For many families these days it is necessary to look into the options that are available for both maternity leave and paternity leave. For a growing number of families the mother is the primary “bread winner”, bringing in a larger portion of the family’s income than dad. For other women taking an extended leave from their careers is either not an option because it would hurt their career or just not desirable. These and many other reasons are behind an increase in the percentage of fathers looking into and taking paternity leave.

Here in the United States the percentage of fathers who utilize their available paternity leave is 6.5%. Although this number is still fairly low, it is up 3% over the last 8 years and is continuing to grow. More and more companies are offering more flexible options to dads and as the demand continues to grow so will the options.

So what should a dad considering paternity leave consider? First and foremost is determining financially and personally if paternity leave is the right choice for your family. Once that decision is made it is important to research your options and prepare for your leave.

• One of the first major decisions for the family is to determine how much time mom will take off after the birth and how much time dad will take off. It is also important to consider if you want any of your time to over lap.

• Once you determine how much time you want to take off you will need to check your company policy on paternity leave (called family leave here in the US for either paternity or maternity leave). For example, here in the US you will be bound by the Family Medical Leave Act, which will allow you 12 weeks. Some companies will allow you more time, so do your homework.

• It is important to talk with your human resources department as well to determine what your options are, what paperwork will need to be completed by yourself and your manager, and any other things that need to be completed before, during and after the leave.

• If you know about other men in your company that have utilized paternity leave it is a good idea to talk with them. Not only will you get some great insight into how the company views paternity leave and what you need to do before hand, but you can also talk to them about their time off.

• Once you know for sure that you will utilize the paternity leave option available at your company you should arrange to talk to your manager to discuss when you will be off, how long you will be off and what both of you need to do to comply with human resources requirements.

Deciding to take paternity leave is still a big decision for most men. It has always been a given that mom will take some time off, but with the growing number of options, the changes within the family financial structure, and the trend toward more attentive fathers the norms are changing. I’m sure we will continue to see more and more fathers opting to take paternity leave.

Did you take paternity leave when your children were born? What pointers do you have for other dads considering this option?