Shift workers

When both DH and I worked shift work my mum would help us out, do you have any family that could help?
Also, there is the option of a nanny or inhome childcare? Im not sure what your situation is at home..

JoJames, I looked at this a few weeks ago, I got a job offered working 3pm - 9pm for 5 days on & 5 days off. My best & cheapest option was having a nanny in for the times I wanted. I have 3 DS aged 3 & 4 & 8 yrs.

Your other option is home care as he is still really little.

I also looked at daycare but had to pay for 2 full weeks & then DH would have to pick up the 2 at daycare & then go get the other one from after school care, & the cost of this was over $800 a fortnight so not worth me taking the job.

With a nanny they can also cook & clean if you want.

Oh & I didn't take the job in the end.

alrighty, I am a nurse too, and i tend to do alot of the afternoons 3-11pm shifts as well....now that it. previously When the girls were a bit littler i would do a few more mornings but now mostly afternoons as that's where the money is and also i know that they have a great routine with dad and i hate morning shifts.

Childcare, our girls were booked into daycare as i had them during my study. I found to accomodate the study and practicum hours i had to have them booked in from 8am till 5 pm 5 days a week. now i didn't always use that, any days off, half days, late starts, early finishes, i had them with me.

So obviously once i started working i just kept the same arrangements, and would mostly work mornigns, mike would drop them off in the morning and i'd pick them up onc ei finished work about 3.15, which worked well wehn Ayja was about 1 and a half.   now that they are big, Paris goes to school, so i try and juggle it so that the days mike's classes go late, i request off, then i work lates, which seemed also to work well when ayja was little and they were both there as i'd drop them at daycare at lunchtime, go have a nanna nap, go to work and mike would pick them up so they only had a few hours in care.

A fair few mums work in our unit so we all kinda end up filling in the gaps. Alot of the ones with younger kiddies that only do the 2 or 3 shifts a week, tend to have set days they request to work and that means that they don't really have to worry too much about care - so definately ask about that one - alot of places have people with differeing needs and wants so it may be likely that you can have regular days you work on which helps with organising care a bit better.

Ie one of the ladies works friday mornings every week and then saturday afternoons. so really she only needs care for the friday as her husband has the kids on the saturday arvo and it works well with afternoons on weekends as you still get to spend time with them during the day, and then all the da has to do is keep em entertained for a couple of hours, give them dinner possibly a bath and put them to bed.

I now tend to work most weekends at least one shift sometimes two, and usually always afternoons. That would be my reccomendation, to try and get some set days (or just request the same ones all the time on the shift request sheet) and try to do some weekend days so dad can take him on those days and you'll tend to find they very soon get their own little routines and things they do together. You can then arrange care for to make it easier. most workplaces are pretty understanding of that kinda thing - even if it's just the same day but differing shifts, you at least only have to worry about arrangements for that day.

good luck, it does get easier. you just kinda learn to juggle really well.

Yeah self rostering is helpful!
Man my typing last night was atrocious - I should know better than to try and reply to a post just after late shift!! I always go back and read it later and think "whoa, can I even spell?"

Good luck