Most child friendly part time hours?

[bozemum]

Hello,

I have a 5 month old ds. I am thinking about going back to work when he is about 1. My work will be quite flexible with what hours I do. I am just trying to decide which will be best for ds. I could do the classic 3 days a week. But i was just thinking that I will only see him for a couple of hours after I pick him up in the evening before I put him to bed. And a whole day away from his mummy seems such a long time when he is so little.

So I wondered if just working mornings 5 days a week might be better. But then we won't get any full days together. But it might be nice for him to have his afternoon nap in his own cot. And for us to have a little time together every day.

Has anyone had experience of sending their little one to nursery? Did they adapt to full days away from mummy ok? Also, any tips for making the transition easier? I am going to try and get him attached to a cuddly toy, so he can take that with him when he goes.

I used to work 3 days a week from when dd1 was 7 months old old. I have also tried working 5 days a week (shorter hours). I much preferred full days. Although my time with her was limited on my working days I knew that on the 3rd day I had a stretch of time just to spend time with her, which was lovely. When I did shorter hours I just felt like I never had time to do anything! I couldn't go out with dcs because I had to go to work, I had no time to finish tasks properly at work because I was only there for a few hours - it was a nightmare all round for me! Both my dcs have gone to nursery and they were absolutely fine - no real problems adjusting and they didn't need any toys or special objects to comfort them -they loved being around the other children all day. Settling in sessions were useful - I dropped dd1 for 1 hour the first day (she cried the whole time) and then 2 hours the second (she cried for 10 mins). After that she went for full days and never cried again! dd2 needed no settling in - couldn't wait to start Tbh I found going to work and leaving them in nursery far harder than they did

I work 5 mornings a week and would prefer to work the same hours in 2.5 days. I actually like working for just a few hours but DS will come home and sometimes sleep for 2 hours and then the day is gone and we've not done anything together. I often feel like I don't achieve much at work and at home on a bad day.

Thanks. This makes me feel much better. Glad to hear your little ones adapted well.

3 full days a week is cheaper at Nursery. And I have heard people say working mornings just means you do a full days work crammed into the morning. So sounds like 3 days is the way to go.

Also agree with having full days off - so lovely to not have to rush around and get ready for work and if you want a full day out you can.

When they're little three full days can be better, because a lot of the mother and toddler groups are in the mornings, and babies tend to sleep a lot in the afternoons. I used to do three days.

However, now mine are older (6 and 3), working mornings is better for me, as my DD can do preschool whilst I'm at work, I collect her just after lunch, fit in an activity (such as gymnastics class) before collecting DD1 from school. I am also able to take and collect my Dd1 from school every day, and I don't need to use out of school clubs for my eldest. In fact, whenever my DD1 is not in school, I am there for her, which would not be the case if I worked three days.

So I guess it depends on whether this decision is forever, or whether you can change it in a few years when your child is at the preschool / school age. If you can change your hours a few years down the line, then I would do three days now, and look at doing mornings later, but if you won't be able to change, then it might be worth making the sacrifice for a few years (3 years until they start preschool) for the long term gain (7 years of preschool and primary school, where you would be there to pick them up from school every day).