Easing the return to work when maternity leave ends

Maternity leave has been in the press again recently, with Nick Clegg announcing that father’s are to be able to share leave under new laws to be announced by the Government. 

For any mum returning to work, it can be a daunting experience – there may be guilt from not being with your child every day, worries about how well you’ll do the job again, concerns about how you’re going to juggle it all.

There’s lot of advice out there, but the best comes from other mums who've done it.  We've compiled a few of the best tips, but please do share your experiences with us too.

Start the settling in early
It’s good to get the routine established before your first day back.

Organise back up childcareBabies and children get ill, sometimes quite often; colds, tummy bugs, chicken pox, to name but a few common ailments, so it’s important to have back up in case you can’t leave work.

Look work ready to feel work ready
Make time for a hair-cut, and invest in some new clothes to look and feel the part. One mum said made an appointment at a make-up counter for some quick and easy tips to get her out of the house quickly in the morning.  Another great idea is a session with a personal shopper – Topshop do this, so it doesn't have to cost a fortune to look great.

Get someone else to do the drop-off, but do the collection yourself.
There’s nothing worse than having to leave a child who’s clinging onto your legs crying for you not to leave, and no one is going to find it as upsetting as you are.  Going back to work is hard enough without walking in tear faced and upset.  If you can get the same person to do drop off each day, it will help establish a good routine and ensure you get to the off ready to work.  You get the good bit a pick up when your child flies into your arms shouting mummy at home time!

Allow extra time for your journey home
Better to get to the nursery half an hour early than half an hour late.  Plan for traffic jams, cancelled trains and tube problems.

Don’t feel guilty and focus on the positives
It doesn't make you a bad mother for going out to work.  Focus on the positives – what does going out to work mean for you - more holidays, career satisfaction?

Make the most of your time together
Even if you were at home all day, it’s unlikely that you’d be spending 12 hours of quality time together (cleaning, shopping, laundry, checking Facebook?!).  Make the time you have together count – without beating yourself up if a day out doesn't go as planned, life isn't perfect (bad tempered toddler, rain, queues, illness and so forth!)