Best shift for raising young children?

Nurses Career Support

Published

  1. What is better for raising young children?

    • 80
      Working Mon-Fri, no holidays or weekends
    • 63
      12 hour shift work
    • 9
      Other (please feel free to describe in a post!)

15 members have participated

Specializes in psych, ltc, case management.

I would love some opinions! I'm talking about starting a family with my husband, and I have been trying to do some research..

What do you think is better for raising young children (infant-5 y/o): FT mon-fri no holidays or weekends OR 12 hour shifts?

Any other thoughts? opinions? How have you maintained a balance between work and family?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would love to know as well. I'm starting school this fall, with three children (8, 5, and 2). I'm curious what will be an easier schedule once I'm finished.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

My personal opinion depends on the age of your children. I like nights 7p-7a, I see my children more working this shift 3 times a week vs working days. By the time I get home, the kids would be in bed asleep if I was on days. I work an hour from home plus you never get out "on time". Also my children are older and in school, so when I sleep during the day, they are at school. They are home during the summers but then again, they are older and can manage without me for a few hours while I sleep.

The moms at work that have smaller children generally work days because it is easier, however, a few work nights but they struggle to stay awake til the kids nap or they have family to come over and watch the kids for a few hours..

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

No children here, but I can imagine that your typical 9-5 Mondays through Fridays (no weekends or holidays) would be much more family friendly than 12-hour shift work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Depends! If you have great childcare the 12's are nice because you don't work every day and you can be off in the middle of the week for dr appts ,school trips or classroom help, etc. If you don't have someone who can watch your kids for 14 hours/day and need daycare then the M-F works best.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

12 hour shifts until they start school, and then M-F no holidays or weekends.

12 hour shifts gives you more time at home with your children when they are young and not in school. It's the difference between putting your child in daycare 2 days per week (assuming you work e/o weekend) and 5 days per week. When the kids are in school during the day the M-F schedule would be better because you would be able to be home every night with the children, spend weekend and holidays with them, and attend most after school activities.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

I always worked more weekends when they were little to be home more during the week. Once they hit junior high I worked 3 12's a week. I was able to go to school programs and be room mom etc since I only worked 3 days. Plus if they were sick it was less days myself or hubby had to call off! If you work 5 days, it is hard to do all that!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Age matters a lot . With an infant you will need daycare for 12 hours which is hard to find. I think with school aged kids, 12 hours works nicely and you can do nights. More money and sleep while they areat school.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have a friend who works weekends only so that she can be with her kids during the week. It seems to work out well for her family. Her husband is a firefighter, so when they both have to work on the weekends the grandmothers will usually watch the kids.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have a 6 month old, actually almost 7 months now. Yikes! time flies...anyway, she was a "surprise" to me and my fiancé. Anyway, I want to leave the bedside SO BAD but what I work just works out amazing for us. I have 12 hour shifts, 2-3 days/week (I am a 0.75FTE). I get to spend so much time at home with her, we don't even need daycare. My mom or his mom works their schedule so they are off the days I work. If I worked 5 days/week I wouldn't be able to do this, I would need daycare. My fiancé has normal people hours so he is able to take her to grandma's house and pick her up. I feel so good knowing my daughter is getting 1:1 care with Grandma!! I never worry when I am at work.

My fiancé is starting a new job this fall, and it pays so well that I probably don't even need to work. So this fall I am going down to 0.6FTE. I may even just take an on-call position. I'll lose my senority but being home with my daughter is so worth it. Trust me, i'd love to work in the clinic and work normal hours but I can't give up the days I have with my daughter. I do what I do for her. IF we have more kids i'd like to wait until all of them are of school age before I go to a Monday-Friday job.

It is different for everyone though. If you are a single mom 12's probably wouldn't work. The only reason I can do this is because I have my fiancé and grandparents that help. We looked into daycare while I was on maternity leave, but there were no daycares that would even work with my hours. Pretty much laughed when I was like "I'd drop her off at 6am and pick her up at 7:30 or 7:45pm. Also, i'll need her to sleep at your house over night on these days..." Yea, not happening.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Like I said, I only have a 6 month old. But I would think once my kids are in school it will be nice to have a Monday-Friday job and get done at like 3:00 or 5:00. Because then I can make school functions/sporting events all the time. I'll have off every weekend and every holiday with them. But right now, it's a little different. I don't have a school ager so I don't know. I guess we will see when we get to that point.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This would be interesting to know. I'm just about to embark into nursing and me and my partner are thinking of starting a family after my first year of nursing. I don't know what to do with child care as most shifts starts very early and finishes very late.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment