3 full days or 5 short days, whats best?

[billyog]

I'm going back to work next month and my 8mth ds is going to nursery. We're having regular settling in sessions at the moment and its proving a bit tramatic for us both (which I know is quite normal to begin with). I have agreed to go back to work part time, 3 days a week but could do 5 half days instead, kinda thinking this might be easier on ds. Any opinions as to which is best or is it really all the same?

If it were me, I prefer 3 full versus 5 half because then I'd have 2 full week days off so as to go out somewhere for days, rather than having to fit in apointments, big shopping trips etc in an afternoon. I know someone who has recently gone back to work and has gone for 3 full because of that reason but I guess it depends on how your DD adjusts in the long term to nursery. A few hours every day might be easier for her as she know she'll you at lunchtime.

I start a new job on monday - I have been out of work since I had my DD 2yrs ago. My DD does already go to a creche for 3 sessions of one hour every week so I can go to the gym and she has also attended a government paid childminder fo two whole mornings every week so she is used to saying Bye to me but now I will be working 4 full days. Ive never left her for this long before and I TOTALLY apreciate where you are coming from Billyog. I asked my employer if they were flexible and they were so I have agonised over whet to do and finally decided on 4 full days so that every wednesday that I have off we can have a full day together, visiting family, going swimming with no rush or stress about having to get to work later etc!I also do a night class on a Thursday night and because of timings I wouldnt be spending time with DD for aprox 24hrs and I hate the thought of this. So much so that I didnt go to college last night and Im questionning whether to give it up altogether. My desire to go back to work and go to college just isnt as important as my DD but hving said that I want her to see that its OK for me to have a life too. She only has me (Im a single mum) so interaction with others would be good too.
Its so hard isnt it!

i have done both, 3 full days and then 5 mornings (childcare got too expensive!
i definitely prefered working 3 days.It leaves 2 full days for hospial appointments etc. I am more exhausted working 5 mornings a week, as you need 5 pairs of ironed clothes, 5 lots of packed lunch and the way you have to go to work 5 times a week.

I just don't understand how people can afford childcare. We have 3 dc, ages 5y, 3y & 5m. If I went back to work outside of the home, I would earn just enough to pay for a cm. I would love to earn the kind of money I used to bc, but i just wouldn't see any of it and some cm would be very well off!

ime i find three days perfect. That way you get two uninterupted days at home with dc to focus on them . I have one ds at school and one dd at nursery and once she is in there she quickly settles and has done from six months, she two now, and that is how she sees her routine. Nursery days and mummy days and it has worked out great for days out etc. And at that age by the time they have three meals and a couple of hours sleep the best part of the day gone at nursery anyway. Good luck the seperation always difficult at first but you all quickly adapt. If anything work sometimes my sanctuary!

Thanks for all the responses ladies, my gut feeling was to go with the three days so those comments are really reassuring.

3 days is better for illness. When they go to nursery they pick up all sorts of sniffles and coughs-- and much easier to cover if you are not having to go to work 5 days a week I reckon.

hi billygog, i statred back at work in jan and am doing 3 full days. ds2 (also 8 months) goes to the onsite nursery. so far i prefer to it to 5 half days, as i only have to drop off 3 times instead of pitting us through it 5 times. (although i have to say he has got on really well and actually gets excited when i drop him off now, his little legs kick and he waves his arms around )(traitor)
also as AMAZINWOMANsaid i only have to get 3 lots of nappy/clothes/bottle bags ready which does seem to make the day last even longer when you get home and theres still more things to be doing.

Just thought I'd put in the 5 days a week veiwpoint in case you thought no-one did it!

I have worked 5 half days since DS was 2.

The thing that works well ime is that the routine is the same every day, and DS settled into nursery very quickly.

I quite like the routine as well, the downsides that you listed do apply - I hate the early mornings..but that side of things will improve when DS goes to school as I will be able to change my hours.

I find the afternoons I do tend to do appoitnments, shopping, chores etc, which leaves the weekends for our trips out.

Although I have to say most afetrnoons I am knackered, and now DS has dropped his nap I am knackereder still!

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i have done 4 shorter days and 3 full days - much better to do 3 full days imo as once you're at work, it is hard to leave! if you do 5 half days will you end up doing longer or finding it hard to get out. Depending on your job, you will also find your mornings will be filled up with meetings etc.. leaving you no time to actually do any work. (have to do at home??) With 3 full days then there will be a certain % of meetings etc. that you just won't be there for so won't have to fit in!

Also, half days at nursery are hard to juggle with their lunchtime sleep. Will you pick him up before his sleep? Then will he fall asleep in the car and will you be able to "transfer"?

3 full days is better - oh and make sure they are Tues/Wed/Thurs too - no bank hols to mess with then - you will have a better holiday entitlement.

5 short days feels like you are working full time, with not much free time at either end of the day.

(I have done both - working 5 days now DD is at school)

I'd do 3 full days as well

I did 2 and a half days when I went back to work. It was great because you just drop everything and walk out the door until next week! Any problems/tricky customers etc are all over on your return too .

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I've done both, and agree with 3 whilst DS is in private nursery. I changed to 5 mornings when mine started school nursery+cm at age 3. So nice to have a full day at home or to go to parent & toddler etc. Afternoons off can feel a bit useless - not much time to do anything really. Work was trickier too on 5 mornings - I felt that I really had to work, work, work, when I was doing mornings only, whereas 3 days was more civilised.

Though reading your post again, what you're more worried about is that DS isn't settling at nursery (and you're not settled either). Number of days is therefore not the issue? I was lucky in that DS is a blase little thing and didn't give two hoots - could someone here give you a few pointers on getting settled in nursery I wonder?

I've done full days and half-days. I preferred full-days (cheaper journeys into work, more time to do everything, when you're off you're off etc). DS seemed equally happy with either arrangement. Same for DD, although only one full day now.

another vote here for 3 full days. 3 days to focus on work (no pressure about leaving "early" etc.) and 2 to focus fully on ds.

I agree with 3 full days. And if you can work those 3 days consecutively, even better.

i do 3 short days!

if you could arrange it i would do back to back - so wed, thurs, fri, ( sat sun yours) Mon tue wed ( thurs fri sat sun mon tues yours) wed thurs fri ( sat sun yours ) mon tues wed ( thurs fri sat sun mon tue) etc.

if that makes sense>?