I'm a registered user but logged out for privacy. My dh just got news that he MAY be going night shift soon. He would be working from 7-5. I'm thinking that I may have to give up doing daycare if he's going to need to sleep all day. I have all toddlers and in the summer will have our 3 kids, plus the toddlers, plus one kindergartener. I was wondering if anyone's dh works night shift and how you manage to have your daycare going while he sleeps? I haven't told my dc parents about the possible change yet, not sure if I should warn them that it MAY happen, or wait until it happens and then give notice?

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We have dealt with this a lot over the years. My husband was Air Force when I started doing child care and had to work whatever shift he was assigned to.

We got out of the AF in 1992 and came home to Utah. Before my husband joined me in day care, he worked another job that had shift work and he had to sleep during the day.

We managed it just fine. He wore good ear plugs AND had a box fan on high as white noise. He also put a pillow at the bottom of the bedroom door as he said it blocked a lot of the noise from under the door and also the light. We also blacked the windows so the room was pitch black.

He said he never heard the kids at all and slept well. And I wouldn't say he's a deep sleeper.

I never let the kids scream etc....but we didn't change our routines.

It worked OK for us....hope you can work something out too.

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Thank you! I am torn about what to do. Dh isn't crazy about me having a home daycare to begin with. He's seen the stress it puts on me (well, the parents..the kids are great for the most part!) and he also sees the wear and tear on our house and I think he'd rather I quit. It's easier to quit now that he's working and money is good, however, in the winter when he's laid off (he works construction), I don't want to be kicking myself for quitting!

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When we started childcare mine worked nights but had found a job to work days. He did that because he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep when there were kids here, it would be summer time and we would be outside which equalls noise also.

So really, really talk with hubby and see how he feels and if he thinks he will be able to sleep with kids there.

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That's a good point, Country Kids. I'm worried about keeping my own kids quiet enough for him to sleep, let alone a few more dc kids! He's a pretty sound sleeper (especially when the baby is crying in the middle of the night! hahaha) but not sure how it would be with a house full of kids. I think he would prefer if I stop doing daycare. We can live on his income, but it's kind of nice to have that extra money coming in from daycare.

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My dh works nights. I have all boys here most days...the loudest group of boys I have ever had as a matter of fact. He usually sleeps in the basement or in the bedroom with the door shut and tv on to drown out the noise. On the worst days he will nap while they are and catch a few more zzzz's just before his shift.

He actually has a chance to go to days again and is unsure whether he wants to. I'm not sure if I want him to either. It is so awesome having him home all day! He makes me breakfast, runs out and brings me sushi for lunch and keeps the cappucinos coming all day in the winter. It's like he has every day off. I swear I wouldn't find time to feed myself if he wasn't here. He is also always available for backup whenever I need it so I don't have to worry too much about his schedule.

The adult conversation is a perk too!

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My DH works different hours each week. One week he is 11a-8p, the next is 2p-11p, the next week is 8a-5p!! It's aweful b/c it's totally messing up his sleep patterns. Anyway, on the weeks he is 2p-11p; he usually sleeps until 12pm. The kids don't seem to wake him up one little bit. He is a sound sleeper! The downside to this for me though, is that it seems like I am a single parent. I NEED socialization and I don't get that during the week with my DH b/c he sleeps during the day and works at night. His waking hours are for a couple hours before he goes to work; but b/c of the daycare, he spends it cooped up in the master bedroom to get away from the noise and chaos of the daycare.

Right now I am down to only 2 kids in the daycare so the stress level is LOW; and I'm coping with it fine. But 2 months ago when my spots were FULL, I was sooooo stressed out and actually on the border of depression. It's a hard day on a daycare provider when you are the only adult, talking to & managing children ALL day; and then you are the only adult to take care of your own kids at night!!

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I love this! I am jealous! Your DH is AWESOME! My husband doesn't care to be around the kids for long, so he stays in our master bedroom and watches TV. I get very very limited interaction with him when he works evenings.

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Your dh sounds awesome! It's wonderful that he does so much for you! I imagine that my dh would be working from 7-5, come home, chill out for a little bit, and then off to bed as soon as our kids leave for school and the daycare kids come. He'd be sleeping all day and wake just in time for the kids to come home from school and the daycare kids to be picked up. I can't say for sure that's how it would go, but I imagine that's the way it would be. He never wanted night shift because of having kids here during the day, but with summer coming, he's thinking it would be nice to work during the night when it's cooler and I certainly can't blame him for that. My dc kids are pretty loud...like I said, they are young. It's hard to keep a bunch of toddlers quite for long! I will talk with dh more and see what he thinks. I will wait and see if he gets put on night shift and then make a decision. I must admit that it's SOOOOO tempting to quit and only have to worry about my own kids! Trying to be strong and remember why I do this every day....

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My husband has had to work night on and off also. He does fine he wears ear plugs and we have room darkening blinds. And he says it's fine after a day or two of no sleep you get on your schedule and are tired enough to sleep.

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2 months out of the yr my husband will be working 3rd shift also. It will be the first yr he will be doing this. But my husband is a sound sleeper. Nothing wakes him..lol!! It's something we talked about also on when I do daycare how we will work it. We have 2 sisters that live just a mile from our home so he can ashually just sleep over there if need be but with ear plugs and blacked out windows he'd be fine.

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My hubby has worked nights for years. The bedroom is on the otherside of the house but he uses a large fan to drown out some of the noise. Sometimes I think he is so tierd nothing will wake him up!

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I did it for a few years when I first started. It was very stressful on me, and I felt like I was being unfair to the kids - having to constantly try to keep them quiet. My husband would tell me that he slept fine, but I know there were times with crying babies and toddlers that he would get woken up. I was so stressed the whole time. When he went to more of a day shift (he works 3am to 11:30 am, so doesn't have to sleep while kids are here), I told him don't EVER go back to a night shift!! I couldn't take it. He would constantly tell me not to stress, but I couldn't help it. I hated that whole time, and it was probably my first 5 or 6 years. (Going on 16 yrs total now)

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Have you talked to your husband about his new schedule? Just because he is switching shifts doesn't automatically mean you quit your job. He should have talked to you when he found out if it had anything to do with your job. You guys are equals no matter who makes the most income. My husband works nights and we discussed me opening a daycare (we don't have kids of our own yet). When we moved in this house I opened a daycare and we are always on the floor below the bedroom. The only thing that will keep him up is if the baby cries or a toddler is throwing a tantrum, but once he is asleep he doesn't wake up from it. I did have a baby here who screamed loudly all the time and had to terminate care because of the screaming and a few other reasons and I now have a new baby for the last two months and it works out well.

Also from noon-3 it's always quiet because it's lunch, reading time, then nap time. We also go outside in the mornings and afternoons. Being loud inside is not acceptable because it is a house and outside we can run and play and have fun too, but screaming is not allowed.

The main thing it sounds like is your husband needs to get used to sleeping during the day. Taking tylenol pm or some sleep aid temporarily might help. You will need to put up room darkening shades. We use a fan in the bedroom which helps block out noise. I wish you the best of luck in your decision making process! BTW, if you're stressed with a parent try to work it out or find a replacement family. I am SO SO SO happy right now with all my families and the parents but when I wasn't in the beginning I couldn't sleep and wasn't happy.

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My husband works for the police and works nights on a rotating basis -- he has no problems sleeping during the day I think he is just so exhausted he simply passes out lol

He does use a fan, black out blinds and sound proof door.
We are also thinking of installing sound proofing windows the sound from outside is usually what wakes him, cutting the lawn, kids playing, the birds ect...

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