Help - how can I prepare myself and LO for me going back to work?

[KathMCB]

Am going back to work in early November (full time) LO will be a year old. Have found a lovely local nursery that I like. He will be in it four days a week (DH has Wednesdays off). I have put LO in half a day a week for the last two weeks to see how he liked it and he was fine (I was a wreck)

Has anyone got any advice on how I can prepare myself for this transition? Have loved mat leave and loved being at home. Need to go back to work for the money. Should I build the nursery days up slowly? Should I also start any other prep?

I can't believe how quickly the year has gone....:)

start increasing nursery time
talk positively about work.big it up
lay out all your work clothes night before,pack bag night before
lay out child clothes night before
make any sandwiches etc night before

work is a positive thing to demonstrate to your child

totally agree with scottishmummy. you will be setting a good example in the long run and give your child very good social skills. also you will find that the time you do have with your child becomes less tiring and stressful. stay possitive and use the nursery for advice in the future when it comes to potty training socialising, and generally a helping hand

Thank you! Am starting a new job as well. I love working and feel a bit guilty for this. (I know I shouldn't)

Will look at increasing the nursery time over the next few weeks.

guilty about what?providing for child?being good role model?
dont sweat it but do grow a thicker skin and get used to the precious moments comments and the face...

Ha! I have had a few tastes of the "face" already I think! Is it a kinda unspoken "poor you...you can't afford/don't want to spend all your time with your LO....." He is at nursery today and I have upped it to two half days next week.

do some clothes shopping,get hair cut, coloured,whilst he at nursery
and you can giggle next time you hear a precious moiments quip. afterall why did you have baby if you leave it with sunken eyed strangers all day..eh?well?....ta da - the face

Sympathies here, i know how you feel. In the few weeks leading up to returning to work FT i had lots of tears, but when the day finally came it was different because something 'clicks' inside you and you just think "this is it, i've given my LO the best possible start in life, i can't change the situation so i might as well just get on with it". I've found that when i've had a particularly bad day and i used to come home in a bad mood it's now a totally different story. I come home happy to see my DS and DH and really make the absolute most of the time i have with them. It helps to regularly book some time off so you always have something to look forward to, even if it's just a day taking your LO swimming or something.

Definitely build up a bit more time at nursery in the meantime, although at that stage i felt like every minute with my DS counted. He'd already settled brilliantly at his CM so i reduced the time back to half a day a week again just so i could spend the remaining time with him. But by that time he'd already been spending a day or two a week there so i knew i/ we could do it. I guess it depends how well your LO has settled so far, or if he/ you need more time to adjust.

You'll settled into work again fine and cope a lot better than you think you will. And you'll have quality weekends, evenings and holidays together which is sometimes better than just going through the motions of every day life as a mum.

Definitely make the most of the time now when your DS is in nursery and go and spoil/treat yourself

You will soon get used to it and, if you enjoy working, then you will soon start to enjoy the routine of going to work and being back in the thick of things.

When I went back to work, I hated leaving DS1 at nursery and often wondered how people could put their DC in nursery when they didn't need to (i.e. if you have a day off work, why would you put your DC in nursery that day??). Ha - soon realised that it was great to be able to have some time you myself to go shopping at my own pace, sleep clean the house without 'help' etc. Me and DH often used these days to have some time together as we don't have any babysitters so never get out at night together so we often put the DC in nursery and go out for the day together

Your DS will love being at nursery and what better than getting to play with your friends all day - plus they get to do all the messy stuff (painting, playdoh etc) that you really can't be bothered doing at home

Thank you! Am feeling better already. I think I was a bit emotional before, not helped by the final return of Aunt Flo after 20 months!

Am booking a hair cut and upping the nursery days to two half days for a while then 1 and half from October. I do love work and I know that once I am back it will hopefully "click"

the click is doing what you're intuitively good at and knowing you're a good role model modelling employment,female participation and able to come home and enthuse about work to kids.because they too will work the majority of their life.so mummy doing it is good ethos