Maternity and paternity leave are joyful times for parents to step away from hectic careers and keep their focus entirely on their new little one at home. An important bonding time for parents and children, those early months are crucial for optimal growth and development for the whole family.

Thankfully, parental leave policies have come a long way in recent years, with many private employers offering generous time-off packages and many states—as well as the federal government—enacting parental leave laws that ensure families can take time off without penalty.

New York is one state that is leading the way with parental leave laws that go above and beyond what many states offer to families of newborns or new adopted babies. Urban parents speak highly of New York City parental leave policies, reflecting the city’s wealth of urban professionals who opt to take maternity or paternity leave.

For those wondering about maternity leave New York and paternity leave New York, we’ve put together this guide to the various options that are available.

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People tend to assume parental leave is one overarching term for time off with a new baby. However, in legal terms, parental leave has two parts:

There are both federal and state laws pertaining to parental leave, and it is helpful to understand both before planning your New York City parental leave.

At the federal level, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 provides all eligible employees the right to take unpaid time off to bond with a new child—and it can be a biological, adopted, or foster child, as part of a total 12-week FMLA annual leave entitlement. As an example, if you use two weeks of FMLA leave during your pregnancy, you will have 10 weeks left to use for parenting leave.

Both mothers and fathers are covered under this law as follows:

Remember that taking this time off under FMLA is unpaid time off.

Let’s go back to the two types of leave: New Yorkers who take the first part, pregnancy disability leave, benefit from living in one of only a few states that give employees the right to this time off—and ensure that it will be paid through insurance. For the second part, leave to spend time with your new baby, New Yorkers are covered under FMLA for unpaid leave and for paid leave under New York’s Paid Family Leave Law.

Enacted in 2018, New York’s Paid Family Leave Law offers up to three months of job-protected paid leave. Nearly all New York employees qualify, and employers must grant their employees paid family leave.

Here are some additional details on New York’s Paid Family Leave Law:

New York’s Paid Family Leave Law also goes beyond maternity and paternity care. It can also be used to care for any family members who have a serious illness.

In addition to federal and New York State laws, individual employers in New York may have additional policies and procedures around family leave that could add to the time you can spend bonding with your newest family member. Be sure to check with your manager or human resources department to find out what you are eligible for and what you must do before planning your time off.

At Loop, we want you to enjoy your maternity or paternity leave without worrying about what kind of gear you might need to keep baby clothed, fed, bathed, and happily sleeping. We have a full line of baby products for rent for newborns that can help you save time, money, space, and stress—and allow you to take full advantage of your parental leave time to fall in love with your baby.