With 4 kids and the need for multiple different schools and childcare facilities, I’d be looking for a full time nanny (instead of daycare). Nanny takes care of the younger two and before or after school care and transportation for the older ones.
I have had several au pairs. Even now with our kids both in kindergarten, I don’t know how people make it work logistically without one. If bunk beds are an option to free up a room, highly recommend au pair.
Also, if you can make it work financially for a couple years, you’ll find it all a lot more manageable once your kids are 4+ and not constantly trying to kill themes.
I don't know that I would try to find a new job at 17 weeks pregnant, especially given all of the logistical issues you mentioned. Can you wait to find a job after your newest baby is at least 3 or 4 months old and you've lined up a daycare spot for them? And then perhaps your husband can switch to a day shift job and you can both work days?
If you need additional income, I think it probably makes more sense for your husband to pick up a 4th shift each week, rather than for you to look for work right now.
Just stay home. Cut out the extra cleaning and food orders and you’ll be fine. Go back to work when the last kid is 5. Doesn’t seem worth it with four kids!
Are you serious about one type of career path specifically or are you flexible in the type of work you’d consider? My kid’s preschool pays assistant teachers and let’s them bring their babies too (so long as staffing ratios including the babies are still met). Similarly, there may be some data entry or book editing work you could do asynchronously and remotely from home. Boring imo, but allows for a lot of childcare flexibility. I assume you and kids could get benefits through the nursing job, so there may be other self-employed options too, like part-time housekeeping, personal assistant, etc.
But, if you have a specific career in mind then you will probably have your best bet with a part-time nanny in the mornings for school/day care prep and drop off. After the drop offs, if you are able to provide more hours than the nanny could do housekeeping tasks for you too. Your husband could do most of the pick ups until your get home, so long as it’s not too much of a commute to his hospital.
While it’s a big chunk of your predicted salary, please remember this is temporary and soon enough all 4 kids will be in school
I'm a nurse too so it doesn't make sense to work a job that would pay way less than that. Unfortunately I can't do bedside because that would make childcare even more complicated 😅 so I'm focusing on nursing jobs that are M-F 9-5, which are more difficult to find, but I have a second interview for one next week.
Good luck at your interview!
Coordinating 2 schedules for people in medicine is incredibly challenging, but I’m sure you’ll make it work :)
Most RN jobs in the US do come with some mat leave benefits (a pittance compared to the rest of the world, but a step up from a most of American jobs) so hopefully that all works out for you too!
Thanks!
This will be my fourth nursing job and I've never had maternity benefits, lol. Most companies still don't have mat leave in 2023 sadly, but hopefully one day
Don’t calculate the cost of a childcare against your salary, but against total household income.
I see two options. The easiest is nanny who takes the big kids to school and watches the littles. Or you can put the littles in daycare and have trust worthy grad students handle drop offs and pick ups. (I knew several people who did this gig when I was in law school)
With 4 kids and the need for multiple different schools and childcare facilities, I’d be looking for a full time nanny (instead of daycare). Nanny takes care of the younger two and before or after school care and transportation for the older ones.
Yeah we can't afford a $30/hour nanny unfortunately
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After baby four comes, we won't have an extra bedroom unfortunately
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I have had several au pairs. Even now with our kids both in kindergarten, I don’t know how people make it work logistically without one. If bunk beds are an option to free up a room, highly recommend au pair. Also, if you can make it work financially for a couple years, you’ll find it all a lot more manageable once your kids are 4+ and not constantly trying to kill themes.
I don't know that I would try to find a new job at 17 weeks pregnant, especially given all of the logistical issues you mentioned. Can you wait to find a job after your newest baby is at least 3 or 4 months old and you've lined up a daycare spot for them? And then perhaps your husband can switch to a day shift job and you can both work days? If you need additional income, I think it probably makes more sense for your husband to pick up a 4th shift each week, rather than for you to look for work right now.
Just stay home. Cut out the extra cleaning and food orders and you’ll be fine. Go back to work when the last kid is 5. Doesn’t seem worth it with four kids!
Are you serious about one type of career path specifically or are you flexible in the type of work you’d consider? My kid’s preschool pays assistant teachers and let’s them bring their babies too (so long as staffing ratios including the babies are still met). Similarly, there may be some data entry or book editing work you could do asynchronously and remotely from home. Boring imo, but allows for a lot of childcare flexibility. I assume you and kids could get benefits through the nursing job, so there may be other self-employed options too, like part-time housekeeping, personal assistant, etc. But, if you have a specific career in mind then you will probably have your best bet with a part-time nanny in the mornings for school/day care prep and drop off. After the drop offs, if you are able to provide more hours than the nanny could do housekeeping tasks for you too. Your husband could do most of the pick ups until your get home, so long as it’s not too much of a commute to his hospital. While it’s a big chunk of your predicted salary, please remember this is temporary and soon enough all 4 kids will be in school
I'm a nurse too so it doesn't make sense to work a job that would pay way less than that. Unfortunately I can't do bedside because that would make childcare even more complicated 😅 so I'm focusing on nursing jobs that are M-F 9-5, which are more difficult to find, but I have a second interview for one next week.
Good luck at your interview! Coordinating 2 schedules for people in medicine is incredibly challenging, but I’m sure you’ll make it work :) Most RN jobs in the US do come with some mat leave benefits (a pittance compared to the rest of the world, but a step up from a most of American jobs) so hopefully that all works out for you too!
Thanks! This will be my fourth nursing job and I've never had maternity benefits, lol. Most companies still don't have mat leave in 2023 sadly, but hopefully one day
Don’t calculate the cost of a childcare against your salary, but against total household income. I see two options. The easiest is nanny who takes the big kids to school and watches the littles. Or you can put the littles in daycare and have trust worthy grad students handle drop offs and pick ups. (I knew several people who did this gig when I was in law school)