Full-time hours in four days?

[Verso]

I'm due to go back to work in October, four days a week until Christmas, full-time next year. We could just about manage on me doing four days a week longer-term but as I'm the main earner it would be very very tight, so I'm investigating other ways of doing full-time hours.

From January, my work would let me do five days' worth of hours in four days if I want to (they suggested it in fact) but I'm not sure if this would work for me. Does anyone have experience of doing this?

The choice is: work five days and get home slightly earlier (around 6pm) every night, or work the four-day pattern and get home really late, but have a whole day to spend with DD once a week.

I'd be interested to hear anyone's experiences. Thanks!

Thanks, Dophus (and no, I don't think that makes you 'a horrible Mum' at all!). I'm wondering how I will cope with sleep deprivation, too, as DD has never been a brilliant sleeper (although she excelled herself one night this week with a massive ten-hour stretch). I'm normally up at least twice in the night. Joy!

Oh well, at least I'm four days a week until Christmas, which gives me one day a week when I don't have to rush to be out of the house in the morning. It also means there's a bit more time for DD to get her sleep sorted before I'm full time again (although from some of the things I've read on Mumsnet, it seems some babies/children don't sleep through for years!! ).

Thanks for your input, everyone. Much appreciated.

Hi Dophus, Vander here.
I've just posted a 'Phasing-In' query on the discussion topics. Could you let me have some more info on this so I can tackle my employer .
Thanks a lot !!!