look, in an ideal world im sure we would all love to be able to stay at home and watch our kids grow and im sure even the dads wish they could too BUT, for many families, this isnt an option. The fact is, bills need paying, food needs to be put on the table and clothes on their back and thats without the burden of rent/mortgage. I dont know your finacial situation so i cant help you there but obviously u need to look at your outgoings including the possiblity of mortgage repayments instead of rental payments. Which one costs more ect. Then factor in child care costs. Is it worth working full time and having to pay half of it in fees? Many people not only have to work f-time but they also want to so they can afford the little extras, who wouldnt want to be able to say "yes jonny, i will buy u that toy, book ect... I am lucky, i work weekends. It means we sacrifice the family bit and being able to spent it all together but right now, it works for us. Plus i wouldnt make the same money if i worked during the week.

Really its up to u, dont not do it cos people tell u not to or try to make u feel bad, but only if its right for all of you. Hope i havent confused you. best of luck!! xx

one thing i would look at is whether it is really going to pay more to go full time, i know in my case at the moment i make more money as a casual doing 2 days a week than i would if i dropped my pay rate to permanent, sure id get holidays etc but when it means losing 3 dollars an hour and more stress casual is a better option.

also thinking of the costs of working full time ie day care, running kids around etc, i have always worked full time until last year but only because i was a single mum and my kids where at school, you really have to weigh up your finances to see if its viable.

I agree with the others about weighing up the pros and cons, especially when it comes to full time pay minus the cost of day care compared to what you get now for your part time work with no daycare fees. Have you thought about looking for work that is similar in hours to what you do now but pays better? Whatever you decide, don't feel guilty about it. You need to do what is best for you family both financially and at home. I'd love to say there is a perfect balance but I don't think it exists, most Mums seem to have to sacrifice either work or family at some point.

This is toatal up to you  weather  you go full time or stay as you are . I waited for the kids to start school before i back to work full time .As they say the frist five years are the important time in a child life , so i chose to be there with them .

When i started back full time  i was lucky enough to get a job that fit in with school hours

But weight up the pro's and con's  as it is getting hard to get full time work theses days  and hours that suit you and the family best of luck to you

That is a tough question that only you and your husband can answer. I have a 2 yr old daughter and 2 week old son and i am looking at working full-time when baby is 6 weeks.

We would like our own car, house and want to know that if we ever got into a situation wehre we needed money fast for an emergency or whatever then we have it as at the moment there would be no way we could afford to pay for medical bills or a really high bill that we weren't expecting.

You have to decide what is best for your family, staying at home and watching your babies grow up and then working when they are in school or starting work full-time now and being financially independent and able to save for their education.

A good idea is to do a list of the pros and cons for both short term and long term. HOpe this helps

It's entirely up to you what you want to do. I agree with everyone else. If it feels right to go full time, then go for it.

Good luck in everything you do.

You have to do what feels right for you. i returned to work when mr K was 16wo, only 3 days a week. But soon it was four full days and they pushed me for f/time for months. I did four days until he was 13mo, what broke me was that I came home from work a couple of days after his birthday and he walked down the halway and greeted me at the door. My mum told me he'd been walking all day. I missed it, I felt crappy, and I already felt guilty for working so much. So I handed in my resignation.

I am a sole parent so my situation is a little different. fortunately we live with my parents so I don't have the burden of rent. But now I study part time at night (6hrs a weeks) and do one full day of volunteer work. I study when he's asleep and I still get to take him to everything and don't miss out on anything that happens.

I don't regret it one bit, to me money isn't everything, but seeing him achieve those milestones, how ever little, is.

Also you have to look at the cost of daycare, why work full-time, if after paying the fees, you're only $50 a week ahead.  To me $50 isn't worth time without my son.

I know it's hard decision to make, but always to what is in the best interest of you and your family.