Working long hours. Home at 7:30 every night.

Re: Working long hours. Home at 7:30 every night.

• emberlee3 member

  May 2014

  Take a bath with her. Skin to skin is always good.
  
  Do you take the train? Maybe you can FaceTime on the way home.
  
  Have DH feed her early, then she can have dessert/snack when you eat or you can eat after she goes to bed.
  
  Go outside with her as soon as you get home. Fresh air is magical.

  DS born 8/8/09 and DD born 6/12/12.
  

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• Reilly626 member

  May 2014

  I don't bathe them every night- perhaps this would be less stressful?

  Report0 Reply
• jesuisfatiguee member

  May 2014

  I agree with PPs about giving fewer baths and eating after she goes to bed. My dinner after DS is asleep is currently part of my "me time," and I really look forward to it each day.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Jills83 member

  May 2014

  I agree with PP's about not doing bath time every night and having your H feed your LO early.  Maybe only bathe on days your DH is home during the day. 

  I also find it helpful to have food prepared ahead of time so I don't spend too much time cooking after work.  Usually on Sundays I will make enough food to have for dinner Mon-Wed.  Then I do easy meals on Thursdays and Fridays. 

  

  Report0 Reply
• rockychryslerb2010 member

  May 2014

  Honestly, I work from home and usually finish up work by 6pm and I still feel like the last 90 min of the day are rushed to get E ready for a 730pm bedtime.  I actually stopped working out of our Manhattan office because I didn't want to have the long commute when having kids.  Most of the working moms I know who commute from outside the city into our office have some flexibility - meaning they work from home 1-2 days a week in the first year or two.  Not sure if you've explored that option.
  

  
  

  laying down the law on Oahu's North Shore
  

  
  

  

  Report0 Reply
• jf198400 member

  May 2014

  I don't have much advice other than wait until after she's in bed to eat your dinner. I wanted to sympathize with you. My DH works in NY and we live in PA. He gets home anywhere between 6:30 and 8:30. I do dinner and baths with the kids before he gets home. Then he gets home In time for bedtime. It gets easier as the kids get older. Ours don't go to bed until almost 9pm now so he's able to see them more. It was hard when they were little, sometimes he wouldn't see them awake at all.

  
  
  
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• BabyHope2013 member

  May 2014

  It does get easier as they get older and can stay up later. Now DS usually doesn't go to bed until around 8:30. I don't get home until a little after 6 p.m. every night. So I try to plan fast meals that I either prepped/made ahead of time and just need to throw in the oven or things that cook quick with little prep needed. DH doesn't usually get home until closer to 7. So what helps us is that I give DS his bath as soon as we get home. That way after dinner we have a good hour to hang out and play---and as the weather has gotten nicer we can go outside or take a walk. And DS only get a bath every other night---but now that he is getting older and playing outside more at daycare we might have to bath him more often again. Perhaps on the nights your husband is home, you can have him take the complete lead on dinner and bath time, so you can focus on just eating and spending time with your LO. 

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Curls218 member

  May 2014

  I live in central Jersey and work in Manhattan, so I understand.  I actually ended up going part-time for various reasons, but when I was working full days I'd get home at 7/7:30 depending on the train I caught.  Now I get home earlier, but DH doesn't get home until at least 7.  When he gets home we feed the baby, bath if it's bath night (we do 3 baths a week unless he's been slathered with sunscreen or something on his off days), then I nurse DS, we read him a story and put him to bed by 8:30/9.  If DS needed to sleep any earlier than that my husband would barely see him.
  
  We eat after the baby is in bed.  We do a lot of crock pot meals or freezer meals.  Once the baby is older and eating table foods we'll try eating as a family but for now our evenings are prepping him for bed then we get our time.  Menu planning has helped with this as well.  Another idea, if your husband can cook, have him get your dinner ready so when you walk in the door it's ready to go, or able to be kept warm until after the baby is sleeping.
  
  Maybe on weekends you can also plan out your outfits for the week, prep your lunches (if you take lunch), pack the daycare bag, etc so you don't have as much "getting ready for the next day".  That makes me the most stressed and like I don't have time to just relax.
  

  

  Report0 Reply