I charge $200/month as a holding fee. Something I have done in the past and in fact I'm doing right now, is to start a baby 1 day the first week, 2 days the next, 3 days the next, up until the Mom returns from her mat leave. It works out to more than the $200/month and I'm transitioning the child while the Mom is still available for help and can make it shorter days, like 9:30-3:30 and I can tell her all my problems at the end of the day and she can help at home too and isn't already stressed because she's returned to work. Anyway, that's my method.