Mommy's at work: Who's watching the baby?
By Cynthia E. Brodrick • Bankrate.com

People keep having kids despite all the hassles. Since most modern moms and dads still have to work, finding quality child care is a hurdle that new and experienced parents face every week.

Babies are cute. They're also expensive. So once the family leave runs out, it's time for mom and dad to get back to work. Which leaves the baby ... at home alone?

No, no. That would be wrong. Responsible parents go through a lot of effort and expense finding adequate, safe and affordable child care. Across the United States, parents are fretting about who'll be watching over the 5 million plus children under the age of three.

Money
Working parents are laying out increasingly larger amounts of money for their children's care. According to the Urban Institute's most recent study, working families spend more than nine percent of their monthly pay on child-care expenses.

"Child-care is expensive. It's really expensive," says Judith Lederman, the Irvington, N.Y., author of Searching for Mary Poppins, a book inspired by her experience dealing with bad child care and the struggle to find good care.

The government offers some assistance in the form of tax credits. The Child and Dependent Care tax credit can cover up to 30 percent of expenses that go toward care for children younger than 13. The dollar limit on the expenses toward which you can apply the credit is $3,000 for the care of one person and $6,000 for two or more. To find out more about this tax credit, read this Bankrate story.

Time
Additionally, you'll be spending a fair amount of time dealing with child care as well. Finding child care is not a snap -- "Because there isn't enough good quality child care in the world," explains Ann Douglas, an author and parenting expert who lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

Finding child care that suits your family also takes time because it's a very personal decision. If both parents work full time, the kids will be spending approximately 50 hours each week being raised by someone else. So think about what atmosphere you want for your child -- a loving relative, fun socialization with other kids, a religious beginning or an early start to learning.

You want to take this original research seriously. Lederman says, "Studies have found when there's shifting day care, it's detrimental to the child. It's best to do the research upfront. Take the time."

Once you have an idea of what form of child care you want, it's time to discover the realities in your area. Lederman warns that it can take at least a month to find good child care, depending on where you live. If you're considering child care other than with a family member, then you'll want to visit and investigate the place. It may have all the licenses or recommendations from your friends, you'll still want to check to see if it suits your style of parenting and meets your comfort level for safety.

And you can't dillydally on your research. To get into some forms of child care, you need to get on a waiting list before the kid is born.

"Expect to lose a lot of time [at work] when they start child care," says Douglas. The universal sharing of germs is a reality that every parent will have to face eventually. Child care that puts your kid in contact with other kids will bring this reality about sooner.

Flexibility
Finally, you also need to look at how much flexibility your workplace allows. Will you be able to get away to pick up a sick child? Would you be able to take time off to spend with a sick child -- or start your child care search over again if the sitter quits suddenly?

Even if you find the perfect solution at a price you can live with, don't get too comfy. You'll probably have to start all over a few times before that kid starts school -- and then you'll continue dealing with after-school care. A renewed search will probably cost you valuable time away from your job.

Unsympathetic employers can be the biggest challenge for parents struggling with child care problems. Employers want someone dedicated to their career, says Lederman, while the worker is coming from a different angle -- especially after the child is born.

"It's always when you think you have it under control, it falls apart," says Douglas. Though she's a noted expert on finding child care, this mother of four faced yet another day-care crisis this past summer. On a Friday, her youngest child's baby sitter announced she was quitting and starting a new job the next Monday. Douglas says, "It happens to everyone."

-- Updated: Aug. 4, 2003