Not many parents can take their kids into work with them, and now the issue has taken centre stage in the Commons.

Labour MP Stella Creasy was told to stop bringing her three-month-old baby into the chamber. She tweeted: “Apparently Parliament has written a rule which means I can’t take my well behaved, 3-month old, sleeping baby when I speak in chamber. (Still no rule on wearing masks btw). Mothers in the mother of all parliament are not to be seen or heard it seems…”

Of course, having to find childcare in order to return to work is something most ordinary working mums have to do, and former Conservative MP Anna Soubry replied to Creasy’s tweet, saying: “But most workers can’t take their child into their work place – the office, building site, court room, hospital, etc etc etc …”.

A review has now been requested into whether MPs can take babies into the chamber. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle stressed it is “extremely important” that parents can fully participate in parliamentary work.

Flexible working can help with the challenges of being a working parent, and new research by Virgin Money (uk.virginmoney.com), which has just launched the flexible working package ‘A Life More Virgin’ for its employees, has found nearly two thirds (60%) of working parents and parents-to-be would switch jobs because of poor maternity or paternity leave.

It’s supported by television presenter, life coach and mum-of-two Anna Williamson, who says: “Working parents’ contracts are really very outdated, and as parents we need things to be more flexible. We need to treat employees like a valuable asset, so if we’re looking after employees and making things as flexible as possible, they’re more likely to stay in the job longer and be more happy at work.

“We’re trying to juggle two full-time roles: looking after our children is a full-time gig, and so is being an employee. The challenge for all parents is trying to get the balance right. Parents need less stress in their lives, and more flexibility. Happy mum or dad, happy baby – I really subscribe to that.”

And Jane van Zyl, CEO of the charity Working Families (workingfamilies.org.uk), adds: “The challenges Stella Creasy is currently facing is a particularly extreme version of the stressful balancing act that many parents – particularly mothers – have to manage when they’re bringing up young children.”

The major challenges include…

1. Finding affordable, available childcare

Working Families points out that not only do parents have to find childcare they’re happy with, it has to cover the hours parents need to work and commute, as well as be affordable. The NCT (nct.org.uk) says parents pay an average of more than £7,000 per year for just a part-time nursery place, and just an after-school club costs an average of £62 per week.

2. Term-time only childcare

Some childcare is only available during school terms, and parents normally don’t get enough holiday leave to take time off to look after their children in school holidays.

3. ‘Mum guilt’

Many parents – particularly mums – feel guilty when they return to work and have to leave their baby in childcare. Williamson says: “Mum guilt isn’t very useful – we spend enough energy in our day-to-day working life stressing and trying to be the best employee and the best parent, so sticking guilt on top isn’t helpful.

“But I do recognise that a lot of parents experience that mum guilt, and  I say to mums that the reason they feel guilty is because they care, but it’s not going to do them or their job any good. The key is to work out what works for you for your work-life-family balance. Happy employee, happy employer!”

4. What to do if your child is ill

Parents are legally allowed a “reasonable amount of time off” to deal with an emergency like their child being ill, but there’s no set amount of time as it depends on the situation, and employers may then ask parents to take annual leave or parental leave if they need to look after their child for longer.

5. The effect having children may have on their career

All mums are entitled to take a year’s maternity leave if they want, but such a long absence can take its toll on their career prospects – whether their employer admits it or not – and certainly leave them feeling out of the loop and worried about what they’ve missed. Working Families point out that often women who move to part-time work for childcare reasons find they’re stuck in less secure, more junior roles, and this increases the gender pay gap.

Van Zyl says: “The system for supporting parents is simply not up to scratch for a modern workforce, and it all too often means that women’s careers are cut short when they become mothers.

“We urgently need to address the lack of affordable, flexible childcare to allow women to maintain their careers when they have a baby. We need more organisations to take the lead from the best employers and make sure they’re offering flexible, family-friendly policies for everyone. It’s not just something that will benefit individuals – it’s terrible business sense to lose so much talent from organisations simply because the infrastructure isn’t there to support women to balance their work with raising their family.”

6. Reduced pay

Women are usually paid less while on maternity leave (and many only receive statutory pay), despite the extra expense of having a new baby. Women having children is likely to be linked to the overall gender pay gap – even though men, obviously, have children too.

“It’s at the point when a baby is born that the gender pay gap begins, and grows over the next 12 years until women earn around a third less than men,” van Zyl points out.

7. The breastfeeding issue

We live in culture where breastfeeding is really encouraged – that is, until you go back to work. If you can’t take your baby to your workplace, and return to work while breastfeeding, you’ll probably have to stop or supplement with formula  – unless you’re able to express a lot of milk (not an option for many women) and your company gives you the time and space to pump during work time.