petitefrancaise

Good lord, I don't know anyone who pays $60k a year for childcare. You must move in rarefied circles.

I think your post is ludicrous - yes childcare is expensive but saying that you should stay at home if your salary is less than $60k is nonsense.

And "possible" longer term effects if you leave the workplace. I would say definite longer term effects that make it very, very, very, very hard to get a job again after what 5? years out of the workplace.

Pulaski

I agree with what you said, but Hiro didn't say "pay $60k for childcare". .... We looked at the figures ourselves - if both parents are working there are additional costs and saving opportunities forgone - time pressures leading to eating out more often and fewer home-prepared meals, the cost of commuting, business dress, lunches bought, etc. Staying home brings additional costs too - more home heating and cooling, for example.

That said, I do think that Hiro failed to recognize how much cheaper day care for children is in some parts of the country than in some of the high cost big cities.

Mrs P took time off after little Miss P was born, but started looking to return to work after 16 months, and after some temping work started full time a couple of weeks before little Miss P's second birthday. Little Miss P started daycare the week after her second birthday and although the decision was somewhat forced when Mrs P returned to work, the experience that little Miss P had at daycare, which was very positive, would have led us to put any subsequent children in daycare too after their second birthday.

tom169

The figure I've heard batted around between co-workers here in the Charlotte area is a minimum salary of $40k to justify daycare.

Pulaski

Even for Charlotte that's pretty low, with only retail, unskilled industrial, and entry level clerical being much below that.

anotherlimey

We've had two in Florida.

I only have one warning - watch out for doctors pushing your daughter into a c-section. That's a popular thing down here and I'll speculate it's because the procedure is worth more to the hospital; but it's possibly also a safer option for them too. Once you've had one c-section most doctors will not allow you to do a regular delivery for any subsequent pregnancies.

My wife's not been back into full-time employment since the first was born. Daycare is way too expensive to justify it - we'd rather have the kids with their mom for the first 4-5 years and make the sacrifice.

Rete

As I stated elsewhere in this thread, my nephew did for a live out nanny. $56,000 annual plus vacation and sick/personal time for two children. Hours were 8 to 6, 5 days a week.

kins

I went back to work for a lot less than $60k. I had two children at school, so I was paying for one to have full-time care and the other two to have after-school care.

It was the summer holidays that broke me. No matter how well-organised I was, I struggled to balance work and childcare. Husband travelling all the time, kids getting hurt or sick and unable to go to camp, nanny cancelling at the last minute because her boyfriend was in a massive car crash, etc.

anotherlimey

Oh summer camp..... my daughter's school's summer camp is $6000. Parents have the option of pre-paying monthly during the school year.

penguinsix

Hi and congratulations.

If a child is born on US soil, they are considered automatically to be US citizens. Their parents cannot renounce that citizenship, as it is something that belongs to the child individually and cannot be taken away by others (theoretically). The child can renounce citizenship later, but only when they turn 18 or (I think) if they are able to convince an immigration officer they do so without undue pressure from their parents or others (good luck with that).

As a US citizen, the child has certain requirements they must perform:

1) File income tax statements annually on ANY income worldwide no matter where they live in the world (basically).
2) File money laundering reports to the Treasury should they ever have more than $10,000 USD in a bank account overseas (FBAR)
3) File a second money laundering report if they have more than $50,000 USD in the bank overseas (FATCA)
4) Enter and exit the United States ONLY on their US passport.
5) Register for military conscription when they turn 18 (though no one has been actually drafted in about 40 years).

On a positive note they are eligible to run for US President.

As for medical model birth, the established position of the American medical community is that births should be done in the hospitals. There are some midwives and birthing centers but they are shunned and discouraged by most medical professionals. The licensing requirements for a 'midwife' varies significantly between the states and in some states it has a somewhat negative perception based on loose qualifications. Some are trained medical professionals, and some are 'lay midwives' who lack some of the formal training you might desire. Many in the science-based medicine community are extremely critical of midwives as it is practiced in the US given the varying standards.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/o...rous.html?_r=0
http://io9.gizmodo.com/statistics-pr...ome-1531252714
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the...-of-homebirth/

The United States requires companies to give twelve weeks of family leave, unpaid, but many employers will offer other packages depending on seniority and position. For example in Silicon Valley there are places that offer several months off, and in many more professional jobs paid family leave is common. Just depends on where she is working. Generally it's one of those things the government says "it's up to the companies and workers to negotiate on their own". There is a movement underway though to change this, but doubtful it will happen before this birth.

You'll need to check the insurance cover they have as there are likely a few copays and deductibles that might have to paid first, but some plans are actually pretty good when it comes to pregnant women. For example you may have to pay a copay when you visit the OB for a prenatal checkup, but only for the first monthly visit, not the next 9 or so. I think son 1 (2006) cost $11,000 and son 2 (2008) cost $14,000 but that was the billed cost to the insurance company not what we paid. I think our first son had a $25 copay for the OB in month 2, a $25 copay for the delivery doctor at the hospital and a $25 copay for the hospital. Oh, plus a $4 charge for a TV in the room while we waited for the kid to arrive. Our second son cost a bit more (insurance plan change) as we had to pay 5% of the overall bill or something, which was about $800 USD or something like that with other bits and bobs.

catlover3

Aww, you say "mom" now. You've turned!

Hiro11

Not sure about "rarefied" but yes, $60K is about right for us here in Chicago. Infant care is at least $1,800/month around here. Knock about 25% off your income for taxes, knock another 5-10% off for commuting/lunch/incidental costs. Consider quality of life of constantly rushing to get kids/leave work etc: is it worth it for a relatively small amount of leftover money? This is a frequent topic of conversation here among younger people on my team, I didn't just make the number up.

Childcare is not cheap, especially for infants, for example:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/g00/ne...b3J5Lmh0bWw%3D

"Ludicrous"? Lol. I lived this. Also, the area the OP is talking about is hardly cheap.

It really depends on the field. Certainly you're correct for the majority of fields, which is why I mentioned it.

I'm overall not sure why your post was so huffy.

anotherlimey

lol yes, but I still call my mom, "mum".

petitefrancaise

[QUOTE=Hiro11;12215173
I'm overall not sure why your post was so huffy.[/QUOTE]

Fair enough.

It's huffy because I'm at the other end of the child rearing stuff. In 3 years I will have an empty nest as will most of my friends. I don't like this idea that unless one of you ( dare I suggest that most of the time it's the mother?) earns enough to cover the childcare with spare change that it's time to put away the high heels and suits. Those early years don't last that long and whilst it might well be the hardest thing you will ever do, I don't think it's a good idea to stay at home full time. Not losing your place on the career ladder will mean so much more money over the whole of the childrearing phase that it makes those few early years worth the struggle. Believe me, when they start college you will need that money. As Kins says, it's really hard to figure out the summer holidays when they are at school as well. The childcare challenge doesn't go away until they leave for college.

Even if you can afford to lose one income, I wouldn't advise it. Being a full time mum isn't the best way to spend your time. I've done it at times,but mostly I've managed part-time work as well. In the EU I was lucky enough that my professional skills meant I could pick up work basically where I left off.

catlover3

Gosh. I do find it bizarre that a poster has the balls to advise others on what is best for them and their families based on the OPs own preferences and circumstances. I wouldn't normally wade in on the discussion but this is my field of interest (I work at a Gender Research Centre) and I can't stop myself 😌 Childrearing is an occupation like any other. It is merely something that occupies your time. While there might be no direct economic value, I think we can all agree that individuals can choose that occupation over any other, if they do wish, and irrespective of long- and short-term financial gain, professional implications and the choices and preferences of others.

Nutmegger

The OP came to an open Internet forum looking for opinions-- and that's what she got. You have yours, others have theirs; the OP makes of them what she will.