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Entry bubble Childcare considerations

By: Jess | May 28, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

childcare

As I sit here writing this entry, my cousin is giving birth to her first child. (Although, I hope she's not still in labor by the time you are reading this.)

My family is so excited to meet the newest addition to the clan. We're all sure she will be the perfect little baby. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'm more than happy to offer free babysitting services when I can.

Childcare can be a challenging subject for many new parents to deal with. They have to decide if they want to leave their child with family (if that's an option) or with a babysitter or in daycare if both parents work full time.

Childcare.gov is a great resource for parents who aren't sure about their options. They can find providers in their area as well as familiarize themselves with different laws and regulations to make sure their child gets the best care.

There's a whole checklist of things parents should consider when thinking about childcare. It includes things like child to supervisor ratio, first aid training and director qualifications.

If you have other great childcare resources feel free to share them in the comments section.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   childcare   jess  

 

Entry bubble The Certainty of Change

By: Nancy | January 22, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

If there's one thing you can count on in life, it's change.green traffic light

New job. New address. New Neighbors. A new baby.

The country is buzzing with change right now and Gov Gab headquarters is busy creating its own changes too. We're working on new ways like our Facebook page and Twitter feeds to get you the information you're looking for from and about the government.

Change is even happening with me. When my boss Mary retired last month, I inherited some new things around the office that I'm pretty excited about doing, in addition to the public service announcements that I've been producing for the last 18 years.

What I'm finding though, is that sometimes you have to set something down, even if it means a lot to you, so you'll have the free hands to grasp and embrace the new thing. And that's what I have to do today, as I write my last regular Gov Gab entry.

I'm grateful that Gov Gab's parent agency, the General Services Administration has supported Gov Gab since its start as one of the federal government's first blogs. And I'm even more grateful to have been able to exchange ideas, laughs and stories with you every Thursday.

Watch out for bats, and if you see George Clooney, please tell him hello for me.  :)

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: address   baby   change   jobs   nancy  

 

By: Jake | July 28, 2008 | Category: Fun

The other day as I was walking down the street, someone called "Jacob," and I turned to see a little boy running to the person who said my name. This happens to me a lot since Jacob is no longer a rare name—it has been the most popular male baby name for almost a decade.

RolodexEver year the Social Security Administration tallies up the Social Security card applications from the previous year and releases the most popular baby names list around Mother's Day. Though there are some limitations to their method, the most popular boy name since 1999 has been Jacob. Baby Jacob, along with most popular female name (11 years running) Baby Emily, are currently promoting SSA's retirement calculator and other SSA programs on their webpage.

If you've never checked out SSA's most popular baby name website, take a gander. You can search your own name and see how popular it has been over the years. You can search popular baby names for each year back to 1880, find popular names by state, popular twin names and look at what cities parents have named their children after. You can also find information about children's benefits and other programs benefiting children.

If you are expecting a baby, it's a great resource to consider various names. When you search on a name, SSA also shows you the popularity of spelling variations of that name (e.g., Rachel vs Raechel, Jeffrey vs Jeffery). While you are picking out a baby name, you can also check out other parenting resources available from the government.

And after all this talk of names, if you feel like changing yours, Nancy has that covered for you.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   jake   names   popular   security   social  

 

Entry bubble Choosing Child Care

By: Sommer | March 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Now that I’m about 5 weeks from my son being born my husband and I are talking more and more about the type of child care we’ll use when I return to work later this summer. We know we have a few options including using the child care center that’s in the GSA buildingbabysitter holding one baby and entertaining two others where I work (I’m on the waiting list so we’ll see if I get in!). Other options include finding a home day care, a child care center closer to home or to my husband’s job, or hiring a nanny.

I’ve been searching for resources to help us make a choice and there’s quite a bit out there. Here are some of the helpers I’ve found most useful:

I’d love your advice on smoothing the transition between staying home with my baby and returning to work. I know many of you out there must have a lot of experience since most mothers these days return to work after having children.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   babysitter   child   childcare   daycare   family   mother   nanny   sommer   work  

 

Entry bubble Preparing for Baby on a Budget

By: Sommer | January 18, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

The two things people mention most when they notice I’m having a baby are 1) don’t expect to sleep much and 2) raising kids is expensive. The latest government data says that a family with an average annual income of $59,300 will spend $197,700 on that child between birth and age 17! Since we’re only in the preparation stage, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Lately though, we’ve been saving every penny so I can take some time off work after the birth. But, since there’s now a never ending listMan and woman shopping for baby cradles in a mall. of things to shop for it’s hard to save! Baby prep checklists include the crib and nursery furniture, car seat, stroller, highchair, clothes, toys and more. A friend said baby gear could cost up to $5,000! I feel like the billion-dollar-baby-products industry lurks around every corner waiting to reel me in.

Here’s what we’ve done so far to cut costs:

Who knows, maybe by cutting these costs we’ll save enough money to start a 529 plan for our son. Since we’re on a budget I’d rather he get a college education than that $800 stroller I love but he’ll never remember.

I’d love to hear any tips you have on how you saved money when preparing for your newborn! Please leave your suggestions in the comments.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   budget   money   saving   shopping   sommer  

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