Mama RN Needs Advice on Childcare Options

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi fellow nurses,

I have a 3 year old and 1 year old and will be starting a full time night shift position (3 12-hr shifts/wk) in a couple months. I am struggling to figure out childcare. Pros of a nanny are that I wouldn't have to drive the kids to and from childcare, which means more sleep for me. But, it seems that most nannies can't work such an irregular schedule. (I won't be able to choose my schedule for the first 5 months). Also most of the daycares around here aren't that flexible either.

I do not have family in the area to help watch the kids.

What has worked for you mamas? What are the pros and cons of different options? P.S: It is not an option for me to stay up all day with the kids- I NEED my sleep ?

Thanks so much for your input!!

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

Neighbors? Friends?

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There's no magical solution, and I'm puzzled by no mention of the children's father. The obvious solution would be to share responsibility with him, but I don't know what's going on with regard to that.

If you're struggling and can't find anything suitable, you may have to move closer to supportive family.

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21 minutes ago, Sour Lemon said:

There's no magical solution, and I'm puzzled by no mention of the children's father. The obvious solution would be to share responsibility with him, but I don't know what's going on with regard to that.

If you're struggling and can't find anything suitable, you may have to move closer to supportive family.

My husband (their dad) will be watching them whenever he can-weekends and nights of course, but he works outside the home 9-6 on M-F.

We are thousands of miles away from family and sadly won’t be moving back near them any time soon. But we’ll just have to see how it goes!

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46 minutes ago, Elaine M said:

Neighbors? Friends?

Thought of that too- we may reach out to our church. We are new to the area though so don’t know too many people with any availability. Thanks!!

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17 minutes ago, MamaRN1719 said:

but he works outside the home 9-6 on M-F.

So really you need childcare options for a at most a couple hours in the morning and couple hours in the evening? This is better than needing it for the entire night shift which is what I was thinking when I read the post ?

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1 hour ago, 203bravo said:

So really you need childcare options for a at most a couple hours in the morning and couple hours in the evening? This is better than needing it for the entire night shift which is what I was thinking when I read the post ?

Well if I didn’t need to sleep during the day that would be true but I will definitely need my sleep, so I’ll probably need 7-8 hrs of childcare during the day about 2 days a week. It’s just a matter of finding a solution that’s flexible.

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Specializes in OB.

Do you live anywhere near a college campus? If so, you'd be surprised how easy it is to advertise and find sitters. If you can't find one who can work an irregular schedule (so hard, I've been there!), you can find a select few who can rotate depending on what days they are available. Another option is actual live-in help, like an au pair, but I don't know if that's financially feasible.

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34 minutes ago, LibraSunCNM said:

Do you live anywhere near a college campus? If so, you'd be surprised how easy it is to advertise and find sitters. If you can't find one who can work an irregular schedule (so hard, I've been there!), you can find a select few who can rotate depending on what days they are available. Another option is actual live-in help, like an au pair, but I don't know if that's financially feasible.

This. My nursing school would send out an email every month with babysitting/pet sitting jobs from local families. Families liked the idea of having a reliable and already background checked nursing student. Having BLS helped too. I loved my babysitting jobs!

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43 minutes ago, LibraSunCNM said:

Do you live anywhere near a college campus? If so, you'd be surprised how easy it is to advertise and find sitters. If you can't find one who can work an irregular schedule (so hard, I've been there!), you can find a select few who can rotate depending on what days they are available. Another option is actual live-in help, like an au pair, but I don't know if that's financially feasible.

Thanks so much, this is such a good idea!

9 minutes ago, DextersDisciple said:

This. My nursing school would send out an email every month with babysitting/pet sitting jobs from local families. Families liked the idea of having a reliable and already background checked nursing student. Having BLS helped too. I loved my babysitting jobs!

That's awesome! Such a good idea-and yes I would be partial to a nursing student too ?

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Lots of places. You could hire someone for two days a week. Care.com is one, bambino is another site. You can also go to local facebook groups. I don’t think this would be hard at all. Heck a daycare would take them as well. You may have to pay for full time care since your days won’t be the same, but it’s what many parents do. It’s my me and my husband do.

When I first read your post I thought you were needing night time and day time care which would be difficult. What you are needing should be easy.

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12 hours ago, MamaRN1719 said:

Well if I didn’t need to sleep during the day that would be true but I will definitely need my sleep, so I’ll probably need 7-8 hrs of childcare during the day about 2 days a week. It’s just a matter of finding a solution that’s flexible

Yes I understand. Day care can cover most hours leaving only an hour or so for the early morning or after 5pm that needs coverage. Not as daunting as thinking you would require overnight care.

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