Moms feel overwhelmed by childcare and work demands

“FTM here, getting ready to go back to work when my baby turns 3 months old. I work from home and my job is pretty flexible. I don’t have many calls, and most of my coworkers are moms, so everyone is pretty understanding. However, there are usually one or two days a week when I really need to focus and get a lot of work done. I’m considering hiring a responsible high schooler to come over for a few hours after school to help with the baby while I’m still home working. Has anyone done something si”

“I’m a first time single mom, so I have to work full time. I definitely couldn’t be a stay at home mom even if I had the opportunity to be. I’d love to be able to just work part time, but even without the daycare expense, it’s not feasible. My baby has done WONDERFUL since starting daycare and she goes to a great one. I get updates on every feed, diaper, if she gets moved to a new room, and photos throughout the day. Since I was on maternity leave and home alone most of the day, she got very atta”

“I’d love to hear from moms working demanding corporate jobs who also maintain a side gig or teach on the side! I work full-time in consulting (40+ hours a week, often with demanding projects, client calls, and competing deadlines). Outside of work, I teach one yoga class a week at a local studio. Teaching is something I genuinely enjoy, and I want to keep developing as a teacher. The challenge is that I put a lot of thought and care into my classes. I like creating something new and creative eac”

“Parents of TK/K students who pick their students up in the afternoon - what does your after school routine look like? I’m trying to find the right balance of activities, playtime together, and independence for me and my TK’er. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/Playful_Language_422 [link] [comments]”

“For both of children’s lives, I’ve worked full time out of the house (30-40 W2 then reselling and 1099 travel agent). Yes I would work every third weekend and 1 or nights/all day shifts but then I also had 2-3 days off or early days. When my kids got home from School or after summer camp, they had myself or husband (he also worked nights but every other weekend so he would have 1 day off and one early day a week) M/F. I would have time to walk home from the bus/gold cart ride. Play outside, swin”

“Hi there, Our morning routine before school/daycare is kind of a mess. I work at 8am and my husband works at 8:30am (both in person, remote work is no longer allowed 🙄). We can drop the kids off at daycare/ before school program starting at 7:30. Daycare, school, and work is all within a 10 minute drive for me- husbands work is further away. Current routine is: 6am - husband’s alarm goes off for him to shower. Our oldest usually wakes up sometime between 6-6:15 (bedroom is next to the bathroom”

“I recently received a job offer for a great opportunity, but it is full time (previous job was part time but it is a huge pay bump) so I need my kid in before and after school care. It is 140 per week. That feels expensive to me considering my child is only there for about 30 minutes in the morning, and about 90 minutes after school, but maybe the cost is about right? I haven't had to do this due to working part time so maybe I am over thinking the cost. What do you all think? submitte”

“Title explains it but for more context. I stayed home with my kids for 3.5 years. It’s always been our plan that when my oldest went to kindergarten, I would go back to teaching. We need two incomes and I do need time with adults/something that’s my own. I returned to work this fall, my youngest (3) started half day preschool and then extended day (daycare) after, from about 8-4:45, and my oldest started kindergarten and attends an after school program, so she goes from 7:40-5pm. My oldest is st”

“Hi! So I’m an 80s kid and when we were in school, it was after school cartoons, playing outside and very little homework. But I have elementary school age kids and notice things are very different. I don’t have a backyard so I thought I could take the kids to the park before heading home, but there’s not many kids at the park after school. Do kids go straight home and start their homework after school? I’m not sure that why I’m asking. My kids are 9 and 7 years old. I just wanted to know, what a”

“Helloo, I am IT professional in India, working mom but I have support from my in-laws. I am thinking of switching my career to teaching pre primary. Career switch to manage child and family also eventually my child will be able to study free in school (she is 2.5 yrs now). I know this would be a significant cut in the pay as compared to IT. BUT besides that is there any other con for this switch? My partner is also trying to start up something so for now it's just me earning in the family. B”

“I’m currently a SAHM (F26), I have 3 year old twin daughters and a 2 year old daughter. I want to work and have a career and not stay at home forever. I’m waiting for them to start school so I can go to school (I currently have no degree). I have the luxury of not having to work right now since my husband is covering rent, bills, groceries, etc. I would like to do something with my life and not be at home all the time like my mother was, she always tells me how much she regrets it. I’m decently”

“My boys are 6 and 8 and I completely understand needing to just relax after school for a little while. But I’m not sure what to have them do. They want their iPads after school for an hour but I don’t like that really. I’m thinking tv time but idk. They are tired and don’t want to play right away which I understand. I remember being tired afterschool. And I also don’t want to make them do more reading or something. submitted by /u/Normal-Impression772 [link] [comments]”

“I recently started using the gym again and using their daycare if it’s a time when my husband isn’t home. It’s a small gym and so far it’s only ever been my son and the worker there. The first time the guy said he got a little fussy here and there but not bad, last time more tears but manageable, and today he was fairly upset the whole time and they had to come get me. My son is 13 months and this is his first daycare experience. Did anyone else have a similar experience, if so how long did it t”

“I hired a stay at home mom for outside daycare hours. I was able to get my son to daycare and she would pick him up for me and keep him until I could pick him up from her.”

“I might become a single mom soon and i have a 2 year old. I currently work part time, friday and saturday in a postpartum unit but if i become a single mom his dad said he would fly back to puerto rico with his mom (we currently live in texas) and i would be alone. Would i have to get a 9-5 job? Daycares here are about 6:30am- 6pm so i couldn't do 12 hour shifts. I would have to exchange my car to a cheaper onewhich i currently pay $800/month because no way could i afford to pay all bills an”

“Tags: childcare, finance, movement, schedule TLDR - what time should I instruct based off when parents will come? One is early. One requires external aid and money. Both require a lift shift. I am a Pilates instructor. I took a break for the year since I had a tough pregnancy for movement. And childcare is expensive so it’s made sense for me to be home. I’d still like to be home but at least have a few hours instructing, for my sanity, a little extra cash. I only have energy for one set of times”

“40 F, registered Architect. I pivoted to working for Tech companies (project management) and while I get compensated really well, I am at a place where I want to be more present as a parent. I am looking to pivot to something that is essentially 6hr job per day( 9am - 3pm) , where the work does not come home with me. What are my options here? We are at a good place financially where we can live on my husband’s salary but I would still like to contribute something to the household and have a job”

“I have 2 little ones and working evenings was great, 24 hrs week. I could spend all day with them and then go to work in the evening a few times. Well, life has just changed a lot because my older one just started kindergarten, so he's in school M-F all day. If working part time with a child in school, what would you prefer? Longer shifts, but less days? Right now I do 3 evenings a week, but every other weekend is required 😭 sucks with a child in school. I was thinking of doing two 12hr shi”

“I’m an engineer with 8 years of experience. Both my kids go to daycare 10 minutes from my house. They’re there 7am to 5pm. My husband does drop off and I do pick up. I’m trying to decide if I should stay at my current job or take this new offer. Both jobs are engineering. Here is a summary: Current job: -Been here for 8 years, love my manager and team -3 days commute to office 50 min away. 2 days remote -the office days I work 6:30-2:30pm and Fridays half days all year round. Monday I work 7am-4”

“I like working. I love being a mom, but afterschool care is driving me insane My two older children are old enough to get themselves off the bus, but my first grader gets out an hour before I get off work and 45 minutes before they do, so I can’t pay them to watch her. After school childcare programs are expensive, hard to get into, and often cancel due to staffing issues. I work as a teacher so I don’t make a lot of money and I don’t have a lot of flexibility to leave work early if the after sc”

“Am I wrong for leaving at my scheduled end time? I’m a teacher at a childcare center working with children ages 16-32 months. My contracted/scheduled hours are 7:30 AM–3:30 PM, and I am an exempt, at-will employee. I usually arrive around 6:00 AM because I like having extra time to make sure my classroom is organized and properly cleaned before the children arrive. That isn’t my scheduled start time-I do it because I want to make sure everything is ready. Because of staffing issues, I’m sometime”

“My daughter will be 3 in november, i’m a SAHM and my husband has been pushing part time daycare for a while. It’s for good reason i guess, i got diagnosed with several things since giving birth, ehlers danlos,fibromyalgia,and chronic fatigue syndrome. I can’t do enough for my daughter as much as i want to and it breaks my heart. I know it will be good for her but i got a call from her new teacher today about meet the teacher on Thursday and i’ve been sobbing ever since. I thought I would be read”

“These jobs would need to be within school hours, earliests start 8:30 latest clock out 16:00 and have annual wage over 32k The only thing that's obvious to me is a cival service role, A teacher or another role in a school, NHS admin, I'm not opposed to any of these, however I would like to know if there's any that aren't obvious to me. I'm in my mid 20s and plan to have children in my early or mid 30s after I build my savings up, so I'm planning ahead in terms what job or”

“Looking for some non-judgmental opinions- is it weird to use daycare as a stay at home mom? Please read for more context. I recently became a stay at home mom with my three year old (four in November) and 18 month old. My oldest (five) is in kindergarten. My kids were in daycare up until I quit. I’ve been staying home for about two months now, and my 3 year old is driving me insane. She has expressed that she misses her daycare friends and teachers. I think she also misses the structure and rout”

“I work from home and whenever my kids get off school, all hell breaks loose! I'm hoping to get some activity ideas, not just plopping them in front of tv. I know that's what we did in my day, but hoping to give my kids a little better than that submitted by /u/Designer-Doubt-1491 [link] [comments]”

“I’m starting my kindergarten daycare soon this week. it’s a 3 hour class with some days that might have enrichment. students go to different classes and i have to walk them all. i also don’t have my own classroom necessarily so i have as many games and art supplies as i can fit in my trolley. now, last year i had 10 kids and it was so rough for me without a helper. many of them had behavioral issues and accidents would happen. so they ended up giving me a helper for one hour. also would like to”

“Hi everyone, I’m in my 30s I’ve been working in private pre-K (Quebec, Canada)for a few years and while I care about kids, I’m completely drained physically, mentally, emotionally. Paycheck to paycheck, no real growth, and I’ve lost my spark. I studied English in the past but I’m not sure teaching is right for me. I’ve thought about school counseling because I genuinely care about kids’ mental health and want meaningful work but I’m not sure where to start without a 4-year degree right now. I’m”

“Both of my kids will be in school this year. I work shift work every weekend so I can stay home during the week with my kids. We don’t have help so my husband and I navigate this together. He works during the week and I work weekends. I’m not sure what to do with the time that I’ll have now during the week while the kids are in school. I feel guilty for this time because my husband doesn’t get that. I could get a part time job just for some extra cash, I could just enjoy it but guilt may prevent”

“I’m currently a stay at home mom to young kids, and have one more year before my youngest starts preschool (other two are starting first grade). Before kids I hopped around in the corporate world and then was a private chef. I had an online course business during covid that did great until it was killed by AI. I’m seriously considering going to grad school part-time to get my LMFT and ultimately open a therapy practice of 12-15 clients mostly during school hours. My husband is supportive, but ye”

“I’m currently a stay at home mom to young kids, and have one more year before my youngest starts preschool (other two are starting first grade). Before kids I hopped around in the corporate world and then was a private chef. I had an online course business during covid that did great until it was killed by AI. I’m seriously considering going to grad school part-time to get my LMFT and ultimately open a therapy practice of 12-15 clients mostly during school hours. My husband is supportive, but ye”

“My kid is starting school in September (JK) and im having a lot of anxiety over it. Ive been a stay at home mom her whole life until recently, and currently take her to work with me as a nanny. I work 9-5 every other day right now, but have an opportunity to work 10-3, 5 days a week. I'd have to get my mom to drop her off and pick her up 3 days a week as is. I dont know what to do. I want to be able to drop her off and pick her up, and dont want to have to be getting home so late. I was kind”

“I originally planned to be a SAHM, but I found an amazing part time job in my career field. I thought it would be the best of both worlds. I would bring the baby to daycare part time while still having time for me, and time to work a mentally stimulating job. I realize I am very lucky in this sense that I will have him home with me 2/5 week days, but now I’m so scared for him to go to daycare. I am being induced Tuesday so he’s not even born yet. I want to spend every minute with him and not mis”

“I (22f) am really panicking about what career to pursue. I have been doing exclusively childcare for the past 5 years. I recently discovered I actually hate it and have no interest in doing it. I’m not in college, I don’t have any certifications, and have no experience in any other field. What do I do? I’m struggling to find a job that has the same workload as childcare without pursuing higher education. I’d like a job that keeps me on my feet all day without being tied down to a desk or cubicle”

“Hi everyone, I work in a K-12 school and I teach high school. This year my own children will be in Kindergarten and second grade, and in order to save costs they will not be going to after school care and instead walking down to my room after school. Besides keeping a plethora of snacks on hand, does anyone have any tips to keep them entertained after school for about 30 minutes until my contract time is over? I teach high school and do not have toys in my room and kids are not allowed to be in”

“I have 2 kids, ages 13 and 5. I have worked full time since my oldest was 2. Now that both are school age I am actually finding it so much harder to maintain full time work and keep up with the various school schedules/events/extracurriculars/etc. I was pretty proud of myself pushing through and continuing to work through what I thought were the “hard years.” But while school age years are easier in some ways—I’m less emotionally or physically taxed—logistically it feels almost impossible. So no”

“Hi mommies. I recently became a part time administrative/operations manager at a Christian preschool and a “perk” of the job is discounted/free college tuition through a specific university. I have my associates (66 credits) in business and before my son was born (16 months old) I was a recruiter making great money! I now make uhhh less money, but I get more time with my son which was my ultimate goal. I was accepted into the spring 2027 group at this university and it would be towards a bachelo”

“I’ve been working in childcare for 11 years and am wanting to make a change and can’t quite figure out which direction to go in. 4 years in daycare centers and the last 7 years as a nanny. I would love to work hybrid or remote, or at least have some flexibility and good benefits. My partner and I are wanting to start a family and for that to happen we are both going to need to find a way to trade our time for more money. I also don’t want to be working with kids full time once I have a kid of my”

“I'm considering buying an existing daycare or opening one from scratch and would love to hear from current or former daycare owners. If you were starting over in 2026, would you still do it? Is it better to buy an existing daycare or start your own? What are the biggest challenges (staffing, licensing, regulations, profitability, etc.)? Is the financial upside worth the amount of work and responsibility? What's something you wish you knew before getting into the business? Looking for hon”

“The question we all get asked as kids, so engrained into our brains and here I am as an adult asking this question again… what should I be when I grow up? Before kids I got a bachelors in art education and taught art in the classroom for eight years. Once I started having kids the income just didn’t pay for childcare. I was basically breaking even to have someone else raise my kids, so I decided to work from home. however, that didn’t stop me from doing random jobs here and there to help financi”

“My kid is starting public school this year in first grade. School start at 7:35 (gag) with the school day ending at 1:55 (double gag). The school offers a free aftercare but with MANY caveats - runs until 4pm, off on fridays and every other weds for staff development etc - AKA a special kind of logistical nightmare. It's also very limited spots for younger ages. There is an aftercare program at a local daycare center where they would bus her that runs till 5:30, but i've heard such mixed”

“Taken a year (and a half) of maternity leave and starting back tomorrow. What helped you settle back into the role? What are your tips and tricks? Also, little one has her first full day at nursery tomorrow so any advice would be appreciated! Thank you in advance. submitted by /u/_Raise_9221 [link] [comments]”

“Am I a failure of a mom.. probably but I’m doing the best I can. I do my daughter’s (almost 3) hair most t-f before daycare. Glitter and bows. The other day even had a temp tattoo. Well I ran out of time and had to pack RTF formula for my son. Daycare was amazed and said no one ever brought it before. They obviously didn’t mean it in anyway but it was triggering. I felt like the first mom to crash and burn enough to bring it in instead of making bottles. I then forgot it was pj day! I feel like”

“In over 15,000 communities across the US tonight, there will be community events and picnics. It's certainly not a cure-all, but for those who say they don't have a village, this is a great opportunity to meet people in your community and spend time as neighbors. Many events will have free food / dinner. Ours growing up had hamburgers, donated restaurant food, and community potluck. Most of the time they are at a park and many have visits from city services like firefighters, city counci”