I’ve been a stay at home mom for the past 2yrs, and I have a 4month old, 5, 6, and 7year olds. My new job starts in 2 weeks, and I may get assigned 3rd shift from 11 pm to 7 am. I will be asking family for help since my husband works a 9 to 5. But was wondering if anyone else has a similar schedule, and if so, how do you make it work? When do you sleep? Its a job opportunity of a lifetime that will help my family tremendously, but I’m a little worried about having to do virtual learning again in the fall and looking for advice!
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I have worked graveyard for over two years now. I make sure there is a block of time for me to sleep 4-5 hours when I get home. And then I do 3 shifts (12 hrs) in a row. I’m off for 4 nights and 5 days with the family this way. It’s nice to bring in the steady income to supplement my hubby. I feel like I spend more “ quality” time with my kids because I’m busy a lot, so I don’t take my time for granted if that makes sense. The biggest thing was dad has to help out around the house. We split almost all chores and he does more cooking than I do!
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I would put a gate up and block my little one in the living with me made sure she had sippy and a clean diaper put on a show. She would let me sleep for a bit. when my husband got home I would eat then sleep
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I work 7pm to 7am Friday and Saturday and Sunday work 5pm to 7am. I have a 7 year old and 9 year old. Friday afternoons I lay down for a nap I make sure they have anything that they need and sat and Sunday I get about 4 to 5 hours of sleep. And mondays I only get a couple of hours. My husband work Monday-Friday 8am to 7pm most days that’s why we decided on the weekend shift for me that way I could sleep while he is home. And we dont have to worry about having a sitter
Our schedule was flipped so my fiance would work til 8am i would leave at 830 for work come home at 5 and hed sleep at 7. He got used to the schedule wuickly. Thats what worked for him tho.
I work either 8pm to 630a or 10p to 630a. Sunday - Thursday. My mom keeps the kids over night and when I get home they go to a sitter. On Fridays I stay up with them and nap when they do. I love 3rd shift. Its easier once they are in school. My kids are 7, 3, 2
I’ve been 3rd shift for 10 years and a mom for 5 of them. I work from about 10pm to 6am and “sleep” from 3/4pm to 9pm. I just had my 3rd baby so we have breastfeeding in the mix too. Husband brings baby up when hungry and I have a wireless doorbell to ring when it’s time for him to come get baby after I’m done. But husband is a delivery driver and works lunch rushes and I handle the kids in the mornings and we do our best to fit family time in the few hours between his work and my sleep.
I myself work from 10pm to 4am at 1 job then 5am go to second job until like 4pm I’m also raising my granddaughter who will be 4 in dec luckily I have my mom there with me makes it easier until she wants me and will come wake me up so on average i might get 12 to 16 hours a sleep a week sunday is my only day off so it def gets spent with her all day. I’m married as well but he works 6am to 6pm
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I slept during the day after i dropped my son off at daycare
Hubby worked 7-4
I worked midnight-8am
I would get home from work and spend the day with the kids. As soon as he got home I would already be in bed to fall asleep as soon as he was in the door. He would wake me for work when he went to bed at 11pm.
I have been working the 3rd shift for four years. I have 13, 4, 3 and 1 year old. At first it has extremely difficult but I’m used to it. Some days are still hard since I nap when the baby naps. The older ones I put them in the room with me have them watch or play with tablet. I get a good 5 hours
If you nap at all while the kids nap, get a higher latch to lock doors and set alarms! My husband went through this and it was a challenge but if you get a routine that will help. Consistency is key! And don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with trying to do too much. It’s okay to skip some of the cleaning and just focus on yourself and you kids.
Usually sleep is non existent
When I worked 3rd shift, my family and I lived on a farm. My husband worked on the farm growing veggies and such. I would stay up until 11 or 12 go to sleep and get up around 8. I had my husband there to help and he would take our kids with him whenever he needed to get some work done. My in laws were there to help as well if we needed it. We were lucky. You will find some way to work it out.
I worked 5-5, third shift, Monday-Friday and every other Saturday for about 3 months and had to stop. My body just couldn’t handle it. I had a one year old and my boyfriend worked first shift 6-4 Monday-Friday. Besides having absolutely no time as a family, or a couple, I almost never seen my son. I also didn’t have any help at all as all of the family around me worked first also and the ones that didn’t work lived too far away to babysit while I slept.
The first month was okay, I was able to survive off 2-3 hours of sleep daily and the weekends were catch up on sleep days. But after the first month I couldn’t even stay awake to watch my son while he was in my care and I couldn’t keep the house clean. It honestly looked like a bunch of KIDS lived here and I felt awful! My baby would try to wake me, and I would try my best to wake up and play with him, but no matter what I did I would fall asleep. Sitting, standing, whatever. It was miserable and not worth it in my opinion.
I worked 3rd shift for 10 year’s. But my children were 12 and 17… You
Will definitely need family
Help !! Outside of your home. At home… No sleep. For you… Best of Luck 
I went without sleeping more than 2 hours.
It depends on what kind of job you have! If you can take small breaks throughout the night and power nap that always worked for me. It’s only rough for a couple of weeks, it gets a lot easier and you get used to the routine.
I have 2 kids and have been on 3rd shift for almost a year. My kids went to school and when they shut down I just keep my oldest home. Well 8 weeks in I couldnt do it. He now goes to daycare too. It was just too much.
Did nights when my boys where you i would go home at 7 am get them ready for school and daycare then drop them off … sleep while they were at school and daycare ans picked them up after usually by 430 actually got more time with them working nights then daya
I worked 8-4:30a but I only had a 3yr old at the time. She waited up for me on her tablet and slept with me. My husband works 6a-2p so he got back in time for me to take a nap for work.
Mom of 5 boys and I work 3-9 and 6-12 in the mornings it’s works but it’s still hard! Good luck hun
I work 7pm-3am. My husband works 1230-430 for right now. So that helps but when he goes back to whole days I’m having him take my son (1yr old) to daycare until about noon and then I’ll spend the rest of the day with him
You’ll be somewhat ok with the school aged children and sleeping during the day and if you can put them in after school or have family watch them after school… but the 4 month old? Unless he will be with family or a sitter, there’s no way you will be able to maintain that lack of sleep. Especially 5 days a week. I had a hard time with working 3rd shift with one school aged child. I couldn’t imagine doing it with 3 and a baby.
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Can you afford daycare? Otherwise idk If you’ll get more than a couple hours here and there. Is this worth it hun?
Not going lie it’s going to be hard!
If they have a sitter or daycare use it. Sleep from 8-4.
I only had one child but we made it work. Husband worked 9 to 5 and i worked 11to 7. He let me sleep from 6 to 11 and we made it. On my days of i slept at night and kind of caught up. It is very hard and all have to work together but we did it. Sometimes his mother would cone and stay day so i could sleep.
Have your husband take the kids to daycare on his way to work, sleep during the day and pick up your kiddo’s when you wake up.