Disclaimer: I'm childless.

The existing job sounds good, the complications not so good. As others have said, can you move? Moving does, of course, involve up-front costs (you may have sufficient goodwill here at the IWT Hive Mind that these could be significantly offset*), and your wee bairn may have other issues about leaving the familiar neighborhood, but it could be worth it. If moving is not, the other factors taken into account, a realistic option, then the closer-to-home option, even sans benefits, may be the way to go: consider how attractive it would have looked in the immediate aftermath of the last gig dumping you. You're unfortunately at a low point in your personal economic fortunes, which may put certain options temporarily out of reach.

These are all distant observations, of course. None of us can provide a "this is what you should do" solution. You knew that, of course.

cordially,

*username-at-mac-dot-com