When Can Babies Eat Spinach? Know When To Introduce It

When a woman finds out she is pregnant, part of the initial planning is figuring out maternity leave, from when it will start to how long it will be. While we immediately think of the time the mom will take off work for the baby, what about the dad? Do men get paternity leave? Here's what you need to understand about dads taking time off work for the birth of a child. If men get paternity leave, here's how they can take it

There are a few options for the dad to take time off work for the birth of a baby, and it's all pretty similar to how a mother would take maternity leave. There are types of leave dads can't take since they aren't the ones having the medical procedure or going through the actual birth, but there are some workarounds. Take FMLA FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) allows mothers, fathers, and non-birthing parents to take up to 12 weeks off work to care for a new child. The time off is unpaid, but your position will be there for you when you return. There are rules and stipulations to use FMLA depending on where you work and for how long, and you may not qualify to use it under certain conditions, so talk to your employer as soon as you find out your partner is pregnant to know your options. FMLA is amazing if you qualify, but please remember it is unpaid.  Use your PTO and vacation time Another way to take some time off (and still get paid for it) is to use your PTO and vacation time. The second you know your partner is pregnant, start saving up your time. Talk with your HR department to see how much time off you can stack together and see if they will work with you on how to best use your time. If you can't use it all at once, see about peppering days off throughout the week to get you down to only working one to three days a week so you can still be home quite a bit. Use unpaid time Another option is to talk to your HR department about unpaid time off. Depending on how long you have been with the company, you could be entitled to an extended unpaid leave or a sabbatical, or your work will let you take time off for certain things like a medical issue or the birth of a child. This is another unpaid way to take time off, so you need to plan appropriately.  What is paternity leave?