My spouse and I are expecting our first

Answer

I'll run the exact numbers through the savings goal calculator. Let me check the reference and the script.

**The gap**: at $950.00 a month on top of the $6,500.00 you already have, the 3-month cushion ($12,600.00) takes 7 months and the 6-month buffer ($25,200.00) takes 20 months. Both numbers are zero-yield cash, monthly-compounding model; they are a model, not a prediction.

| Goal | Target | From today's $6,500.00 | Months to land | Last-month add |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3-month cushion | $12,600.00 | need $6,100.00 | 7 | $400.00 |
| 6-month buffer | $25,200.00 | need $18,700.00 | 20 | $650.00 |

Source: this turn's `savings_goal.py` `ok:true` stdout. MoneySmart savings-goals calculator [moneysmart.gov.au/saving/savings-goals-calculator](https://moneysmart.gov.au/saving/savings-goals-calculator) — accessed 2026-09-02.

**Timing reality check (your question 2)**: today is 2026-09-26 and the baby is due early next year — roughly 4 months away. At $950.00/month you land near $10,300.00 (about 2.4 months of essentials) by the due date, which is short of even the 3-month target before delivery. So whatever cushion number you pick, the "months" really restarts the day your paid leave ends and partner's unpaid leave is still running — that overlap is the moment 3 vs 6 matters.

**Why 3 vs 6 is a household trade-off, not a single recommendation**:

| Choice | What it buys | What it costs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3-month cushion ($12,600.00) | Fastest path; deep enough to absorb a normal delivery + the first stretch of unpaid leave plus a typical surprise | Short buffer if the unpaid window stretches past 12 weeks, or if a medical bill, layoff, or daycare delay lands |
| 6-month buffer ($25,200.00) | Covers the full 6-month stay-home window with margin plus a typical 6-month emergency reserve (job loss, car, health) | Takes 20 months — past the baby's first birthday at your current contribution rate |

This pack does not assign one answer; the household's call sits on the trade-off between "buffer reached sooner" and "buffer lasts longer than the unpaid window." Source: family-money heuristic on multiple-of-expenses targets — same row as the calc above.

Cash flow during the transition back to work:

1. *Due date (≈ early 2027)* — even a normal delivery and newborn costs pulls from cushion. Below the 3-month line here means starting parenthood behind.
2. *End of your paid leave (week 12)* — partner is 12 weeks into a 6-month stay-home window. Your pay is now the only household income; this is the cash-flow pinch point where the gap between 3 and 6 months hurts most.
3. *Partner returns at month 6* — buffer should still be intact enough to ride out a slow first month back (delayed first paycheck, daycare startup).

**Liquidity structure (your question 3)**: the time horizon on this money is months, not years, so the vehicle has to match.

- **Keep it in liquid, FDIC-insured cash.** A high-yield savings account, a savings account, or a money-market deposit account at an FDIC-insured bank (FDIC insurance up to $250,000 per depositor per insured bank — Source: [fdic.gov](https://www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance/), accessed 2026-09-02). Withdrawal in 1–2 business days, which is the timing medical bills and rent move on.
- **Don't lock any of it.** CDs with early-withdrawal penalty, brokerage cash awaiting investment, I-bonds if you might need it inside 12 months (redemption timing and 3-month-interest penalty apply), or loans against retirement balances — none of these match a cushion you might need in 60 days.
- **Don't put reserves in markets.** Stocks, equity funds, target-date funds, crypto, anything priced in those units. Principal can drop exactly when you need it most — unemployment and postpartum-year expenses tend to land on the same cycle the market uses.
- **Don't mix roles.** Most of the cushion in one FDIC cash account so it stays out of sight; a small "this-week baby costs" float in checking. As long as nothing in this pot is tagged "long-term growth," the structure holds.

**Honest limits**: I didn't model HYSA APY, medical-bill sizes, or daycare pricing, and the 7- and 20-month counts treat your deposit as zero-yield cash. If your high-yield savings account is currently around 4% APY the actual timeline is shorter — APY moves, so the zero-yield number is the floor you can plan against. FMLA eligibility for 12 weeks unpaid job-protected leave is your partner's stated fact; this pack carries no US-statute row on FMLA terms, so confirm the current wording at [dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/fmla-employee-protections](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/fmla-employee-protections) before banking the plan on it. Picking the actual product to hold the cash in (which bank, which HYSA) is not something this skill does — run the six neutral checks on a candidate before opening it.