![Chris Reid and his wife Kathryn found a better home loan deal for their Brisbane home.](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/7/1/i/x/image.related.landscape.380x253.gn7x8o.png/1456861883450.jpg)
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![Working pregnant woman](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/1/h/e/9/z/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.1hd74.gmykql.png/1457067770567.jpg)
Career after baby? What career?
You can skirt around the issue of returning-to-work after baby with whatever fancy, politically correct phrases you like, but when it’s reduced down like a Masterchef-style jus, the stress, the negotiation, the juggle and the guilt make the whole process, simply, crap.
!["Kids are a lot. Pick a category - money, time, energy, emotion, peace - and you better believe kids take up a lot of ...](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/3/j/2/z/v/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.11dbe4.gmykql.png/1457067770567.jpg)
Should you have a third child or not?
I thought our family had been complete with our two boys. I had no idea how much I needed my daughter until she was here.
![eb-gradpic-thumb](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/2/z/8/x/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.2z8uf.gmykql.png/1457067770567.jpg)
![Nannies may be a more affordable option than you think](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/s/5/i/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.s5ez.gmykql.png/1457067770567.jpg)
![140x93_pregnant_work](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/k/t/j/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.35uja.gmykql.png/1457067770567.jpg)
![Tania Titman](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/1/z/4/6/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.1z464.gmykql.png/1457067770567.jpg)
Latest
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Government to compromise on paid parental leave 'double dipping'
The Turnbull government has confirmed it is backing away from unpopular changes to paid parental leave.
![Parents seeking to qualify for childcare subsidies will be subject to spot checks on their working hours under a ...](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/7/7/6/t/image.related.landscape.300x200.gldnyw.png/1449035299323.jpg)
Parents to get random 'spot checks' on work hours in Coalition plan
Families will be subjected to random "spot checks" from the government to make sure they are reporting their work hours accurately under the Coalition's new childcare plan.
![December is a time when consumers are tempted to pile purchases on credit but the festive season could be less of a ...](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/7/5/y/h/image.related.landscape.300x200.gld15g.png/1449006327630.jpg)
Ten money saving tips for this Christmas
Australians plan to spend over $46 billion dollars in retail stores over the Christmas season and with this comes the pressure to buy that something special. Gift giving can be expensive, often leading to that dreaded credit card bill come January but it doesn't have to be that way.
![Going from two incomes to one after having a baby can be a shock.](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/6/y/5/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.gl9f6r.png/1448585584333.jpg)
How to cope when you switch to one income
What happens when your household goes from two incomes to one? This could be because you are having children, taking time off to study, dealing with medical issues or you've been retrenched.
![Bec Smith is at her wits' end after being locked out of myGov for three months, preventing her from accessing parental ...](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/6/q/s/2/image.related.landscape.300x200.gl656q.png/1448312842053.jpg)
myGov
Inside my Centrelink nightmare
Mother Bec Smith has been trying for months to access Centrelink payments. A "serious error" is preventing her.
![Sam Jockel aka 'Aldi Mum' started the Facebook page in 2010.](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/6/f/y/u/image.related.landscape.300x200.gl1iql.png/1447800926587.jpg)
The mum who gets paid by Aldi for being the supermarket's biggest fan
Meet the woman who loves Aldi so much it started to pay her.
![<i></i>](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/6/f/0/p/image.related.landscape.300x200.gl1419.png/1447802591123.jpg)
Baby deposit
How much do you need to save for a ‘baby deposit’?
It's fairly straightforward to calculate a house deposit, but how much money do you need to save up for a baby?
![Queenslanders are more likely to buy supermarket home brands than interstate shoppers.](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/5/l/h/8/image.related.landscape.300x200.gkp9qz.png/1446504872253.jpg)
Penny-pinching supermarket shoppers switching in droves
Half of Australia thinks it can get cheaper groceries by switching supermarkets, and about one in four of us have already switched.
![<i></i>](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/5/i/b/9/image.related.landscape.300x200.gknwtm.png/1446339042177.jpg)
How to save for a deposit while renting
As hard as it sounds, it is possible to save money when you rent, and certain things can be done to build a deposit faster.
![Kelly Dohle with daughters Elsie and Gretel. Kelly and her husband Daniel are unsure if they can afford a third baby.](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/5/i/a/7/image.related.landscape.300x200.gknvvk.png/1446335742493.jpg)
Paid parental leave uncertainty a growing concern
Eight months out from the due date of the government's PPL cut, some expectant parents are facing an uncertain time.
![Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon.](/web/20160317020418im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/4/4/g/f/y/image.related.landscape.300x200.gk82n3.png/1444715938890.jpg)
OFF THE CARDS
5 things you should never put on credit
Some debt is good and other debt is very, very bad – especially when it is sitting on a piece of plastic with a high interest rate.
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