Stay at Home Moms
BaileyK82
member
Anyone else out there with DH's that work midnights or shift work?
BaileyK82
member
DH has been on Midnights for the last 4 years or so and he absolutely hates them. I am finding it very hard to keep the kids quite so he can sleep during the day. It honestly seems like it is making everyone miserable, because he gets no sleep and is crabby. I am on egg shells all the time to try to keep the house as quite as possible. It has really created a lot of anxiety for me anymore.
Anyone with any advice would be helpful... I just don't know how to cope with it anymore. I feel bad because DH is miserable.
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Re: Anyone else out there with DH's that work midnights or shift work?
DH works swing shifts so half of the time he is working 12 hour night shifts. I try to plan our schedule around his so that we are out of the house on the mornings that he is sleeping. In the last two areas that we have lived, we've joined a local moms group which always has activities going on during the week. As long as the timing works with DS1's morning kindergarten schedule (which it normally does since others have kindergartners as well), that is our first choice. Other frequent outings are just playing outside until nap time, a park, the library, or grocery shopping.
We also have passes to the local children's museum, zoo, and theme park. However, I don't ever take just the younger two there so this would be after picking DS1 up from school.
The kids (especially DS1) are really good about not going near our bedroom when he needs to sleep but there are days that they will roughhouse a little too loudly and wake him up. Normally, DH sleeps with either a fan, radio, or sound machine (on our alarm clock) to help drowned out any noise that we would be making downstairs.
Our biggest issue is nap time because the younger two usually go down around 2 and DH wakes up at 4. If either one of the little ones are yelling before falling asleep, it will sometimes wake him and he then wont be able to fall back asleep.
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My DH rotates days and nights. I love days, hate nights.
1) DH sleeps with ear plugs in. He is never disturbed by us, even this week over break which I know was louder than normal (with 1-2 kids in school).
2) DH's uncle who is also on rotating shifts sleeps in a basement bedroom and claims to never hear anything.
3) I try to get out of the house while DH is sleeping. I figure even if we are gone from 8:30-11:30, it helps him get better quality sleep if it's quiet. I am involved in Moms Club, so I can always find someone to meet us for a public playdate when I need it.
I hope that one or more of these help. GL!
I used to work nights. You can't control kids in that way - that's just how it is when you work nights. It can be really difficult. I would encourage him to figure out what he needs to sleep that you can realistically accomplish. Try blackout curtains, a towel under the door crack (keeps some noise out), earplugs, white noise machine or fan, sleeping in a different (quieter) part of the house, etc. If it isn't kids it's a lawnmower or delivery guy or solicitor or party next door, etc. There's always something so you've got to work with what you have.
Another thing to think about.... does he have trouble at a certain time of the day? If so, can you find an activity to do during that time?
He sleeps with ear plugs and a white noise fan. Also, I keep DS out and about most of the day while he's sleeping.