Working nights and staying awake looking after children

[Em1209]

Hi all,

I am going back to work after having 2 children quite close together, nearly 2 y/o and a nearly 7 m/o. I am going to be doing nights (3 nights each 12h) and then looking after the children in the day due to little childcare.

My DS (2y/o) will be going to nursery on a Wednesday morning for 4 hours which I plan to be the end of the 3 night shifts and I'll only have my DD with me. I plan on doing a Sunday/Monday and Tuesday night.

Had anyone done this long term and survived on say 6-8 hours sleep from the Monday - Wednesday morning? As my DS only naps max 2hours a day now?.

I am doing these shifts to work around my partner who works full time.

Will I survive 😂👀 xx

No it sounds ridiculous and dangerous

I don’t think this is going to work well OP, you will be exhausted and feel awful and it won’t be fair on either your children or your employer. It’s not care work is it?

I worked 2 nights a week with mine as babies (and while pregnant with number 2). I split them as I had no childcare at all, so just took over from my husband in the mornings and soldiered on.

It was bloody awful.. the usual broken nights plus completely missing 2 nights sleep every week but I had no choice. Is doable but hard OP.

You’d be doing yourself, your kids, your relationship and your job a disservice. I hope you aren’t in a job which is safety critical either.

Impossible to do two nights in a row with no sleep.

No, this does not sound sustainable at all, sorry. I didn't even survive on that little sleep with newborns and there's no way I was functional then. I'm assuming you have a job that holds some responsibility?

Also , are you going to be driving ? Very dangerous.

No, and you will also be a huge risk to other road users if you are driving too and from work. Ridiculous.

I wouldn't have managed 2 together, never mind 3 btw. As others have said, that won't work

My dm used to do nights when me and my siblings were small. She used to lay on the sofa while we played but never really slept. Just rested. She always says it was hard going but financially she had no choice.

So you are planning on sleeping daytime Sunday, then not having any planned sleep until Wednesday night? Dont forget, as the kids grow theh will nap less (DS dropped at naps at 2y).
It sounds possible once the kids are at school, but not til then. Sorry.

I work nights and this sounds absolutely crazy and impossible, it won't work, sorry.

Please don’t do this OP. It’s a terrible idea for you and the children.

Nope. Dangerous.

No, not possible. DH does shifts and as the months go buy the night shifts really wreck you, even with vaguely ok sleep.

As PP say, it’s straight out dangerous for everyone

I did this and lasted 6 weeks before I had a breakdown. Was the hardest thing I've ever done. I can now see why they use lack of sleep in SAS training. I wasn't giving my full self to my job or to my children.

You can’t possibly do this. It won’t be healthy for you and your kids will suffer.

also what’s your job? Presumably you need to be alert to do it.

This won't work until children are in school if you won't use childcare. It will break you (I am a nurse).

Would you expect your husband to stay up all night after being at work all day (and working nights is worse as you'll be working longer hours).

You will get sick doing this. I used to do four nights before children and I slept during the day in which it sounds like you will not. It’s not doable, especially being in charge of such a small child whilst you’ve come off a 12 hour shift. It would be quite dangerous.

Really don't think this can work, you can't possibly go all that time with no sleep, it's dangerous, for you, your family and whoever you're coming across at work, whatever it is you're doing, you can't possibly do the job on no sleep. Can you work the shifts so you work just 2 nights and do them before the days your partner is off, so they can have the kids while you sleep? Not ideal as no family time but preferable to no sleep for 3 days.

Impossible. You need to sort out childcare so you can sleep in the day once you finish each night shift.

Absolutely not possible. DH works nights. At times he struggles to drive home and then barely manages to stay awake long enough to drop DC at school. He sleeps until 3.00 to do the school run and will fall asleep on the sofa on his days/nights off. He’s a zombie.

OP, I see you say you're doing these shifts to work around partner who is working full time. 3x 12 hour shifts is also full time. Families where two families are working full time need to use childcare- I know it's expensive but that's just how it is.

Don’t do it. A single one-off maybe but it’s just not do-able over a week. Everyone will suffer, most of all you.

dangerous unfortunately