Night shift work and pre-schoolers

[Bedsheets4knickers]

Been having a snoop and found some work, it's 21 hours per week shelf filling . I don't want to waste money on child care so night work seems a good choice . My children are still pre - school age 4/2.
Any mums out there manage night work and mum duties. I have no family near by but I think 21 hours over 7 days . I could possibly manage . Would be grateful to hear from people working similar hours.

A 21hr contract is likely to be three seven hour shifts (7.5 taking in breaks) so could you do that overnight and then manage to entertain the kids during the day too? Unless you worked every fri/sat night (woth DP around for the daytimes so you could catch up on sleep), I really dont see how you would manage - when would you sleep?!

Similarly, after a shift at work, most people need a couple of hours downtime/time to switch off. My late shifts finish at 11pm and I cannot sleep before 1am, which has a real knock on effect on my tiredness the following day as dd is up around 6.30

Depends how the hours are split. I need 6 hrs sleep so if I finish at midnight I can be fully functioning to be up at 6 with my early risers. But also I can stay awake for a shift if I'm up at 6 it is possible for me to last until 4am the next day doing a very late/ early hours night shift. But I need a good sleep when I get in. Till late morning. I know someone who stays awake the day after a night shift - I don't know how she does it.

That's the question when would I sleep. Tbh I'm a crap sleeper anyway quite often function on 3-4 hours then broken bits here and there . Suppose I could Atleast try and get an interview then see if it's set shifts or not. I'd prefer set shifts because then I can plan my week/sleep but il doubt il get my cake and eat it x

It's OK as a temporary gap filler but I wouldn't rely on it for too long - it wrecks your health and after a year most people struggle with it. DH did 2 years and I was on duty during the day. You do need to set out time if not to sleep to actually rest. I realise not everybody has a choice but would look upon it as a temporary thing and be on the hunt for other work.

I work 23.5 hrs a week which is actually an average, the shifts are ten hours long. So two weeks I work two shifts and two weeks i work three shifts. (get paid 4weekly)
I tend to stay up a lot with my 1yr old, I have two at junior school too and sleep for a couple of hrs when dh gets home from work.
It's not ideal and I am knackered but it saves us paying for childcare

I've never done night work , always been on low income so day time work wouldn't pay the childcare. I never know how people hold down day time work when kids get 13 weeks off a year.

I worked 3 nights a week for 10 years. For the first 7 years I had a pre schooler although once ds2 went to playgroup at 3 I got 1.5 hours sleep. I wouldn't do it unless you really, really have to. I'm sure my poor health now is related.