I am due to return to work in the summer. i work evenings and weekends. This has been great as my husband works early shifts and he gets home and looks after our eldest. However my eldest is due to start pre-school next term. This means i will get to spend the day looking after baby and my husband can look after kids in the evening but my eldest will be at school most of the day and then coming home at the same time or just after i go to work. I've found it really hard that since the eldest was born i hardly ever see my husband but its been fantastic as my eldest has bonded so well with both of us and has had mimimal childcare elsewhere. I know that i will really miss him and i think its going to be really difficult for him too. he never minded me going to work as he has me all day and then daddy time all to himself but the other evening i had to pop to work and he's so used to me being at home he got really upset.
should i think about getting some dayshifts and putting baby into childcare earlier so there is more of a balance? i'm finding it a really dilemma but my husband can't see why i'm worrying!
thanks, julsey

That sounds like a good plot to benefit all of you. How old will lo be? My boys were both 8 month when they went to my childminder and they both really enjoyed it. Could you do part day/part eve shifts? Both me n hub are teachers so no option of hours!

My hubby works mon to fri 8 til 4pm and I work Sat and Sun 10 til 6pm so we havent any problems with child care and our los get to spend quality time with both of us also I work for the NHS so it time and a half sat and double pay sun which is a bonus as it means I get paid more than if I did part time mon til fri hope you sort it out x x x

Thanks - yes the youngest will also be 8 months old but i just found out we'll probably be opening both days on the weekends now so hopefully if i do both days on the weekend then i'll only have to do a couple of evenings, once he's a bit older i'll probably put him in childcare for 2 days and so it will balance out a bit more. my oldest was 14 months when he started with childminding and he loves it too - he goes to one on one day and one on another as there is a real shortage in our area - neither of them have space for the new one even though i've initially enquired for 2009!
i'm sure it will work out - its just hard thinking so far ahead when i don't know what he'll be like or how i will feel. i think i will try and arrange a childminder that can have him for 2 days and then it will be in place when i go back.
sarah - have you been working those shifts a long time and do you miss not been able to have days together as a family? i've found it quite a strain on my relationship with my husband...or is that just because of having kids(!)
xx

Two Years now find it ok hubby goes to Ice hockey on a Sunday and I use to go out with my mum and aunt on a saturday so when I started working it wasnt much different hubby gets 38 days hols a year so we go places then x x