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Babies: 3 - 6 Months
kcisthebombdotcom
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How are the childcare duties split in your house?
kcisthebombdotcom
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Also, do you SAH or work?
I noticed a few posts today about husbands not helping at night because they have to work in the morning. I don't know about anyone else, but I still make DH do half the work. I work 17 hours a week, DH works 50. For nighttime, we do one of two things depending on how well DS has been sleeping. If he's going through a phase of STTN, we rotate nights, since he'll need the occasional binkie replacement, and he gets up for a 5am bottle then goes back to sleep until 7am. If DS is going through a sleep regression phase where he's getting up multiple times a night, we'll do shifts-I'll sleep from 8pm-1am while DH takes care of the baby, and I watch him from 1am-6pm so we both get at least one 5 hour stretch.
In terms of diapers/bottles, once DH gets home from work we rotate feedings/diaper changes.
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Re: How are the childcare duties split in your house?
First congrads on your pregnancy!
I am a SAHM and DH works his 40 hours job plus probably another 20 in extra duty. Obviously when he's gone I do everything. When he comes home I let him relax and just spend time with DS. I normally clean the bottles, but if he has DS he changes DS. He knows I need a break from DS too.
As far as getting up in the morning with DS I will if DH works that day, but if he doesn't work that day he gets up. We have a really easy baby though so it's not like I make DH work all this time and get up at 6:30am to take care of DS. DS will wake up at that time, but after we feed him he will go to bed till 9-10am, so we still get to sleep in.
Funny, my DH is in retail management too! I love the hours. He's usually off Thursdays and Saturdays and works one night a week so he's able to help while I work my PT job and I get some time to myself.
We're currently working on adjusting to a new schedule. DH just started working third shift, and I'm actually getting a lot more help now than I was before. Granted, I'm the only one getting up at night, but once a night isn't that bad. I get her up in the am and he takes over at 6:30 when he gets home. I pick her up from DC at 5, he gets up around 6, and we tag team until bed at 7:30. When he was on first, it was ALL me. I like this better!
ETA: I work, too.
Both DH and I work full time - 40 hours a week. Since I nurse DS when we are home together I do all feedings including overnight ones (DS does not sleep through the night). I change all diapers, I do all baths, I do all laundry, I do EVERYTHING. DH will play and watch DS when I need to get things done - or just to spend time with the baby but he does not help with the "child chores". He does get his Daddy - Son quality time in - but will give me a yell if DS poops... LOL.
I SAH and would say I do the majority of the childcare duties.This isn't because DH is not willing to help though, it's just because he's rarely home!
DH is gone 12+ hours a day and works 2nd shift. He's usually gone from 3pm-3am. I EBF and DS only gets up once a night to eat usually, and it often happens right after DH gets home from work. So he'll wait up with me and chat and then we both go to bed. When DS gets up between 6 and 7 I get up with him because DH will only have gotten 3-4 hours of sleep while I've had a full night. Once he does get up, he takes over and I either take a nap, some time to myself or get some things done around the house.
He is off on Tuesday/Wednesday and on those days he does the majority of baby duty. He does all the diaper changes, gets up early with him so I can sleep in, etc.
DS rarely wakes up at night anymore, but while he was still eating at night, DH would do nighttime bottles. I work full time and have to leave the house at 7 am. Back then, DH's shift at work started at noon. I would take DS to daycare when I left for work so DH could get some sleep.
DH now is on a 9-5 shift, so he gets DS ready while I get ready for work, then DS and I leave at 7, and DH gets himself ready after we're gone. If DS wakes up at night DH is still usually the one to go calm him down so he can go back to sleep. Since we got into the habit of him getting up with the baby, he's alert before I am when we hear DS.
After work, either DH or I do baby duty while the other gets our dinner ready, folds laundry, or whatever. Until DS's bedtim (7), we're both busy doing something, be it baby duty or chores.
We both work full time. I do absolutely everything except wash the bottles from daycare in the afternoon. He'll change her diaper if I'm cooking dinner, etc, but that's about it. I EBF, so I'm also the only one handling night time duties. It's fine w/ me though, I enjoy it.
We both work and I BF. DS sleeps until 2:30 am and I get up, feed and pump. DS goes right back to bed and fusses if we attempt to change him. He doesn't leak through and we have not had a rash problem. DH does the before leaving work change as I get ready. It takes him 10 min to get ready for work and me 45 min. I then feed him before we leave. When we get home DH is in charge of all diaper changes and I get all feeding duties. DH bathes him and gets him ready. I then come in, read a book and feed him.
When I was on maternity leave I would do everything expect diaper changes. DH would take night shifts on the weekends for me. He uses a pumped bottle, so I can get a full nights rest. He still does this now.
DH and I both work FT.
We BF, so I get up during the night. (Which used to be 1-2 times a night and is now much more often, grrr!) To me, there is no point in both of us being tired and up with DS when I'm the one feeding him anyway. If DS just ate and we know he isn't hungry, DH will change him or replace his paci, but I do the majority of the night time stuff.
I drop DS off at daycare, DH picks up up and has him for 2 hours or so until I get home. I take over then and feed him, DH makes dinner. I do the dishes while DH plays with DS. I usually do bath and start bedtime, DH will come up and help sometimes if I need it. Once DS is down and mostly sleeping, DH will usually get him back down if he wakes up...this has kinda been up in the air lately because DS has been a little difficult, so I end up helping a bit too. Then we relax together.
Happy Birthday, little man. We love you so much!
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LOL, why does it seem like the toughest men are the most afraid of a little baby poop? My DH would never be allowed to get away with this, I would probably nag him into an early grave if he tried! We do a lot of the baby stuff together. I take LO's 4AM (if she wakes up), 11AM, 2PM and 5PM feedings, and DH takes the 8AM (unless he needs to leave the house early for court), 8PM and 11PM feedings. We each handle the diapers that go with those feedings, and any soothing post feeding if necessary. We do bath time together, mostly because LO is still WAY to wiggly to be bathed by one person and we are worried about her sliding out of the tub, lol! I do all laundry because DH is terrible at it (last time I let him try, he put a $50 bra in the dryer and it came out in 2 pieces!), but he always vacuums and helps with cleaning. I am so glad DH is helpful with baby stuff, or I would go insane!
I am currently a SAHM (I just got laid off while on maternity leave, so looking for a new job), but will be going back to work in a few months, at which point I am sure the duties will change considerably.