I Just Lost a Client—and Honestly, I’m Happy About It.

We recently took on a search for a family living in rural Queensland. A young mother with a three-month-old baby was being called back to work, and she needed our help finding the right childcare solution within her budget.

It was a tough brief. She was looking for a live-in arrangement. And while she was offering a wonderful cultural experience, the reality of the market is that most live-in au pairs simply don’t have the experience required to help care a baby that young.

On the flip side, a professional nanny salary was stretching her budget. Eventually she looked into registering for In-Home Care (IHC)—a government-subsidized program designed for families who can’t access mainstream childcare.

It was during this process that she had a realised two things.

First, she saw the reality of the IHC system- heavy admin, high agency fees, and an unappealing process for Educators.

But second—and much more importantly—she realised she wasn’t ready to be parted from her baby boy.

Ultimately, she made the decision to extend her maternity leave.

The pressure to go back to work was coming from her employer, but the decision to stay home belonged entirely to her and her family.

When she told me, I could hear the relief and happiness in her voice. And I was truly happy for her.

We work with many new mothers who are nervous and unsure about leaving their babies to return to the workforce. Our job is to reassure them, guide them, and connect them with caring, experienced nannies who can help make the transition back to work feel seamless.

But if a mother really isn’t ready? We have to respect that. And as a Mother, rather than an Agency owner, I’m always pleased to hear another mother making the decision to stay at home a little longer and enjoy this precious time

I know not every mother has the financial luxury to extend their leave. From a business perspective, our agency exists to support working parents by sourcing the absolute best in-home childcare. But if the timing doesn’t feel right, spending that irreplaceable time with a child is what matters most. We don’t get those early months back.

We will gladly work with this family again when the time is right for them.

If you are a new mum facing the daunting prospect of returning to work, feeling unsure about your options, or just wanting a realistic look at what the current Australian in-home childcare market looks like—please get in touch we’d love to chat.