Best shift for moms w/toddlers?

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

I do 3-11s mostly on the weekends. I have 4 kids from 1-8 yrs old. This works for us because I still get to bed at a semi decent hr and spend most of the day with them. When I work during the week (rarely) a grand parent noramally would watch them for the few hrs till dad got home

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

I worked 7p-7a on the weekends. Saturday SUnday night. That way I am up almost all of Saturday. Sunday I do need to sleep from 8-3, have a few hours to make dinner, play, relax, then go into work, Monday morning, my husband gets little one ready and either he takes to day care or I do, then I pick him up at 3.

allnurses Guide · Jun 10, 2008

I work part-time Hospice and my son stays with his grandparents at the ranch if need be since we don't use day care. During the summer he hangs with dad at work out in the woods (we own a chipping/logging business).

Is there a way you can work part-time when you graduate? When I still worked in the hospital, I worked part-time also and had benefits.

steph

BlueEyedRN · Jun 10, 2008

I work 7p-7a, but only two days a week: every Tuesday and every other saturday/sunday. The night shift differential covers a little bit of the gap working part-time vs. full time, and not paying for daycare helps a lot too. The one weekday I work, it doesn't really matter if I can't get any sleep, and then my hubby is there for the weekend shifts. This shift will be wonderful once the kids are in school because I can just sleep until they get home. Of course my husband prefers I work days because he doesn't like to sleep alone, but since he goes to Iraq for months at a time, he's got nothing to complain about. :)

futurecnm · Jun 10, 2008

I am wondering what is the best shift for a mom with very young children (not yet in school)? I don't want to put my 2 year old in daycare and was planning on working 11pm-7am 3 days a week and then "regular" day hours on the weekend. This way, I could be home until Dad gets home from work (usually by 7:30pm). In all, I'd get 2 hours of sleep when he's home, plus another 2-3 hours when my son takes his nap, for a total of 5 hours of sleep before going to work. Are any moms doing this, (or used to) and what are the pros and cons? Are you feeling super tired? Any additional info, warnings, is appreciated. I love the fact that being an RN is soooo flexible. I wont graduate till 2010 and hope finding a shift like this will be easy.

It might be hard to get shifts that are that specific. In my opinion, the best shift for young kids is evening shift part time. You would be home during the day with your kids and your spouse would be home to put them in bed. They might need daycare for a few hr in between but the other options would require more daycare. You might do ok with a sleep schedule like you described above but everyone handles night shift and day sleeping different. I personally can't sleep more than a couple hours and if I get woken up once there is not going back to sleep for me. And that little of sleep really was hard on me. I was tired a lot when I worked my night shifts. I am taking a straight eve shift and look forward to those hours (not getting up early, not staying up all night!).