u/Lebubina

I would like to take additional time off after my one year of maternity leave ends to care for my LO, who has eczema.

I understand there are several options:
Unpaid parental leave – Up to 18 weeks per child, with a maximum of 4 weeks per child per year.
Carer’s leave – Up to 1 week of unpaid leave per year for qualifying long-term care needs.

However, neither of these options would be long enough. I am considering taking at least an additional 6 months, possibly even a year or two, essentially until my LO’s condition improves or I feel confident that my LO can clearly communicate when itchy or uncomfortable.

What options would be available to me? Could I take sick leave to care for my LO? I could also consider a career break, but my understanding is that this would be at my employer’s discretion.

I am not expecting to be paid during this period; I would simply like to take time off to care for my LO without losing my job.

I’ve been reading about the theory that babies with eczema may be more likely to develop food allergies if they’re exposed to food through broken or inflamed skin before their gut has had a chance to become familiar with it.

My LO is formula-fed, so her eczema is not food-related. We haven’t been able to identify a trigger though.

For those of you whose babies had eczema, how did you approach introducing common allergens? Did you start with spoon-feeding rather than letting them touch the food? Did you use Vaseline or another barrier cream around their mouth/face? I’d love to hear what worked for you.