Mum and Dad both shift workers with rotating rosters

[mummajuice]

So.... as the title kind of suggests, we potentially have a situation where DH and I would both be working shifts on variable rosters.

Does anyone have a situation like this??? How do you handle it??

Also, child-care wise.. is there any way that you can send your kids on different days each week. Just say for example I work 4 days and have 3 days off, can I go somewhere that only charges for the days they attend or would I have to enrol them in full time care and just cop the fees on the days I am not working (and would have them home). Or if I was to sleep until 12 and then could I go and pick them up and only pay for the 6 or so hours they'd been there??

Hopefully someone can help me??!!

TA:confused:

[aquarius]

hi mummajuice

sorry for delay in replying to you, hope what i'm about to say is still useful.

DH is a police officer and works shifts on rotating rosters. he knows a few couples with children who are both police officers or are both shift workers on rotating rosters, and it can be done, but it's very, very hard. it's hard enough for working parents to juggle childcare arrangements, spending time with their kids, spending time as a couple with their partners, getting some alone time to themselves, plus the usual housework, cooking, washing etc - when you're both working variable hours it's even more difficult, and shift work makes you SOOOOO tired so everything's even harder!

my advice to you would be don't do it - i'm sorry i don't know your financial or personal circumstances, but you'd want to really really need the money to have both of you doing shift work. i work normal business hours 4 days per week and we find it hard enough with just DH being a shiftworker, i can't imagine it if i was a shiftworker as well. sorry i hope this isn't too blunt but it's so hard when both of you are shiftworkers and your rosters change constantly.

re the childcare question, it depends on the centre, you need to check with them if you can send your kids on different days each week, it will depend on their vacancies. at the centre i take DD to, parents can ask for certain days each week, but it depends on whether there's a vacancy or not that particular day so i wouldn't want to rely on it if you have to be at work. at DD's centre, you have to pay for a full day no matter how many hours they are there, they don't do part day payments.

there are occasional care centres, where you can just pay for the hours that you send the kids, but i don't know a lot about them i'm sorry, you should be able to find them in your phone book or your local council will know. again i don't know how far in advance you can book or how reliable they are in having vacancies, which is a worry if you've gotta work coz you need to be certain your kids can get in on a particular day!

i do know if you get the childcare benefit, there is a requirement for your child to attend a minimum number of days at daycare, but they do make allowances for this if you're a shiftworker, e.g. you make a standing arrangement to put your kids into daycare on tuesdays and wednesdays, but because you're a shiftworker on a rotating roster you get a wednesday off every now and then so you want to keep your kid at home with you rather than send them to daycare, if you're a shiftworker they make allowances for this when checking to see if your kid has been to daycare for the required number of days in order to get childcare benefit. hope this makes sense?!

HTH, good luck xx

[Zoey]

I work a 7 day rotating roster with hours anywhere between 5am and 10pm which change daily... hubbys work was 24hrs and he worked 5-6 days a week, and shifts changed week to week. I was lucky enough to have a MIL who watches my little one, as well as very flexible roster for myself, so it worked well. DH is now unemployed so is a stay at home dad.

Unless one of you have a somwhat predictable roster or really great family members then it would be a nightmare... especially when it comes to daycare.