Pricing a 2-year-9-month-old baby at the most reasonable price has come to a shocking amount (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Everything was planned.

In November 2020 I went back to work for the first time after 9 months of maternity leave. I belong to another department and it has been agreed that I will take on a new role as transportation coordinator.

I worked for a big company, but I have a clear path because I want to move fast and develop a career development plan with management.

The husband chose to sacrifice his career to stay home with his son. I gave up many years of good relationships and regular wages so I could go back to work and achieve my goals.

Since we are floating on my salary alone, we were able to keep costs down and live comfortably with the new arrangements.

We seriously reassessed our situation until we became pregnant with our daughter.

When I went back on maternity leave, my husband was able to go back to work full time. This was a great opportunity to earn more than I currently do and to learn and grow in his new job.

We started exploring full-time childcare options this year, so we were able to work and didn’t have to sacrifice a career.

Unfortunately, for those who don’t have a “town” to help babysitters and can’t get help from family and friends, our only option is to explore a local daycare that can accommodate two children of different ages. ..

When it comes to full-time care, it quickly became clear that babies under one year of age were more expensive than infants.

Calculating the cost of a child of 2 years and 9 months has come to a shocking total, even at the most reasonable price. It was just £1,500 and a minimum of around £1,577 a month, with no extras like hot meals or overtime.

That’s £200 more than I worked 40 hours a week.

I was half expecting that out of nowhere another option would arise so I could continue working

If you go back to work after taking childcare leave, you’ll have a hard time affording the childcare you need, especially since your husband’s salary is rising even higher due to running costs. Life crises

A friend advised me to look into a government funded plan available for a few years.

If I quit, our family income will not meet the eligibility criteria.

Universal Credit is another option, but it works on delinquencies and means you have to save the first installment of your daycare tuition up front.

This was not feasible for us because my paid maternity leave ended five months before kindergarten started.

After a long discussion, it seemed that our only option was for one of us to drop out of her career and play the role of a housewife for the four years leading up to elementary school. ..

I was deflated. We knew and agreed that it was the right choice, but I was hoping that another option would come out of nowhere so that I could continue working.

I was earning a little less than my husband, so I decided to take care of my children from home. So it makes more sense for him to continue working for the saying “bread”.

I also agreed to work flexibly at night to increase my income without compromising childcare.

Unfortunately, it has to be retail, as freelancers are often hit or miss in terms of stable payouts. I swore never to return because of the way our clients treated me and my colleagues.

It will be put on hold for years to come and the death of the career will be mourned, but we can’t help but think about how many parents have to choose between career and affordable parenting.

I have signed a series of petitions to reduce childcare costs, extend paid maternity leave, and change eligibility criteria for kindergarten funding, none of which have led to serious government action.

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a private maternity wage petition. This shows the number of people who need additional assistance that are currently out of reach.

But we haven’t heard.

According to the Women’s Budget Group, about 1.7 million women are unable to work long hours in paid jobs due to childcare-related issues, and sadly, the spring budget still leaves the childcare sector without enough support.

According to the same study, parents who don’t do more work suffer more than £28 billion in financial loss a year.

We live in a world where almost everything you can buy is inflated to exorbitant prices, but this does not affect the support of those who really need it.

I can only imagine the struggle a single parent faces. How are they supposed to thrive in the workplace when everything seems stacked against success?

£28bn is no small amount from a UK financial point of view, but the government has taken steps to unleash it and unleash the financial potential of parents struggling to balance their careers and childcare. Quick.