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Single parent working full time wekeknds Ann afternoons

How do first responders (Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors, and even customer service workers such as waitresses and

Flight attendants, airline workers raise children. I am currently 29 years old single and pregnant. I don't have the option of changing my job (as a police officer) because we'll it pays very well and has great health benefits etc. I also own my own home which I purchased at the age of 27. But I will always work weekends andlate afternoons so do so many other professions. How do you raise children always working weekends and afternoons and night shifts. I have heard "change your job" but that is not an option like I stated before the job offers me great pay and benefits and the ability to live in a major city in one of the nicest neighborhoods safe and away from all the crime I have to deal with on my "9-5" good school district. Secondly even though I work nights and weekends I have the flexibility of working afternoons or midnights. I also only work 4 days with 2 off. The problem with that is that daycare is out of the question. How do parents do it who have always relied on babysitters? Babysitter are not 100% reliable as a daycarr center. Even though they can be cheaper.

Re: Single parent working full time wekeknds Ann afternoons

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    Hello! First responder here! I should mention I'm married, but also work crazy shifts. We have twins and due to my husband's (also a first responder) rotating schedule, we were unable to go with your typical daycare because of cost. Usually you have to pay for 4 days a week or something like that whether you need to take your kid there or not. That didn't work for us.

    What I would recommend you look into is a nanny share. You split the cost of a nanny with another person and it makes it much more affordable. Check some of the well known nanny find sites and see if you can't find an early education student or someone who could use an afternoon/evening job.

    I don't think you or I or any other first responder should quit because we are parents. It just takes a little creativity to get schedules to work out right. Good luck! Wish you all the best.
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    Try an in home daycare provider? I think if you find the right one, they are very reliable. My daughter attends one and my babysitter has one little girl who come in the late afternoons and she is there until 9-10 pm. There are days throughout the year that I have to work until 7-8 pm and she keeps her for me if my father isn't able to (he lives a little over an hour away).

    You can always advertise at a local college/university for a college student. This may be the perfect job for them since you work at night. In between taking care of the baby, they have a nice quiet time or place to study. 

    I work very early in the morning so I drop my daughter off at 6:30am. The only problem I have run into is my babysitter has overslept and sometimes I don't have time to call and wake her. So far it's been few and far but I still feel the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. 

    I am not a first responded but my husband is in the military so I do all the primary things since he works longer hours, gone for deployments, training, out in the field, etc. I have a flexible job but I do work earlier than most with office jobs. My babysitter is also a fellow military mom so that helps immensely. 
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    My dad is retired he's 58 and is moving in with me to help with babysitting. I have a 4 bedroom home so I have more than enough space. What would be a better schedule for me to work 4pm to midnight or 9pm to 5am. Again I'm working 4 days and 2 days off
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    Its a toss up! Maybe for the first year, you could do overnights so you can get your child on a good sleep routine. I think for some parents that's tough at first. Unless you luck out during your maternity leave and have a good routine going? And then the next year you could do afternoons so you can spend more time with your child when they are awake? Does that make sense?
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