I'm starting to resent my part time work schedule

sallyc2003

I have a GREAT workplace - they let me come back to work at 50% time after Emma was born. (of course, that means 50% pay....but that's ok for now).   I chose to work Mon-Fri from 8am to noon. I did this mostly because I was still nursing, and I couldn't bear to be away from her for longer.

Flash forward a year (yikes, has it been a year already?!) and I'm starting to feel the need for a change.  Her nap schedule is kinda wonky right now.  A lot of days, she refuses to take an afternoon nap.  So after working all morning, I come home for lunch and then it's chaos.  If she doesn't nap then I basically get no break until after she goes to bed.  If she does nap, that's when I usually get dinner ready/clean up the place and get some lunch in. I feel like she gets bored easily in teh afternoons, but the whole nap situation means I can't predict whether to take her somewhere or what.

On the flip side, I feel totally out of it at work.  I leave before lunch so I miss a lot of the socializing.  Plus, I can't really get everything done (work stuff AND personal stuff) because i'm just not here long enough. 

I was thinking of going to 60% time, and working 3 full days (I was thinking M-W-F) instead of 5 half ones.  I know I sound like a total wimp, but I am really worried about being away from her so long.  Not to mention the evening crunch that I know all working parents have that I've been able to avoid until now since I've been home in the afternoons.  But the flip side is I'll have 2 full days to actually get organized, and emma and I can do some fun things/get out of the house more regularly.

Does anyone work M-W-F or a similar shift?  Does this work for you?

tia!!

momofolivia

That sounds like a great plan.  I work FT so I don't have direct experience with MWF, but I know you have been struggling with the social aspect of work recently, so i wanted to chime in.

My DD is wonky (love that word!) on her naps too.  She gets cranky, and is tried, but won't sleep. 

 The evening crunch is not too bad.  It is pretty doable, especially once you get into a groove.

Just food for thought - will the two full days really help you get organized since her sleep habits are messed up?  Won't it just be two long days, possibly, of the same thing you are dealing with now?

 I think the full days would help you feel less rushed and more a part of the team at work.

jlw2505

I think working 3 full days is a great idea.  On the nap thing,. your DD might be ready to go down to 1 nap a day.  My DD moved to 1 nap a day at a year and I love it and can't wait for the baby to get to that point as it really opens up what you can do in a day.  My DD has lunch around 11:30 or 12 and then goes down for a nap and will nap 1-2 hours.  I think her being in daycare 3 days and home with you the rest might also help out as it will be more of a routine for you both.  You will adjust to working all day and then dealing with the evening rush.  The biggest key with that is prep - we do as much for the next day the night before.  Basically, my DH and I (with the girls) get home around 5.  We prep dinner for the next night after the girls are in bed so when we get home we just toss whatever dinner is into the microwave or in the oven, depending what it is and I also do a ton of crock pot things.  I also get all of our bags ready and DH and I get our lunches ready the night before.  We make the babies bottles, all that stuff.  Planning is key and we have it down that we typically end up doing house/family stuff together (we split the list up) for about an hour after they girls go to bed and then we have couple or me time.

bridetobe0jb

I have experience with the MWF schedule to FT crunch.  When you're on MWF it's way easier because on the day you work, when you get home you don't have to get ready for the next day since you're home.  I think everyday is so much harder.

regarding the nap - maybe she's ready for one mid-day nap?  DD gets a lot of sleep now - up to 3 hours even. 

mauceddie

I worked MTW, and will be going back to that shedule. I really liked it. You get 3 days over woth and then have a nice long weekend with your kid. The other shift I liked was Monday-thursday but only 6 hour days- days were less rushed but then I lost a whole day with them.

YellowBride

I was in the same situation as you - I did half days after coming back from maternity leave and around the same point as you, they started to just get draining and non-productive. I switched to M/W/F full days and I loved it. When I was at work, I could concentrate on work and get more done. When I was home, I was home and hd the full day. It was way better for me.

 As far as nap, DD moved to one nap around 13 monhts (around 1-3) and it is so much better. DD was resisting the afternoon nap at that point and it was a gamble on if she'd go down or not and how long it would take to get her down. With one nap, you have the whole morning to do stuff.

 FWIW, after a few months of working M/W/F, I realized I was ready (financially and otherwise) to go back to full-time, which I am doing now. I think doing the 3 full days made it an easier transition for me and now I love it.