Anyone Working the 3rd SHift with Young Children at Home

Chelle2780 · Aug 31, 2005

I would be very interested to hear this too, I am planning to take a position that is 3rd shift in about two weeks. I've never worked 3rd shift, or 2nd for that matter......I'm wondering how to organize myself to make the best of it.

Chelle

mattsmom81 · Aug 31, 2005

I worked third shift when my son was small. I slept while he was in school, and before he was in school, I worked PRN and had a daycare for him so I COULD sleep...LOL!

My hubby dropped him off at my hospital cafeteria at one time...((I wasn't home before he had to leave for work himself) and the cafeteria ladies spoiled him rotten, he had breakfast while Mama finished up report. 'Course this was a small hospital where we all knew one another and this was tolerated. Some Moms put the kids in the breakroom for 30 minutes every am too...altho I know not all hospitals tolerate this on a permanent basis, most will in a pinch. :)

Good luck to you...I know its a challenge. I also had neighbors with small kids...and we would help each other out in pinches as well (a co-op babysitting situation) :)

Trauma Columnist · Aug 31, 2005

For most of my nursing career, I have worked nights (7pm to 7am). When the kids were small, I dropped them at daycare for six hours/day so I could sleep. When they got older, I slept while they were in school. It was hard, but doable. (I was a lot younger then, too - lol).

estrogen · Aug 31, 2005

I have two little kids - a one year old and a five year old. I work 10:30pm to 7 am TUE, WE, THUR.

When I started this shift, I worked in a hospital 30 driving minutes away from my house and with manadtory short and long week scheduling: On week I worked MO, TU, then two days off, then FRI, SA, SU on. Next week it was MO, TUE, off, WE, THU on, FRI, SA, SU off. And I was sleeping with the kids at home and a baby sitter. I hated it. I was allways tired, allmost killed myself on the road driving after shifts, I wasn't able to sleep without sleep aids. My life was a mess, as I felt like I'm allways on the run and allways exhausted and not able to sleep during the day due to all the stress. I decided that before I give up working nights all together, I'll try to simplify first. I changed jobs and now I'm working at a nursing home five minutes from my house, three nights in a row as stated above and I enrolled my one year old in Day care for two days a week and my daughter into summer camp and now into whole day Kindergarden and after school daycare on two days. And I love it this way. My stress level went down tremendously and I actually adore my sleeping during the day, when I have the whole house to myself and noone expects anything from me. (Hubby is a day shift worker).

On TUE, before my shifts start, I take the day easy. I don't schedule anything with the kids and try to rest as much as possible since I won't get any sleep at night. (Coffee gets me trhough the first night and now my body is so used to it, that I don't even feel the lack of sleep). On WE morning, I come home at around 7:15 TO 7:30, get the kids dressed, give them a quick breakfast and drive them off to daycare and school. I'm in bed by 9 am, maybe watch a little TV or read and by 9:15 or so I'm usually out. Usually I sleep until 4:30 or 5, a good 7 to 8 hours.

I pick the kids up from day care and school between 5 and 6. Eat dinner with them and hubby, put them in bed and off to work at 10.00 pm.

Thursdays are much the same. On Friday, after my last shift, I keep the kids at home (actually just the little one now, since the five year old is starting Kindergarden) and just try to take a nap in the afternoon, when my son naps (doesn't allways happen). Then I just go to bed at around nine, ten in the evening, which turns me around to a normal night sleep schedule, so I am in sync with my family for the rest of the week.

It can be done and I think that it's actually a great alternative for working moms. Just remember a few rules (from my experience):

1. It takes a long time to get used to it and to figure out what exactly you need and what works for you and your family. It took me half a year and a change of jobs. Don't give up too soon.

2. Working third shift is not a means to doing it all - being a full time stay-at-home mom AND having a job. However it does reduce the time the kids have to spend in day care.

3. You have to take care of yourself and protect your sleep. Don't make exceptions for anyone or anything (unless it's an absolute emergency of course). Most appointments, meetings, errands or phone calls can be scheduled and done on days that you don't have to sleep (just like pople who work day shift don't schedule their errands durign the time they work).

Good luck!

allnurses Guide · Aug 31, 2005

I work 7p-7a three days a week, and have a two year old. (Almost three!) My husband is home most days, as he typically works evening shifts. (We have sitters for when we are both at work, but it's hard and inconvenient to get anyone to sit during the day). It's hard some days, because sometimes my husband has things that he has to do, places that he has to go to, and he really cannot take the baby with him. Right now it's almost 4am. My shift will end around 7:30. I will have to go home and go RIGHT to sleep and try to get a couple of hours sleep, because today my husband has to go to physical therapy at 10:30, followed by an appointment with his orthopedist at 1:30pm. (he hurt his shoulder a couple of months ago). He will probably get home around 3pm or so, so I will be able to sleep about three more hours, get up at 6 and get ready to come back to work at 7pm.

Basically, if your child isn't in school and you don't have a spouse at home during the day, you'll have to make some sort of arrangement for child care. Around where I live, typical cost for day care is about 120 dollars a week, flat fee. They usually don't charge by-the-day, I don't believe.

Good luck! :)

cre8tivRN · Aug 31, 2005

Ok, I work 4 eight hour shifts a week. 11pm to 7am

What has worked out the best for me and my family is this.....I have a 15 month old and a 2 1/2 year old at home with hubby during working hours. We dont use daycare (too many untrusting souls taking care of children these days)

sun mon tues wed thurs fri sat

work work work word work

sun mon tues wed thurs fri sat

work work work

And this is repeated every payperiod. It works out nice, because i get every other weekend off with 4 days! I usually sleep when the kids sleep in the day, about 3 hours, and when they go to bed: 7pm to 9:40pm, and that does well with me. If I find i need more sleep my husband will watch them from naptime until 5pm, so that i can get a couple extra hours. But ever since their births, I have been running on little sleep, so i guess i am used to it.

I used to work somewhat of an "on/off/on/off" schedule, but that was dragging me down the drain with not knowing what time of day it was. I wasnt sleeping, and i couldnt get anything done in town...banking, grocery shopping, ect. Plus i never had any quality time off of work because i was just coming off of a shift or getting ready to go on. I think the family suffered a little too, they never got to see me for any great length of time all in a row of days.

Hope this helps. :)

grace90, LPN, LVN · Aug 31, 2005

:) I have 3 young children: 4- girl, 5- girl, 7- boy, and I work 40 hrs/wk night shift. My dh is self-employed, so he can work his hours around my sleep. Once or twice a week, I split my sleep up or stay up late and go to bed in the afternoon so he can do some business-related things. Occasionally my MIL helps out by watching the kiddos so I can sleep and he can work. When my kids are home they are pretty understanding of the fact that I need to sleep during the day.

sugabuga · Aug 31, 2005

Are any of you married to a nurse? My hubby and I are both going to school for nursing and I'm wondering how we're going to handle childcare. We don't have any kids now but when we do decide to start a family...does anyone have any suggestions on schedules, etc. I'd actually like to be able to see him and my child at some point! :)

estrogen · Aug 31, 2005

Are any of you married to a nurse? My hubby and I are both going to school for nursing and I'm wondering how we're going to handle childcare. We don't have any kids now but when we do decide to start a family...does anyone have any suggestions on schedules, etc. I'd actually like to be able to see him and my child at some point! :)

I think it's great to work Fri, Sa, Su nights. That way, if your other half is at home during the weekends with the kids, you need zero day care.

Also Kinder Care, where my younger one goes, is a great, safe and very skilled day care and they have two, three, or five day rates....

Chelle2780 · Sep 1, 2005

I think this will work well for me. I had the option of 2nd shift but with that I would literally *never* see my children during the week. 3rd will give me the luxury of being home on the afternoon/evenings with them....homework, dinner, family time, and then I can sleep while they are at school. I'm lucky enough to have children who are 11 and 15 so they can be quiet and let me sleep if I need some extra.

Thanks for all the input!

Chelle