is tax free. Some companies you can elect to have a child care allowance withdrawn pretax (to make your taxable income less). It's similar to health flex.

Infant child care advice??

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