Does Your Family Work 3Rd Shift?

I worked graveyard for about 6 months when my boys were 9 and 10. I went to work at 10pm and got home at 7am. Dad was home at night. When I got home I got them ready for school then I proceeded to TRY to sleep. It is NOT easy. I felt like I was on drugs the whole time. It sucked. But that was just my experience. Lots of parents love that shift. It is doable with some dicipline.

My husband and I both worked nights for years. Some things you should know about working third shift in general are: 1. Even people who KNOW you work nights expect you to be available at any time (by phone, in person, etc.) during the day, and regardless of how many times you tell them you will be sleeping between the hours of A and B. Keep in mind, too, that you won't want to turn the phone off because you're a parent and will need/want to know if there's something going on with your child during the day. 2. Inevitably, there will be things that interfere with your planned sleep schedule; doctor appointments, school trips/meetings, bank/business issues--you know, the kinds of things you won't be able to ignore in the name of a good night's sleep. That's not to mention, what will you do when your child is sick or off school for the day/week? Even if you take off work, you will still be exhausted and needing to sleep. 3. No matter how disciplined or consistent your sleep schedule is, sleeping during the day NEVER provides your body the same rest that sleeping at night does. When we worked nights, we could literally sleep 14-16 hours and wake up still feeling exhausted. Part of that was due to the physical demand of the jobs we were working, but even when I worked less physically demanding positions, my body never seemed to be rested. 4. Yes, weekends are a major dilemma. So are days off and holidays. Do you skip a day of sleep and try to sleep that night? Do you sleep a shorter amount of time, and then go to bed early? Either way you have to choose between missing things or being a zombie when you'd like to be able to enjoy yourself and your family.

We worked that schedule as a young couple with no kids. My husband worked it after our son was born. It was hard but manageable before kids; it was a nightmare afterwards. I cannot imagine going back to that. I've watched my sister-in-law juggle the schedule as well. She has two young children, and it is extremely hard on her, especially when she has to hire a babysitter for the sole purpose of sleeping. None of this is to say don't do it, but I think it's good to know what you're getting into ahead of time. If it's temporary, it may well be worth it because it can usually open doors once you've got a foot in at the company.

I work 6 p.m. - 6 a.m. Tues through Fri nights. So I get home on Saturday morning, I usually sleep till about 9:30 or so, get up with hubby and son, then we go about our day. Since my son still takes naps at his age, I usually take one when he does so as not to miss out on any time. But lucky for me I have Mondays off so I get that whole day with him myself to make up for any lost time.

My mom worked 9am to 9pm and my dad worked 2am till 11am...he did it for over 20 years. It put a strain on his body...not easy but doable if you have to... He would sleep until 3 when we got home and down for bed at 9pm...so he did two 4 hours sleep shifts

It depends on whether you think you can handle it. My mom was a single parent for us and LOVED working nights. She was a night owl anyways, could sleep just fine during the day and never ha an issue feeling sleep deprived. She worked mostly night shifts until she retired, just because she liked it.
DH worked nights for about two years and HATED it. It totally screwed him up. He had issues with insomnia before he started working nights and it only got worse: he couldn't sleep during the day, he is not a napper, he was always sleep deprived an crabby - it was a happy day when he changed to a 9-5 job.

Most people find it hard working at night and sleeping during the day, especially for long periods of time...but if you think you can handle it and if the $$$ are worth it... Good luck!

My husband was on this shift for a few years and I was on it for a little over a year, at another time when he was in Germany and I was here. That was all I could stand. On the weekends you might get up earlier than usual to be with your child. I did but after a while you need sleep. If it's temporary and you need the money do it other wise you may not want to. It's hard on your system and your family and it seems everything is backwards all the time. You start to feel like you're not living your life. Well that's the way it was for me anyway.
But some people like it, I've known people who love it and have done it for years.
Good Luck to you

I work 12am-8am Fri and Sat nites. I am very lucky in that my parents watch my kids for me. Sundays are hard because I try to stay up all day so I can sleep Sun nite and go back to "normal" schedule. If you add up the hours they are away from me it seems like a lot, however most of those hours they are sleeping. I really only miss a few hours on Sat with them.

I won't lie. It's hard physically. I am tired more than I used to be. I have learned to nap when my son does. The house isn't as clean as it used to be, but hey, at least I am home with them more.

I'd check into the rates for overnite sitters and nannies and see if the pay increase makes it worth that expense. As to adjusting your weekend schedule, take a nap on Fri but don't sleep too much so you can sleep during the nite.

I will definitely have more quality time with them once my daughter is out of school for the summer.

GL with your decision. If it really is only a year, I'm sure you can make it work for that long.

I work 12 hour shifts, but am very fortunate to have a set schedule and only work 2 shifts a week. I work every Friday night and every Saturday night, from 7 pm to 7 am.

I *have* to make it work because I provide the only income for our family AND I provide the majority of child care for our family, too.

I make it work by having a very strict schedule for the weekends. On Thursday nights, I stay up as late as I can, but get up at my normal time with my kiddo. Then I take a nap from 12-4, get up, get ready, feed my kiddo dinner and go to work.

I get home anywhere from 8:00-9:45. I feed my kid breakfast, but that's all the interaction I get in the mornings on Saturday. Then I sleep until about 4:30, when I get up, feed kiddo dinner, and go to work again.

On Sundays, in order to prepare for flip-flopping back to a dayshift schedule on Monday, I only sleep until about 12:30-1. Then I *force* myself up, so I'm ready to go to bed around 8-9 or so at night. And I get up at a normal time on Monday.

It's very taxing on the body. I consume a lot of caffiene and haven't had a natural night's sleep in years. I've run the gauntlet through Ambien, to Ambien CR, to Lunesta, to Restoril, to Rozerem, back to ambien, high dose benadryl, and now am taking trazadone in order to sleep more than 4 hours at a time.

I'm lucky that my husband "baby sits" my kiddo on the weekends so childcare isn't an issue. But I have basically learned how to function at work with far less sleep than I managed on when I worked the same job on dayshift.

if you are really determined and the shift will be temporary and lead to bigger and better things, do it. BUT my husband was on a similar shift my son's first year and honestly i felt like a single mom. weekends SUCKED. we never saw him. we'd spend all weekend trying to let him sleep. he didn't get great sleep.

also, if the au pair or nanny is going to cost more than the increase in your pay then it may not be worth it either. look at it very carefully.

myself i would not do it. but everyone is different. it may work for you guys. you're "probably" a more dedicated mom, than my husband was a dad, that first year. i can almost guarantee it. depending on your determination it may be a little easier on you than it was on us.

I worked nights one summer when I was 20 because there was a premium added to the base pay, and I was putting my husband through college. No kids yet – I can't imagine even trying that. I have sleep problems that seemed to start then, but I don't know if the night shift was the cause.

But studies have shown that women who work nights disrupt natural melatonin production, and melatonin appears to have a preventive effect on breast cancer. Breast cancers were statistically higher in women who worked rotating night shifts. Google "night shifts and breast cancer risk" and consider whether the risk is acceptable for you.

Before you accept the position check out babysitters. Where I live 3rd shift babysitters are almost impossible to find.
I tried a 3rd shift job a few years ago and I just couldn't do it. I couldn't sleep during the day and I quit after 2 days.

My son, 20, works a 6 PM - 6 AM job right now. He likes his job but is always tired and sometimes a bit crabby because he is so tired. And yes no one cares that you are a day sleeper, the phone rings, people knock at your door, play loud music ect. But if you make noise after 9 PM on your day off there is hell to pay.

Also studies have shown that in order to keep your sleep cycle intact you need to keep as close to the same schedule 7 days a week.

I work 10pm-6am. I either have Saturday and Sunday night off or Saturday night and Tuesday night off. I'm a single mom to a 4 year old. He usually goes to the babysitter on Sundays and Tuesdays even if I'm off-- much better for him to always sleep in the same place on "school" nights plus then I can go to Walmart and run other errands Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning (Payday is Wednesday! And I LOVE hitting Walmart and the grocery store around 3 or 4 am when they're EMPTY!)

He goes to an in-home sitter while I work (and she keeps him until 3 or 4 pm Saturday) and to a preschool/daycare center during the day Monday thru Friday. Plus he spends one weekend a month (Friday evening until after lunch on Sunday) with his grandparents.

I spend fewer hours with him now than I used to (until he was 3 I worked just part time evening shift) but I'm more patient and connected when we ARE together....

It's important to note however that third shift has ALWAYS been my favorite shift, the one I've worked the most often the last 15 years AND I am a natural night owl...

Wow that is like 4th shift. Third shift is usually 12 midnight to 8AM. I would
just think it would be very difficult for you to do this. However, if it is temporary and you will gain much financially, maybe it is worth it. Only you
can decide. However, those hours are tough.

When I was in the Coast Guard I worked two on and two off; two on and two off and the schedule was two night watches and then two day watches. From 5:30pm to 5:30am and then from 5:30am to 5:30pm. I just wanted to let you know that I did not have children and it was tough. I could handle the pm to am but not the am to pm. I am a night owl; so, If you're a morning person, don't do it. I can't imagine doing this w/kids. I had loud neighbors who blasted their music; did they care that I was in the millitary; no they did not. Can you imagane two on and two off and then two on and off again? It was so hard as they flipped the schedule; Our boss was a tyrant.