I know I’m super late at looking into daycare, but as a consultant on a “fixed-term” contract (in quotes because my contract has been extended twice since I’ve started), I don’t really know if I should be looking into daycare since my position is not guaranteed. The company I’m consulting for has acquired lots of business in the last year that I have been there and my direct manager mentioned that consulting “has the possibility of becoming a long-term position.”

Given my last conversation with my direct manager regarding my due date, we agreed my contract will be extended until the end of the year. That conversation was had last Friday and I finally got my butt into gear to search for infant daycare locations.

It started with “great” locations.

Bumped down to “good” locations.

To “Will pay you to watch and feed my kid” locations.

All of the 20 places I’ve called have a closed infant waiting list. Plus, if they were open it would be so ridiculously expensive (~$2,500-$3,000/mo) that I’m not even sure I am down for a temp consulting job 40 miles away from home (which is where I’m looking into for daycare).

I’ve worked so dang hard to land my position and I’m so scared that financially it won’t make sense to spend half to 3/4 of my monthly income on daycare.

Any professional mamas dealing with the same struggle? What are your pros and cons? What decision have you arrived to?