going back- how to do it?

[HerMomminess]

Just phoned nursery to discuss settling in for DD1 (6mo) and suddenly feel really sad.

I want to go back to work, and financially have to.But emotions caught me unaware this morning

On a more practical note: how on earth are we going to get out the door on time? I have to be at work at 8. DH will mainly do drop offs but we need to be out the door at 730. At the mo she sleeps really well and wakes round 730, gets bottle, then breakfast with me after DH has left.Doing BLW and also need to pack food.

Reassurance/tips please?

i used to work in a nursery and i have also worked for large family and getting them to nursery school and babby classes. i would get up make bottle and get self ready then dress the baby and give baby the bottle proped in buggy on way to nursery or get baby up feed then put on mat to play whilst you sort yourself out and then put baby in car for nursery. most nurseries do breakfast for you and then the baby is not rushed and not sick. the point is you need to set a new routine that suit you as long as the baby has bottle they not worried as they are fed.

Perfect Mummy: On Sunday evening, you iron and lay out the family's clothes for the week. The night before, you pack your bag, DD's bag and DH's bag (healthy packed lunches for adults optional!) and set the table for breakfast. In the morning, you get up, shower, dress, do hair and make up, wake your DH and get your DD up, while he has a shower. You all sit down to breakfast and leave the house on time.

Manic Mummy: Mad rush as you pressed the snooze button on the alarm. Rush through the shower, scrabble around to find clothes that might go together, don't have holes in the tights and don't need ironing. Get DD out of bed, give her a bottle while trying to find everything she needs for the day. Do make up / hair on the way, shout at the traffic / John Humphries. Get to work flustered, with baby sick on your jacket and lipstick on your teeth, realising you have left your work pass at home, again! Hope you have enough petrol in the car to get to the petrol station on the way home, if you manage to leave early enough - otherwise your life is in the lap of the manic mummy gods!

Hopefully, you will be somewhere in between!!

You will find what routines are necessary and what works!! If you do drive, my one tip would be, fill the car when you can, not just when it's nearly empty!!

you need to change from a morning shower person to an evening shower person.

and everyone breakfasts at work/school/nursery

Thanks ladies. LOL DB

She wakes up at 7.30am but you will need to be out of the house by 7.30am - so can you put her to bed earlier in the evening to make up for having to wake her earlier?

I echo DB, fill the car up, you won't have time to do it after work and before picking up dc, no matter how early you leave - speaking from experience here, although my car now knows it has to run on air for at least two weeks a month.

I've had to alter my alarm clock and start waking everyone earlier since returning to work. The nursery will sometimes receive a baby who's not been fed, or dressed. But I just hand the stuff over and they do it for me.

But yes, you need to get everything ready the night before, including showers if you can. I do it all alone, so have to be super-organised.

It seems hard at first, but then you'll find yourself in a routine (hopefully) and it'll no longer seem to be such hard work - well, until you sit down and describe it, and then you're knackered reading what you do :-)

I started back at beginning Jan and like you couldn't imagine how it could work! We have to leave house by 20 past 7 and its mostly ok! My top tip would be to def pack dc's food bag night before (reminded myself of that plan AGAIN this morning ). We are partially BLW too and I send her with frozen mixed veg decanted into a pot (they heat it at nursery), chopped fruit in a pot, crumpets, fruit bread or malt loaf. Have even sent falafal in a pot... I love my new arrangment of mini tupperwear pots!
Also I get up at 6 (ugh) and get myself pretty much ready before waking dd about 10 to 7. She now drinks bottle on our bed whilst I slap on some makeup to hide the circles! Last tip would be don't put on shirt / jumper till last minute to avoid sick/ dribble stains so loved by working mums!

Talk to nursery about BLW - lots of people do it so they might be able to help. Though you won't be the first or last Mummy who pays for nursery including food and then prepares food herself!!

Keep them coming!!

Have been contemplating what time I will need to jump (crawl!!) out of bed.

Thanks for tips re nursery friednly BLW food. Have been wondering. At moment I preload spoon with weetabix/readybrek&yoghurt/slices of fruit...defo need to leave nursery to do that feed.Will try crumpets/fruit loaf.

I guess I also feel guilty that I won' t be able to eat (any!) meals with my child. DH will do most drop offs and I will prob only get home after they have had dinner So sub optimal!

withney I think that sounds like our house.Oredered labels for the range of mini pots! Thought re jumper issue

Nursery doesn't provide food for younger ones (up to 18 months) so I have to provide her whole food for day. She will eat spoon fed stuff so I have a freezer drawer for her full of annabel karmel type things (just not pureed but kind of mashed). She has finger food snacks and fruit. We dont get to eat together either on my work days but she does get to eat all her meals with up to 15 other babies at the most adorable table.. kind of think this is still promoting the lifestyle sociable side of eating ! OUr nursery hadn't really heard of BLW but are really flexible (so far) in how they deal with her.

Apologies for the typo whitey.Good point that she willat least be eating with some one-even if it isn' t me.

Interesting thrad re bedtimes/daily routines made me think- we'll just have to see how we go.Maybe change some routines/adapt. I have had a look at A Karmel book and can adapt some ideas for blw.Or give her left overs from dinner.