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May 2011 Moms
timing question for working moms
I am going back to work tomorrow and am trying to figure out the timing of everything. I need to leave by 7am to be at work by 9am (driving to mom's, then to train station, then 40 minute train ride). I can't decide whether to wake DD up early enough to dress and feed her or put her in her carseat at the last minute and hope she doesn't cry all the way there. She's been sleeping until 7:30 or 8:30 lately, so I would be getting her up 2 hours earlier than usual.
Working moms, what do you do with DD in the morning? Help, please! I'm getting super anxious about all this 
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Re: timing question for working moms
Also, if you get her up early, is it likely she will sleep once you are in the car? Or will she likely scream because she is tired and off schedule?
What I do depends on the day. She leaves with DH at 7:30. Some days I get her up at 6:30 to change, nurse, and hang with me while I get ready. Some days I let her sleep until 7:10 and then I change her and nurse her right before she leaves. She is fine with either way most days.
Mommy to Rachel 1.15.06 and Ashley 5.17.11
I agree, it depends on her personality or how she does with waiting for you. On days that I work, I usually shower and get mostly dressed, and then get DS up to nurse. He can hang out and play on his play mat while I finish getting ready. I learned pretty quickly not to wait until the last minute to wake & feed him, because that will inevitably be the day he eats slow, spits up, blows out, or SOMETHING happens. I was late to work my first two days back
because I was trying to let him sleep as long as possible and I just ran out of time.
If you are taking her to your mom's, I might suggest nursing her at home and changing her diaper, but leave her in her PJ's for the car ride. Your mom would probably enjoy getting her ready and it cuts down on time for you. Also, your LO might feel more relaxed if she is in her warm snuggly PJ's(?), thus making the car ride as enjoyable as possible.
Good luck tomorrow. It'll all work out!
Oh, and she usually nurses from 4-5 so I don't have to worry about feeding when I wake her. She eats when she gets to daycare.
I honestly don't know how she would do if I woke her up as I've never tried it. I think I'll just bite the bullet and get up early enough to get ready first, then wake her up to have her bottle and get dressed. She is a pretty light sleeper in the mornings and doesn't fall asleep in the car, as a general rule, so I think fed and dressed would probably be better for everybody except for me getting more sleep.
I am really, really, really not a morning person and am already struggling with sleep deprivation when I can sleep in as late as she'll let me and take naps during the day. I really don't know how I'm going to do all this and be awake and functional at work all day. But I guess we all do what we have to do and adapt, right mamas?
To add to what everyone suggested. What time is her bedtime? Can you shift it an hour ahead so maybe she will wake up a little earlier?
I'm not a lot of help because my boys usually wake up during that time and I get them ready and put them in the car seats. They usually fall asleep again on the way to work.
One day E didn't wake up during that time, so I put him directly in the seat and brought a clean diaper and outfit change with me. I got to daycare early and changed him there.
I cringe every morning that my DD is still sleeping and I have to transfer her. SHe usually wakes up at 5:00 AM. I try to take my time getting her fed, burped, changed, and washed up for our 6:00 AM departure. If not, I let her sleep until the last minute and then transfer her to the carseat.
Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't, but the sitter says that she usually goes right back to sleep after arriving. DD is happiest in the AM so she is usually smiling and cooing when she does get woken up.
This is how it goes for me, too.
My DD actually wakes about 5-6am and I put her in the swing and then get her up at 7:30. We're working on that right now, but it's what has worked the best since I went back to work on Aug 1.
You'll fall into a routine, so try not to stress.
Oh, and how did it go today?
It went about as well as I could have hoped. I lucked out (I guess) in that she woke up a half hour before my alarm went off. I spent 20 of those 30 minutes soothing her back to sleep and she stayed asleep long enough for me to get ready. I fed her and dressed her and made it to my mom's, and then the train, on time. She was really good for my mom all day and only started getting fussy right before I picked her up
I didn't fare so well considering she was up at eight times overnight, including four times in 3 hours and I was freaking TIRED all day. I only cried halfway to work but did all right once I got there. I was trying to go to bed early, but she's already been up twice since she went to bed. So frustrating!!!
currently i have to get up at 5:30am to take a shower and halfway get ready before having to leave the house by 6:20am. if hes up i take him in the bathroom with me and he'll sit there while i get ready. then i drive my FI to work and drop LO off at the IL. and then go to the gym for an hour before work.
basically if hes sleeping, i let him sleep and let them do all of the changing and whatnot, which i dont always like. i like spending that little bit of time with him in the morning with him all giggly and silly. it makes me happy
getting up at this time though is also 2 hours earlier than normal. but he is going to bed earlier now so thats a plus.
i used to not have to get up super early, because we weren't sharing a car. now we do and it sucks. basically i just play everything by ear these days.