Hi Kate Best of luck with your new job. I went back to work (part-time) when my son was 10 months old, and at 6 months I wondered how I would ever be able to leave him with someone else, as he seemed so young and small. But between 6 and 10 months, he changed hugely, becoming more independent, more mobile, more robust, and seeing him happy each day allayed my fears considerably. Perhaps you could ask whether you could 'ease in' to your new job by taking 1 day of holiday each week for the first few weeks?