There were days he just begged his daddy to go back to first shift (or ship as him & Millie Jo called it for the longest time) but of course, Dan had no control over it. You should gradually delay your bedtime by one or two hours each night a few days prior to starting the night shift if possible. Now Dan, let's have a Friday night date night, my sweet man!! i have an infirmary and it has two shifts. I mean if you're adding all that up, then you see that we only ever saw each other for several hours a week & poor Coop, maybe 5-6 hours. Quit. Like any shift work situation and roster arrangement, there is a HUGE variation in opinions on the 2nd shift depending on individual circumstances. This isn’t fair. 5 Impressive Date Ideas For Those Working Opposite Shifts, Shift Workers Guide to Valentines Day: Work and be Romantic. Stay MovingIf you find yourself starting to doze off on a night shift a great strategy to stay awake is … I'm just beyond thrilled to have my tag team partner back in the evenings!! Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, but this is at no additional cost to you. But getting used to a completely opposite sleep schedule is a nightmare. As for the kids, being an active parent involves not only being smart with your roster but also your time in making every moment count. To tell your boss, or not to tell? Remember we make time for the things we want to make time for. shift can also affect a marriage. Are you able to take a break around your child’s bedtime? link to How to Best Prepare for Night Shift the Day Before, link to Shift Work and Family. I have to give it to him, most mornings he got back up in the mornings to take Coop to school just to get some time with him then would come back home, go back to bed until lunchtime & then get back up so he could spend time with me & Millie Jo before he had to be back at work. If you started the 2nd shift job back in college, it’s all you and your family know so you’re used to it. Here are some helpful sleeping and health tips for … I can't imagine, so glad you guys are back to 1st shift and our guy loves his daddy too and they need that dad time for sure :) xoxo ERIN. Hey there! Prioritizing healthy living 24/7. This Hands-Free Pumping Bra from Amazon.com is HUGELY popular and worth a look. In addition, keep physically moving during your night shift. Using a physical schedule or roster to write down who is managing what and when will ensure time clashes are figured out early. Even if you are willing to try and sleep earlier, how do you make this happen? Should I stay up till the early hours, the evening before night shift? In life, I think we make time for the things we care about the most. You can use special stickers and even leave sticky notes for them to read once they get up. Whew, what a long 15 months that was! Take it in turns to ensure you are looking after each other and your health. Check it out here. – Eric Johnson. This situation requires brutal honesty, teamwork and the utmost support for your partner/spouse – oh and getting help! While you’re out working providing for your family, just remember your partner/spouse is also (potentially working their own job) AND looking after the kids. To get the ball rolling and to prove my point, I wanted to give you a list of the pros of working 2nd shift with a family. By about 2 or 3 it would quiet down after the drunks passed out. When Tony works the overnight shift, his personal prayer time … Workout routines for a 12 hour or night shift. Also, remember to ALWAYS check your payslip and report any issues quickly. Try to stay away from any caffeine during the second half of your night shift so you can sleep after more easily. Related post: Best Shift Work Roster Scheduling Tips. Whenever sleep times are messed with, it's difficult. Shift Work and Family. This doesn’t make you incompetent in case you are feeling like this. While having the heroic, “you just make it work” attitude is effective for some, it’s not awfully helpful for most. As the majority of women entered the workforce, sociologist and Berkeley professor Arlie Hochschild was one of the first to talk about … Good luck to all the shift worker moms and dads! Such as how many kids you have, do you work weekends, travel distance to work, relationship status, etc. What liquid calories will help your 12 hour or night shift. When children are involved try and request time off when big events are happening like: You never know what can happen with your roster when you ask the right people in your workplace early enough. Short periods of rest will help keep your energy high, but be sure not to sleep too long or you’ll risk making yourself groggy. It comes with a decent sized tote bag, electric pump and an abundance of bottles. Second, make reading the Bible and praying a regular part of each day. We both agree that we. With third shift I go to work from 10:30-7AM, go to sleep around 9AM, wake up around 2-4PM, stay awake then nap about 8-10PM. 11 Truths Uncovered, 6 Healthy, Freezable Shift Work Meal Ideas for Beginners , What Should I Drink on Night Shift? A Practical Guide For Busy Parents. Surviving the Night Shift. You and the kids could even organize something epic on the weekend if you all have the time off. – Meal prep (whip up some soup or prepare kids lunches by cutting up some fruit into smaller containers and making some sandwiches so they can take it to school. Or has your relationship been shocked by a new work arrangement and you’re struggling with being thrown out of normality? Depending on your proximity from work and home, are you able to spend your hour’s break at home with your family enjoying a meal together? Do you both need to get the kids up and ready for school? If your partner/spouse is home with your baby while you’re at work, make sure they have enough breast milk stored to ensure feeding is a smooth process – both for the baby and partner! I know Sunday is also NFL day for the fans of American football, but don’t spend every single weekend watching the game live. Do you feel like this too? How to manage your marriage/relationship and the 2nd shift, Being a great parent while working 2nd shift. The concept of surviving the night shift doesn’t only pertain to the time spent in … It might be more effective (in some cases) for one person to sleep while the other gets the kids ready for school, then swap the following day. This will eat you up and cause more problems. So alternatively, we invite you to check out this post specifically for single shift working parents. I’m not going to lie, working the 2nd shift while having a family is hard and it’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination. You have a whole new level of amazingness and albeit not all points here may apply to you. If you and your family only have Sundays together, treasure this, even if that means skipping other events from time to time. Ask for help. Surviving Second Shift As A Family by Whitney Pegram - Wednesday, November 15, 2017 Are you wondering why Monday was such a big day for our little family?? I once heard a nursing mom say, “I feel like a married single mom.” In a partnership you never want your partner to feel like this so make sure you’re a strong team, appreciating and reassuring each other when times are tough. What foods to avoid on a 12 hour or night shift. It can worsen your moods, decrease your reflexes to respond to split-second decisions, and make you more vulnerable to disease. I know that many jobs are different & sometimes make you work crazy hours but unless your spouse has ever been on second shift, then you have no idea how incredibly hard it is to have a family life. A Practical Guide For Busy Parents. Eat small portions throughout the shift. There is no “one size fits all” handbook. KEEP IT COOL. Related post: Night Shift Is Killing My Marriage. Related post: Trick to Best Communicate as a Shift Work Family. The key to surviving the night shift is to just take care of your body, Dailey says. Take a 30 minute nap before your shift begins and, if possible, try to get in a few 10-20 minute naps throughout the night. Literally. I'm Whitney. Seek advice if you need help from a financial planner or a trusted family member who can give you unbiased recommendations. It was so rough, at first! Read more about us and our story here. Shift workers can party and look sharp too! So let’s dive into more practical solutions on how to juggle family life and work 2nd shift. Before committing, talk to your partner about what you will and won’t attend. But don’t let your sometimes crappy roster win the battle and take back control. Explore new restaurants, go to the drive-in and just have a fun, light-hearted time with each other. Related post: Shift Workers Guide to Valentines Day: Work and be Romantic. Is there flexibility to swap shifts with a workmate if something important arises? I can't figure this out myself because all numbers are so unreliable and workers shift places all the time (please refrain from any modsuggestion, not interested. It’s tempting to try to do everything yourself, but it’s not a good long term strategy. The note only needs to be short for maximum impact. Hey y'all! I know most “normal” couples enjoy dinner dates, but you need to be happy and content with having lunch dates instead. Also not interested in why I should be interested in mods, thank you). Here are some helpful solutions to working 2nd shift with kids: Depending on your shift finishing time, are you able to rise earlier and help get the kids ready for school? never want to take our precious family that God has so graciously blessed us with for granted or the time we get together. But you could be in the third category where you’ve elected to work the second shift for a number of personal reasons but now it’s testing your relationship and family unit. Sacrifices will need to be made and some super honest discussions need to be had on a pretty constant basis to keep everything afloat. If you don’t communicate with each other (even about the bad stuff) this will not work. If you don't do that, you'll never feel well, no matter how much melatonin you take or how much you try to reset your circadian clock. How to Survive the Night Shift The extent to which human circadian rhythms can adapt to a night shift is not known. Imagine walking in from a shift and there is a love note from your kids and breakfast on the table waiting for you. Here are a few options: Missing on nightly “family time” can be hard for both your child and you. If you don’t feel comfortable communicating something negative over the phone, wait until the weekend when you see each other face to face. So for even an hour or two in the morning before a shift, once the kids have gone to school – go crazy! 11 Truths Uncovered. Required fields are marked *. That is my kind of luxury. So I have been hearing whispers, actually, I should say more cries for help from shift workers trying to balance the 2nd shift whilst also having a family. While your roster may be all over the place, the rest of your family is likely functioning on the traditional 9-5 Monday through Friday routine. Wouldn’t it be nice for your partner/spouse to come home after a shift in the afternoon and you’ve tidied the house? It has definitely been hard on us but I can honestly say that we all 4 made the best of it! How do I adjust? Even then use the shipments to bolster stockpiles that you're low on. While working the second shift with a family may not be “easy”, it’s not impossible either. Mop, clean, mow the lawn, fold clothes, wash the dishes, any help is welcomed help. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. “It’s about surviving.” Between bites of salad, it slowly became clear who the man in a red baseball cap, World Cup T-shirt, and jeans really was: an emissary from another world. Working as an honest, transparent team with your support network and treasuring the time you do spend together makes managing family life and the 2nd shift possible. Keep Everyone Else Informed. Unfortunately, laboring through the night can wreak havoc on your body, weakening your immune system and causing a destructive decrease in energy. I’m sure you’ve come home from a shift and the house is like a bombs gone off. Ship rare metal out and import the polymer, machine parts, and electronics that you need until you get factories for them. Your spouse/partner and kids need you to be at your best the following day. Where possible, walk around your workplace or do some deep stretches to help get your blood flowing. There is toys, food, dishes and washing everywhere! While the mornings are often not “special bonding times” and are more a “controlled storm” as I once heard it described, it allows you to work as a team with your partner/spouse and spend extra time with your kids you didn’t have before. He needed to know that I fully supported him, I mean he was working every single day & providing for our family, & I needed to know that he supported me doing ALL the things at home. I simply don't have enough ppl in the small dome to fill uo one shift so much. But we strive throughout this post to not only change your thinking but also give you tangible tips to make your situation as “family-friendly” as possible. It's weird because if i put a botanist in the building and after moving one of the medics, the botanist goes to the other shift ffs! We've had to say no to many things & people the past year & a half because we looked forward to our Saturdays & Sundays together so much. By about 4 … Related post: How Can I Sleep When My Boyfriend is Away? I was just talking to a friend about how her husband does overnights instead of 2nd shift and it's better. Related posts: 5 Impressive Date Ideas For Those Working Opposite Shifts. Your marriage/relationship, being a great parent and working the 2nd shift. Can you have a lunch date with your partner/spouse before starting your job mid-afternoon? Get Home Safely. [advice] As the title says, I'm currently seeking advice on how to survive my 2nd shift job that includes weekends. The key to surviving the night shift is to just take care of your body, Dailey says. A quick search for “night shift health effects” reveals that you’re at risk for heart disease, … How to Stop Feeling Lonely When Your Partner Works Nights, Insomnia and Shift Work Sleep Disorder Medication Review, My Top Tip for Taking Melatonin on Night Shift: Plus 10 More, Trick to Best Communicate as a Shift Work Family, On the Go Tote, Double Electric Breast Pump, Is Night Shift Bad For You? Our sole aim is to help shift workers and those on unusual schedules find balance between work and life. Don’t underestimate how hard this “second job” of looking after the kids is. I have broken this post into four parts which you can click on to access the area you want. That must have been hard! Of course, it’s not only you who will feel the effects of switching to … Be honest about your situation. See more ideas about working moms, mom, working mother. . Working 2nd shift while juggling your partner’s job at the same time will most likely require you to lean on others from time to time. The second shift is a necessity and often very busy in industries such as nursing, film production, medicine, hospitality, customer service and security. Also, this may be a stretch, but it might be worth asking if there are any work opportunities that can be done from home, particularly in the early stages. But while you work the 2nd shift, this time WILL look different forcing you to tweak long-standing habits and modifying the way you normally do things. You are both learning. Third shift horror story for ya. Lover of Jesus, a wife, a mama and a lifestyle blogger. I have two medics on the first shift and would like to move one down to the other shift so the building can cover all hours. Tread Carefully at Your Day-Job. Particularly if they are working on the weekend or you have switched schedules. Lovely right? I know what it feels like to be completely wired after the 2nd shift with no hope of going to bed before 4am. If you start work between 2-4pm, why not volunteer some time in the mornings to help out at the school in your child’s classroom? How Can I Sleep When My Boyfriend is Away? I’ve always wrestled with this … While the second shift does present some awkward challenges most of us would prefer to avoid. Click to check out our favorite shift work tools! Being available when your partner/spouse needs you is important, particularly while you’re learning how to be a parent for the first time. See Is Night Shift Bad For You? Weird hours be damned, I’m gonna help get you healthy. Yes, it can be annoying and painful at times, but it’s totally worth it for your “better half” and your family. Shift workers with rotating schedules should prepare for shift changes by adjusting their sleep times. Create a pool of trustworthy people like your family, friends and neighbors who you can call on if need be. A fiber optics engineer in El Paso, Texas, Brewster, 50, has been clocking out and going to bed past dawn for the last 30 years. Sitting in a chair can cause you to feel drowsy. We thrived off that family time! Just don’t enter into a conversation to “get something off your chest” at 2am when you walk through the door. Ask your kids to leave their homework out on the benchtop so you can check it and have a look once you get home. When I work second shift it's 2:30-11PM, get off and stay awake until 2-4AM, sleep until 12:30PM then get ready and go to work. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site. Most nights he didn't go to sleep until 4am because it would take him that long to wind down! For some, this careful balancing act seems impossible. While this is nowhere near as good as the real thing, it’s still effective for all concerned and gives you both something to look forward to. Together with my husband Daniel, we run The Other Shift. And how did you feel? Are you able to request particular days on and off? Night shift … Just keep this in mind as you continue to read this article as it may impact on how you view changes you NEED to make and how your attitude can influence the whole family. Is the 2nd shift all you have ever known? Night-shift work has also been associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety and stress. I think it's safe to say that we are all so happy to be on the other side of it! Ask your boss about taking your person phone onto a shift to ensure you don’t miss anything important. How to Stop It Happening. For the first few weeks of third shift life, he just couldn't sleep more than a few hours at a time. Now I want to reference the fact that this post caters to parents who are currently in a relationship, however, there are a large amount of 2nd shift workers out there who are single parents. The third shift: unavoidable for some, dreaded by many. Check out this post we wrote, which actually targets single parents, but has some great information about finding help. Well, what many of you don't know is that for the last 15...yep, FIFTEEN months, my hubby has been on second shift. It’s better to know when you are going to need help sooner rather than later. "It's all a domino effect," she says. Which I personally think makes your marriage stronger and is not a negative point. If … The same goes for the rotating shift worker who’s recently moved to the 2nd shift and simply accepts the new role because “that’s how to system works”. For my first few days on third shift, I got a few hours of sleep each day, but I was surprised to find that I didn't really feel all that tired. It was up to the two of us to keep our connection there & sometimes that was hard! Your time will be split between three things and three things only at least for the first few months – work time, sleep time and baby time. We hope you can take something away to ease life’s current rigors. Who Wins? “Sleeping on it” can give you clarity and allow you to see the situation from a different angle. Whatever time you have available on Friday night till Sunday evening – use it wisely. Like you’ve come from one job to the next without a break? The other option could be On the Go Tote, Double Electric Breast Pump also from Amazon.com. This post will dive into how to not only survive but thrive when managing three important things. Maybe your family is on a similar schedule ... the struggle is real, I feel you friend! Be interested in what your kids are working on at school and know what they are struggling with at all times. How to Stop It Happening. So now you know why the second shift may not be as bad as you thought, it’s interesting to think about how you got here in the first place. The pros of the second shift you may not have considered. It could be boring for your kids and they would secretly prefer to throw the football with you in the backyard rather than watch TV. Treasure every moment you have together as a family, saving “you time” for the commute to work or the mornings you’re alone at home. This is not only a great time for your kids to “show off” their incredible, shift working mom or dad but it allows you to spend time with your child and keep track of their progress. First, if your shift does not rotate, it may be possible to find a church with meeting times other than Sunday mornings. Without it, you’ll likely make more mistakes and be irritable in the short term, while also damaging your health long term. 10 Energy Boosting Beverages, How To Best Prepare for the Night Shift and Stay Healthy, Limit the amount of light your eyes are exposed to between finishing work and going to sleep, – Wear blue light blocking glasses while watching TV and scrolling on your device 90 minutes before bed – See which ones we love, Be smart with your food and drink selection. Nothing is ever too silly or embarrassing to say. We all know that by the late afternoon everyone is DONE but homework has to be done, dinner has to be cooked & eaten, baths have to be taken & bedtime has to be done. Dear Lifehacker, I'm moving to a night shift at work, going in at 5pm and leaving at 3am, and I don't know how to prepare. If you don’t do that, you’ll never feel well, no matter how much melatonin you take or … Are you able to help get them changed, make their lunches, make sure they eat some breakfast and even do the school drop off? How to Best Prepare for Night Shift the Day Before. Learn how your system works and manipulate it to suit your family. Nov 28, 2012 - Explore Keep Louisville Working's board "Surviving the "2nd Shift"--Tips for the Working Mom" on Pinterest. My husband is a brewer, and he's worked third shift for a handful of years now. Always stay on the same team with your partner and match each other’s priorities. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Here are some helpful tips for making 2nd shift work AND having a baby. I'm Emma Smith a passionate, Registered Nurse from Australia. Why not do this for your spouse/partner from time to time. Work with your spouse as a strong, transparent team to ensure you are both staying healthy, eating well and getting enough sleep so you can be the best parents you can. Watch your diet. Your email address will not be published. Finding the right balance between what works for you AND your family is key here. This is us, Em and Dan, content creators of The Other Shift. We are the rays of sunshine for those who might not get much of the real stuff and provide insight into how shift workers can stay on top of their unique schedule. Let’s say you are currently working a day shift and planning to rotate to a night shift the following week. At a time when it’s difficult just to stay awake, you are expected to function at a reasonable level. Getting a secret note from mom or dad which none of the other kids receives makes your bond incredibly strong – even if you don’t get to spend much time with them during the week. However, the 2nd shift can be doable – even with a family. There were many times Dan & I had to sit down together & reassure each other that we were there for one another even though we weren't seeing much of each other. 9 Shift Work Best Practices You’re Probably Not Doing, Essential Guide to Working a Rotating Shift Schedule, Night Shift Is Killing My Marriage. Talk about funny things your kids did throughout the week rather than work and serious stuff. BUT I also can fully appreciate that for some of you, this time is “you time” and you actually look forward to it. The moms and dads RAVE about it in the reviews. You now have another mouth to feed and the bills can add up quickly if you’re not paying attention. Millions of parents are making this work around the world and you can too, even if the light at the end of the tunnel is a dull speck right now. Pros and Cons of Night Shift vs Day Shift. Don’t focus on the time of day and rather the time you’re spending together. I spent many, MANY months doing so! Looking for Tips on surviving the 2nd shift with weekends.