Post your going back to work tips here

Well maybe I did for the first 15 minutes ...

Treat yourself to a day or half day of your well deserved annual leave, but don't take baby out of child care - go and do something for yourself - did this last week - went with DH to thermal baths in Bath - lovely and didn't feel guilty at all!

And so say all of us!
DP took 6 months' sabbatical when I went back after DD1, guilt-free, return to work bliss!

And so say all of us!
DP took 6 months' sabbatical when I went back after DD1, guilt-free, return to work bliss!

If your job is the one that has better opportunities/better maternity benefits/incentives than your partner's consider the option of your DP/DH becoming a SAHD. We did this and it meant that on my 1st day back at work I simply breezed out of the door without any worries about childcare - and we both loved our 'new' roles!

Wear nail varnish. It gives the illusion that you have loads of time on your hands and are therefore in control of things.

if your child is going to a nursery and uses a dummy as for comfort or sleep, make sure you name it.

permanent ohp pens and some name stickers (checked regularly) will ensure they don't get lost/ mixed up.

If you will be breast feeding, block out the times in your diary which will suit you best to pump so that you get the time you need. In my job, if I didn't have a "meeting" in my diary, then other people would book time with me, so I used to block out 3 slots of 20 - 30 mins each throughout the day.

Make sure you drink plenty of water when you get back to work - easy to get busy and forget to drink all day.

Consider very early morning cleaning jobs in your local town that start around 6 or 7am and finish before your partner has to leave for work. That way you can earn a little cash for spends during the day, keep your day free for the kids and save on childcare. You just have to ensure you trust him with getting the kids up if you have one or more at nursery or school! If you're really organised you can try making up a flyer on the computer to sell your cleaning services to local businesses on a self employed basis, as they may be fed up with the one they have and not know anyone better/cheaper. Contract cleaning pays much more than being a simple employee. You may be able to avoid paying tax, too, as many of your expenses can be offset! Check it out, it worked for me.

practise at least one full day with the childcarer first - then if you HAVE to call to see how lo is, or if they need to call you, you have the freedom to do it.

get everything ready beforehand, and DOUBLE CHECK it all! i have a list of everything he needs when he goes to his nanny.

on days you aren't working make sure you chill out and enjoy being a mum.

and I try to keep my work and home life separate so I don't have to finish off at home when I have my mum-hat on again.

most of all - enjoy going back to what you did before. Remember the good parts, and on the bad days, remember that you do get some days off!!

and don't be scared to call in sick if you need to - it's hard enough working while ill, without having to look after the kids afterwards too!

I hated the thought of returning to work - and still do not like it much - but I do appreciate a few hours in the day where I don't have to worry about 'is she sleeping/drinking/eating enough?'.

Being organised, as previously posted is the key (and I resent that too - not cut out to be a working mum?!). Fridge door lists of stuff to put in CM bag are key to success.

Don't expect your brain to work as efficiently as it used to, so take a notebook and write everything you need to remember down. I found I got stressed about all the stuff I knew I was meant to remember but couldn't on a day to day basis. That stress was worse than actually getting on with the work!

Be as firm as possible about your hours and try to stick to them for as long as possible. Concentrate on work at work as your baby will be fine unless you hear otherwise, and then concentrate on home at home.

Try to enjoy work if at all possible - if you have to go back you might as well enjoy it and see it as time for yourself to be a grown up, not 'just' a Mum, for a few (or many...) hours each day.

The best piece of advice I was given for returning to work was to hand my notice in as soon as I got back ! I did this, worked my requisite three months notice and have not regretted a single day. I am now a registered childminder and have the best of all worlds, especially two beautiful and fun little girls

Buy some new non-child friendly clothes. Make sure you empty your handbag of bibs, raisins, nappies, wet wipes as v. embarrassing to pull these out of bag by mistake at work. Enjoy adult conversation at work and going to the loo in peace!!!

Wear an outfit you love first day back.
Try and start with a short week.
Expect it to take time for your brain to expand to deal with work pressures/juggling life.
Don't expect to walk in and do everything as well as you used to immediately - if you have a sympathetic boss try to start with a lessened work load for the first couple of months. Expect it to take 4-5 months to get fully up to speeed if you have a full on career job.

Be as ready as you can before you get db up.
Eat breakfast together as a family.
find a sympathetic ear at work to ofload to.
Change out of work clothes as soon as you walk in the front door.
Don't sneak away from your child when leaving them but make good bye and kisses a daily ritual.
When buying children's clothes buy for the next size up too to save trips.
t'internet shopping rules.
If you take time of work it cn be nice to spend quality time just with DH while chid is being cared for .
Enjoy getting the excited welcome that used to be reserved for daddy coming home from work.
Enjoy adult conversation and wearing non baby friendly clothes.
Enjoy having a reason to leave work dead on time and be amazed at how much you can fit in to your actual work hours without doing half the extra hours you used to feel you had to put in.

Message withdrawn

My tips for returning to work as as follows:
When you're at work focus on work when you're at home focus on you and your family and try not to blur the lines between the two.
Cook extra food at the weekend so you can reheat some meals during the week.
Find some supportive people at work such as other working parents.
Accept your kids will get ill and have a plan in place to deal with it before the problem arises ie. who will take time off to look after them (This should improve as they get older).
Don't feel guilty about working.
Enjoy the adult Company and being able to go to the loo in peace!!

Find other parents of young children in your office/ workplace for a mutual parenting support group- having someone to sympathise about lack of sleep, childcare issues etc really helps. And you might get some good advice.

At least once a week try to make a meal with double the ingredients so you can reheat the following night, or freeze for a night when it's going to be hectic.
Get groceries via the Internet to be delivered one evening. Do the grocery shop online during your lunch hour.

be ready the night before, kids clothes set out and agreed on to avoid mornign arguments

set breakfast stuff out night before

get up early enough to be ready before kids up

give DH specific duties so he doesn't wind you up e.g. walk dog, make coffee, supervise teeth brushing

enjoy getting out of the house and havign adult conversation

enjoy coming home again and spending time disucssing what everyone's been up to

have tea together

Make the most of the positives eg enjoy the freedom of having what you want for lunch, when you want it and in relative peace and quiet!

Make use of KIT days (keeping in touch days). You are now permitted to have ten days throughout your maternity leave period when you can work (and be paid. Ask your employer if you can use these to work say two days per week for the first five weeks. This helps you to adjust slowly to working, helps your child to adjust to their new childcare arrangements AND you get two days pay per week for the last five weeks of your mat leave.

Make sure your work clothes fit a couple of weeks before going back to work, so no nast shocks the day before.
Sit down with DH/DP and work out who will do what, for at least the first couple of weeks, especially if you've been off for a while, otherwise you can end up doing all the chores and working.
Online shopping is a godsend - order a weeks food from your desk on a break, and it gets delivered in the evening.
A month before you go back, start getting in the routine of getting up, fed, dressed and ready to be out the door when you would need to be for work.
If you are worried about getting out the door from work on time, set up your calendar with a recurring appointment at the time you absolutley must leave, with reminders to go off when you should. One of my colleagues sends a meeting request to her husband when he needs to pick the kids up so that his phone will beep at him when he should be leaving (he often forgets).
If you are bfing, a double pump, with more than one set of pump heads is a godsend. I packed everything in a click seal box the night before, and put the milk in a wash bag in the canteen fridge, then home in my insulated lunch bag.
Have lots of sets of clothing for child - nothing worse than getting behind on the washing and finding nothing for them to wear.
If you wear a jacket to work, don't put it on at home or until you have dropped off at childcare - then the snot on your shoulder won't show. In fact a change of clothes at work is a good thing for when they puke/snot/smear on you and you haven't noticed.
Cut yourself some slack, and develop a robust attitude to interfering minnies who tell you what a Bad Thing you are doing.

up early

be organised (everything ready the night before as far as possible)

I had to take dd's food to the CM before dd was one, so I worked out a food plan at the start of the week so I didn't have to think about what I was going to take every day

work out a routine with your partner for the mornings
eg I usually drop off so I get up first and get myself ready, he gets dd dressed in the meantime.

enjoy the freedom and make the most of the time you have with your dc