Amanda Jeptha is married to Alan and has a baby boy named Lex (18 months).
She lives in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and is a "baby planner" and the owner / founder of Planning for Babe.
C4K: What’s a baby planner and how do you fit in the new business with looking after your little boy?
AJ: A Baby Planner is like a wedding planner, but for helping mums prepare for an even bigger day! Planning for Babe helps women who don’t have the time or confidence to research and select baby products to suit their individual needs, by offering services ranging from questions to ask when you’re choosing a buggy or cot through to personal shopping, designing and assembling the nursery.
Working while effectively still being a full time mum means I have to plan my time very carefully, otherwise I would never fit everything in! I am not usually away for longer than 3 hours at a time (apart from personal shopping trips), so I get to spend lots of time with Lex during the day, which suits me to a tee.
There is a good deal of flexibility. Sometimes, for instance, I work from lunchtime into the night, instead of from 10am to 6pm, to fit with our child care.
C4K: When did you go back to work after having Lex?
AJ: I created Planning for Babe when he was 3 months old; whilst I knew I didn’t want to line anyone else’s back pocket again, I didn’t expect I’d be back working so soon! I always thought I’d have at least a year or two at home with him, and then think about a business idea. This way though, I do feel that I have the best of both worlds, as I still spend a lot of time with him, but have short bursts away as an independent woman.
C4K: What were your main motivations to return to work?
AJ: I could see a huge gap in the market which I wanted to fill, and after three months of caring for a newborn, I felt I was ready for external stimulation.
C4K: What was the hardest thing about returning to work?
AJ: The natural fear of the unknown in starting a new business, whilst caring for Lex full time. I was also a little hesitant being away from him at first, but that soon wore off with a little newfound freedom!
C4K: Who looks after the (non school age) children when you work?
AJ: My mum looks after Lex when I am with clients, and for the times that she can’t, I have an occasional care centre as backup.
C4K: How did you find the occasional child care centre?
AJ: I found it through CareforKids.com.au of course! I also used CareforKids.com.au to search for a babysitter when we were away interstate, just because it was so easy to use, and I knew I would have a comprehensive list to choose from.
C4K: What were your main priorities while you were looking for child care?
AJ: I needed a centre which would allow me to drop off and pick up Lex at anytime, rather than a set 9 to 1 or 1 to 5, as sometimes I only need to be gone for an hour or so.
C4K: What would you do differently if you were looking for child care again?
AJ: I don’t think I would do anything differently. The website just made life so easy, in addition to being a fantastic portal of information.
C4K: What are the main benefits of your child care arrangement?
AJ: Thank heavens for mums! It’s great that Lex can spend time with my mum, and is also learning to speak Spanish (we’re from Spain). It’s also great to know that I have a backup with the occasional child care centre, so I know that at all times; I have great care for him. My husband also looks after Lex while I’m working which is great for the two of them… although Alan once showed me a photo on his phone of Lex enjoying his afternoon tea in the park. It wasn’t the healthy little fruit salad I had packed - it was a huge ice-cream, his very first, and of course, he loved it!
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