Which 3 days would you choose to work - 3 and 1 year old

[EleanorofCastile]

I’m going back to work 3 days a week, and have to fill in the form for DC2’s nursery application now to reserve a place.

I need to work Wednesdays, the other days I can choose but they will need to be the same each week for nursery. If you have done this, which pattern do you think is best? Bearing in mind I found being at home with DC1 far more exhausting than being at work, and worked full time, but now she is getting older I’m finding it much easier and enjoying her company.

I’m also wondering about what is best/less disruptive for the children - nursery days in one block or spread out a bit?

If you don't work the BH, you should get the pro-rated allowance back?

When I worked Weds-Fri @56%of my fulltime hours I'd get 56% of BH that fell on days I didn't work? So an extra 3 days or so per annum.

I found tues, wed, thur to be stressful. I found that for people emailing on a Thursday no response till Tuesday seemed ages. I felt I was giving a crap service.

If doing three days again (I do school hours now) I would do Monday Wednesday and Thursday or Monday Tuesday and Thursday. I think people forgive no repose on a Friday but only if you then get back to them on Monday.

I work mon, tues, wed and I love it. I like blocking it as my Dd has got used to the routine of nursery days- mummy days now. 3days is a really good balance imo.

Thanks for all the responses - food for thought!

Good point about having Wednesday as my first working day as it is likely to often be full of meetings with no chance to prepare/catch up on anything that has happened on Monday and Tuesday.

Work are flexible apart from the Wednesday but so I could try out a few combinations but that’s not going to possible with nursery! I know Wednesday is nursery’s most requested day and suspect that is because most part time people work Monday - Wed, or Wed-Fri.

I do Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday with a two year old and a three year old. It's annoying thar everyone goes on about my 'long weekends', because being at home with the kids is way harder than being at work, but my two 'sole childcare' days are split up (DH doesn't work weekends) and I get three days together at work so I can focus and get stuff done. I think it's the best option and so did my boss, I think Mondays and Fridays are generally people's least productive days at work, and also where public holidays fall, so the midweek days work best.

I did Mon Tues Wed. Liked being able to switch off for 4 days a week! I also benefitted from all the bank hols and did not pay for nursery those days. It depends on your role though.

I liked working two adjacent days and then a split day. So Tues wed Fri, or Mon wed Thurs.

If a child is sick and can't go to nursery, your whole working week isn't wiped out. When I previously worked three consecutive days, I was nervous whenever one of them got a bug at the weekend.

Less tiring for kids to have a day at home rather than three consecutive nursery days.

But you still get a 3 day weekend.

I prefer doing 3 days in a row, although I have friends who do e.g. mon, tues, thurs and like having it broken up.

In my last job, Friday was a very chilled out working day (although still busy with work but just a much more relaxed atmosphere, could wear jeans and casual clothes etc) so I enjoyed doing wed, thurs, fri there.

In my current job I do mon, tues and wed, and I like getting on with going to work on a Monday morning and then being finished by Wednesday.

I'd probably be happy doing any combination of days, but would prefer to do 3 consecutive days.

A block of 3 days was good but I always found the day after the block had to be chilled out as my little one was knackered . She used to do mega naps. The downside is it means work can be harder because you then have a long lag between being in the office. I wouldn’t have liked doing one on, one off. Working Mondays is rubbish for part-timers but missing Fridays often means you miss out on quieter days to get on with things and social stuff.

I think Tuesday, Thursday, Friday would work quite well as a combination but I’ve never done those days so that is just a guess.

Tues, weds, Thurs. Makes the most of the bank holidays (well, depending on how your work pro-ratas your pay)

Consider that in a couple of years you'll have one at school, so you'll also need to fit around inset days, which in our school are almost always Mondays, other local schools do Fridays.

I've done various combinations over the years, it's taken me ages to line to all the childcare/breakfast club/work hours, but now I have, Tues, Wed, Thurs is the best by far

Tues-Thurs is my favourite although it does mean I don't get Bank Holidays. When I had a very long commute I did Mon, Wed, Thurs so I didn't have the journey three days in a row. Tbh in a lot of ways that was better for work as the gaps between being there were shorter and it was quite nice only having a max of two days in a row but having four days off in a row is nice too......

I'd work mon Tues wed but that's b3cahse where I live lots of places are closed on Monday's and I'd be more limited with where I can take the kids

Just bear in mind that school events when they start always seem to be on a Friday at our schools. You may have changed role by then but just thought this may be worth taking into account.