Vård av Barn or “VAB” in Sweden is when a parent is required to stay at home from work and care for their child. This means that you receive compensation from the state instead of your employer. This is used in cases when a child has a cold, sore throat, stomach upset or any minor illness and needs to stay home from school for a few days.
Försäkringskassan is the agency you need to apply to if you require “VAB” compensation.
Försäkringskassan has made a handy little calculator which tells you how much you are owed, too.
“Vabbing” is something that parents of pre-schoolers get very used to doing when they start at förskola. It is seen as a bit of a right of passage, especially during February or “VAB”ruary when after a very long winter when all the children are back at school, all sorts of bugs hit the kids. If I were you, I’d book Sept and February off, now.