Work-at-home parents, how do you do it???

[ameraussie]

Hi everyone,

We are getting set to move to Singapore from Australia in the next month or two, and are currently looking at local kindergartens/nurseries for my two kids (5 and 2).

I am finishing up my dissertation and do consulting work from home, which is currently facilitated by putting my kids in long day care (9 to 5 and out of my hair) three days per week. I am finding, however, that long day care placements seem quite rare in Singapore, especially for the little one.

My question for other work-at-home parents is: How do you get your work done when your preschoolers are only in school from 8:30 to 11:30?

Seriously, your tips here are most appreciated. I'm starting to worry about this a little bit.

Thanks!

Ameraussie

[offshoreoildude]

MY only suggestion is to use a relative or maid to take care of them; there doesn't seem to be (or is very rare) all day daycare but I could be wrong.

[ameraussie]

MY only suggestion is to use a relative or maid to take care of them; there doesn't seem to be (or is very rare) all day daycare but I could be wrong.

Yes, I kinda figured it would come to having the maid look after them -- no relatives here. But I guess what I'm asking is: How does this work? And how well?

I don't really expect my 2 year old to respect the invisible "mummy's at work" boundary between the living room and the office, and then there's the noise and distraction of having them in the house for so much of the day.

Is anyone doing this? How does it work for you?

Thanks

[sundaymorningstaple]

We have a couple of SAHDs on the board who do it, maybe they'll pop in to let you know how they do it....

[crowsnest]

Hi Ameraussie, have u considered to put your 2 kids into the pre-school (some of pre-school start from 7am to 7pm)? I'll move to SG from Syd in later May and booked my 2yrs old girl in the pre-school which starts from 7am to 7pm in bukit timar area (not as pricy as pats schoolhouse & Eden). Anyway, good luck! Hope u will find a good one near where u live

[PaulynY]

Hi, I think U can actually get more work done in Singapore compared to Sydney. We were in Adelaide for almost 2 yrs and the difference between aust and sg or Asia for that matter is that when U sign them up for preschool, it's daily. I've just sign my 4yo up for a preschool 7am-1pm for $600 pm. I now have extra time in my hands and am looking for a job or at least something to fill my time. A full day session i.e. 7am-7pm is only $800 per kid. One of your kids shld be in primary 1, there are some enrichment centres that offer similar services as after school care. Hope this helps

[ameraussie]

Hi Ameraussie, have u considered to put your 2 kids into the pre-school (some of pre-school start from 7am to 7pm)? I'll move to SG from Syd in later May and booked my 2yrs old girl in the pre-school which starts from 7am to 7pm in bukit timar area (not as pricy as pats schoolhouse & Eden). Anyway, good luck! Hope u will find a good one near where u live

Thanks for your feedback! After a bit more research we found some preschools in our area that offer full days. What with the school bus picking them up and dropping them off every day, I should have time to spare. Thanks for the help.

[Anou]

MY only suggestion is to use a relative or maid to take care of them; there doesn't seem to be (or is very rare) all day daycare but I could be wrong.

you can take someone who will take care of them

[abbby]

Difficult to get work done is 3 hours, so full daycare makes more sense and fee don't differ much.