It used to be that a “babymoon” referred to the period of time that parents spent bonding with a newborn baby, but in recent years, people have instead been using it to describe a vacation that expectant parents take before the baby arrives. Whether it’s Natalie Portman or French First Lady Carla Bruni, the recent uptick in celebrity babymoons has been making more and more Americans aware of this phenomenon. The implication behind it, of course, is that once your baby arrives, life as you know it is over.
This way of thinking is understandable, since even the rich and famous, with their nearly limitless resources, apparently expect a newborn child to be a challenging addition to their lives. And while a new baby can be tough on anyone, having an army of nannies, housekeepers, and tutors at their disposal does make things a little easier! But what most normal middle-class parents don’t realize is that with a little bit of effort, planning, and ingenuity, they too can have those advantages for themselves. Instead of settling for a mediocre daycare center or paying $1,200-2,000 a month for childcare, you can have someone take care of your child, help her develop intellectually as well as socially, and cook meals and clean the house, all without paying a penny out of pocket. How? Simple: start your own daycare program. If you can enroll a few other children, their tuition will easily cover your costs.
That may seem like a daunting task, but it’s worth it to have total control over where, how, and with whom your child spends her day, not to mention being able to have such an extravagant luxury for free. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, because The Working Mother’s Guide to Free Child Care In Your Home (out on paperback and soon to be available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes) will take you through the process step by step. Not only does it have detailed instructions for setting up a stimulating and enriching developmental curriculum from infancy all the way through preschool, there’s also advice on everything from finding the right caregiver, to getting licensed and insured, setting your rates, advertising your program, and even dealing with other parents. Read this book and you’ll be on your way to having free, high-quality child care in your home in no time. So go right ahead and have your babymoon, because with all the money you’ll save, you might as well enjoy that trip you’ve always wanted to take!
