Going back to work full time @ 12 months

[Hanster85]

Hello 👋

I'm due to go back to work full time in January when my baby is 1 year old. I'd love to be able to stay home with her a bit longer, but I need to financially & have been offered a fantastic opportunity that I can't miss out on!

I'm obviously feeling really anxious about leaving my DD & concerned about how she will settle - particularly how she will nap... she's never been a great sleeper, but just started sleeping through & really don't to go backwards with it.

I just wondered how everyone else's babies got on when they went back to work full time?

I was exactly the same but honestly it hasn't been too bad. My DD loves nursery which has made it much easier & then she has days with family.

I panicked so much leading up to going back & even cried my first day there but you just get use to the new routine.

Having a year helped too as I got to be there for her major milestones like walking.

@Dill2018
Ah that's so reassuring, did your little one nap ok at nursery? My DD needs total darkness to sleep & is so particular about her sleeping situation!

My LO must be same age as yours & i am back at work now. It's gone really well... super busy but (a) i get 1-2 hours with her in morning and 1 in evening and (b) we both switch into work/ childcare mode very quickly, so it's not heartbreaking all day long xx
Also, being around other kids all day brings on her speech and motor skills so quickly!

They tend to stop being quite so particular about a lot of things once they've settled in at nursery, so it might take a little while but she will get used to the new normal. They're very adaptable at that age.
I went back full time after 8 months which turned out to be too soon for us- neither of us coped v.well. Then went part time, which worked for us. Try it- it might be just right, but if not, you have options.

@Hanster85 My LO was the same would only nap in darkness so was really worried about the sleep situation. I don't know how they do it but she has napped great there since her first week.

That’s fantastic thank you! I’d have rather gone back part time, but there just wasn’t the option. It seems a lot to go from being home all the time, to 5 days somewhere else. But I’m so glad all your LO’s have settled so well! Did you do a phased introduction at first?

I went back at 6 months on both children and it was fine. The creche had a settling in schedule for about 3 weeks before started with me there for twenty mins and worked up to her having a nap and feed there. Try have a trial run of a day and a morning before you go back to work.
Mine slept a little less in creche than they would have at home but overall it worked fine

I went back part time at 12 months. My boy is the same as yours - would only sleep in a dark room, in his cot with white noise playing. I was so worried about his naps. Overall he naps absolutely fine then. Some days it is less than I would like but I just give him a slightly earlier bedtime so he isn't too overtired. But generally he is fine and I can't believe how fast he is developing being there!!! It's hard at first but you will both be ok :) x

I went back at 12 months but managed to use my accrued holiday to go back three days a week for six months - fab as I got my full salary but only had to pay nursery for three days!
Anyway I was supper worried about DS as napping was awful and he would only nap on me or in the pram. Honestly the girls at nursery are sleep angels, I think they've probably had experience with every type of baby and mange to get them to sleep.
DS had a couple of settling in sessions and then a bit of a rocky start on his first day. But six months in, I'm now back full time and he absolutely loves nursery. Probably because they do all the messy stuff I won't do at home 😂

Ah thank you for all your responses, I don’t know anyone else who is going through the same thing at the mo & it’s so nice to have all this reassurance! I think most the time it’s us that suffer worse than our LO’s!