![Sarah Meier, industrial relations lawyer and President of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association, ACT.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/9/g/x/z/image.related.landscape.380x253.gw9dot.png/1495507935336.jpg)
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'He has gastro but that's okay, right?': sick kid etiquette
We cannot place all children who are sick in a bubble till they recover, but we can give other parents a choice about exposing their kids to them.
![<i></i>](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/2/o/y/3/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.1146mu.gmyb2e.png/1468147607745.jpg)
Working out without worry: tips for using a gym creche
Thinking of joining a gym but unsure about leaving your baby in the care of the crèche? Read a mum's story and five tips for a smooth transition.
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![Sarah Meier, industrial relations lawyer and President of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association, ACT.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/9/g/x/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw9dot.png/1495507935336.jpg)
![Clint Greagen and his four sons: Maki, 5, Tyson, 8, Lewis, 10, and Archie, 12.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/4/w/2/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw4r7g.png/1495008848329.jpg)
![ACT parents pay more for childcare from less qualified staff.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/s/i/2/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvtycv.png/1493610515414.jpg)
Latest
![Au pairing originally provided an opportunity for cultural exchange. However, it is now used by some to access domestic ...](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/p/1/u/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gvoiyv.png/1495419446622.jpg)
Call to bring in nannies from Pacific Islands
Leading businesswoman says revamped 457 visa scheme should have made it easier for nannies from Pacific Islands to come here.
![Australia has the lowest fuel quality standards in the developed world.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/f/z/n/i/image.related.landscape.300x200.gvhvky.png/1491856377878.jpg)
Call to fine parents idling car engines near schools
Parents who park the car but leave the engine running during school pick-up and drop-off times would be penalised under anti-idling laws proposed to cut harmful vehicle emissions.
![My mother took great pride in the fact she did not "dump" her children at childcare.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/d/p/4/x/image.related.landscape.300x200.gvdj7w.png/1491480433222.jpg)
Why I refuse to feel guilty for sending my kids to childcare
"Childcare is child abuse." That's what I was told from an early age, writes Kasey Edwards.
![A specific visa for au pairs will not in itself prevent exploitation.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/v/m/6/image.related.landscape.300x200.gv80ps.png/1490829294431.jpg)
Au pair visa won't stop exploitation
Without regulation, au pairs are liable to be misused, overworked and isolated.
![Should childcare centre's offer a more nutritious dessert?](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/n/o/v/i/image.related.landscape.300x200.gv3x70.png/1490247317238.jpg)
Who wins and who loses as Turnbull government moves toward childcare victory
Families with young children in childcare will be up to $3400 a year better off, although family payments will be frozen.
![Young parents these days have little alternative but to pay strangers to perform that most precious of services, caring ...](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/c/c/e/image.related.landscape.300x200.guw8wx.png/1489806638823.jpg)
Parents left in the dark over the quality of childcare
Young parents these days have little alternative but to pay strangers to perform that most precious of services, caring for their little ones. It's an emotionally fraught process.
![Childcare worker Alicia Smith looks after babies from six weeks to 19 months.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/s/h/s/9/image.related.landscape.300x200.guscxf.png/1489143169019.jpg)
The childcare worker who earns more cleaning the centre than looking after the kids
Alicia Smith wakes up while it's still dark, eats breakfast in a hurry and makes her way to work. If she's lucky, she's remembered to pack her own lunch before she runs out the door. She gives Boots the dog one last pat.
![Childcare worker, Lucy Gosling, with kids, (L-R) Gabriel, Etta and Jemima, at the Clovelly Child Care Centre.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/q/j/b/b/image.related.landscape.300x200.gunu2j.png/1488704491372.jpg)
'Love doesn't pay the bills': Workers strike over 'half' pay
More than 1000 early childhood educators plan to walk off the job on International Women's Day to draw attention to their low pay.
![Should childcare centre's offer a more nutritious dessert?](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/n/o/v/i/image.related.landscape.300x200.guno8h.png/1490220451765.jpg)
Would you change daycare centres for this reason?
This mum loves her child's daycare facilities, staff, location and the level of care - there's just one thing she's not sure about.
![Education Minister Simon Birmingham says the new university reform package deserves to pass the Parliament.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/3/9/v/z/image.related.landscape.300x200.gulhcb.png/1493687252450.jpg)
$250m crackdown on dodgy family daycare launched
The Turnbull government is launching a major crackdown on dodgy family daycare providers, with new integrity measures designed to save taxpayers up to $250 million.
![The government is seeking to reduce the cost of childcare.](/web/20170528213417im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/b/z/4/t/image.related.landscape.300x200.gugqtj.png/1487673509290.jpg)
The real cost of childcare
The total cost of six years of childcare is astonishing.
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