It pays to be a mom in Finland

Today in the morning I went with my neighbor - a very nice and open Finnish girl named Petti and her little son Osmo - to a moms' club in the area. While walking and chatting I've learned that she's a journalist too, but I also learned that it pays to be a stay-at-home mom in Helsinki.
The maternity allowance you get for nine months and it's a decent money. I think most of what you earned before having a baby. In Poland it is now 20 weeks I guess and in the States? None? Two weeks? When you have a little child, under 3 years old, and you are a stay-at-home-mom you will get all together at least 500 euro a month (300 from the state and 200 from the city of Helsinki) and even up to 700 euro if all the family income is low. And when you have a kindergarten age kid you still can get some support if having a private day care and it is around 200 euro. Generally for a first child you will get monthly 100 euro until your little one reach 17 years. This is not that much, but now I'm focusing on those 500 for which I'm going to apply as soon as I will get my social security number and become a permanent resident. Well, the Fins understand that staying at home with a baby and toddler is not an easy job and they pay for all the hardship :)