Day care issues for 12hr shifts..... What to do?

Faye - posted on 09/18/2012

For those still looking and wondering: Call the local elementary school. Sometimes they have a list of those who are SAH: mom's that would love to have extra income. The list may also include in-home daycares. The ex and I moved to a larger city when our daughter was almost 2.5. We had no idea where to turn for daycare. A new neighbor told me of the list the school had.



Over the course of the almost 3 years, we lived in that city, we consulted that list twice. Once because a neighbor (who had been watching her) needed to earn more money for her family than I was paying her, I was her only parent (totaly understand, she had a worthless husband) and the second time was when the replacement moved out of the area (45 minutes in the wrong direction) and I needed another one.

Tanya - posted on 09/08/2012

hi i do have the same problem mine is that im a single mom

Paula - posted on 07/31/2012

You can look online for sites like care.com to find a babysitter or even craigslist (be careful though you MUST check out references)

If you are a part of any community activities like church/work out group/etc you can ask around. The best people are usually found by referral.

Sometimes people who run a registered home day care offer extra care and would welcome a overnight shift.

Good luck! It is hard to leave your little one with someone else.

Robyn - posted on 02/23/2010

I feel for you, Kelly. My commute makes my day a 12 hour day, and my husband has the same issue. I was able to change my working hours so, although I don't see her at all in the morning, I get her in the evenings. My husband sees her in the morning but doesn't get to say goodnight. It kind of sucks for both of us, but is best for her. Is there a possibility that you can work overlapping but different shifrts?
Good luck, Kelly!

Stacy - posted on 02/22/2010

contact your county department of human services. They have a day care unit. They can help you with some home providers. They will be licenced rather than those you find in the paper. You might also find that there are 24 hour day cares. There are not very many but they do exsist. You can look online at the state licenced providers through the state department of human services.

I hope this helps. I have worked in Day Care for more than 20 years.

College students might be willing to pick you child up a day care and take them to your home. You can call a nanny service also. They can work out a types of situations.

good luck

Kathy - posted on 02/22/2010

Hi! I understand what you are going through. I am a RN too. I gave up my day shift at the hospital for overnights in homecare. Between the long work hours and commute, daycare was not an option. My husband works very long hours as well. My son is with me during the day and my husband at night. It is exhausting but I feel it is the best for my son. It is totally for him! He is safe and happy! That's what really matters! Good luck!

Lee-Anne - posted on 02/22/2010

Have you thought about an Au Pair? If you have room in your house the cost isn't much more than daycare. With an Au Pairs the hours they work can be more flexable than traditional daycares becuase you are able to set them for your needs as long as you stay within the program guildlines. I am in my third year of hosting an au pair and it has been a great experiance for us and my son.

Kelly - posted on 02/22/2010

Thank you everyone! I'm happy to hear that the part time shifts work out alot better! I live in York region..Our family live in Ottawa so we have minimal support.. But it will all work out i;m sure....

JACQUI - posted on 02/22/2010

I had a child minder when I nursed a 12 hour shift, she went at 7am and was 8 weeks old when first went, she stayed their until she was 10 when we moved.
Fantastic , she was like another grandparent and even had her on weekends to take her out with the family as treats.
She went to her house and I paid her as a registered childminder but at a reduced rate.

Carey - posted on 02/20/2010

Always contact the local child care resource & referral service they are often called "child care councils" but easy to find links on line. They know what is available for child care in your area and will have a list of licensed or registered day care providers for your area. You may have to call more than one they are often broken down by county. You may be able to have your child go to a program for most of your hours and hire someone to pick the child up and care for them the last few hours of the day or vice versa they could come early in the morning and drop the child off for you. Very often it takes more than one day care to make it work! If you hire someone private to come into your home get references and do a full background check and a sex offender database check.

Siobhan - posted on 02/20/2010

Hey Kelly...I too am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts...hubby is also a 12 hour worker. I decided to workk part time (0.6fte or 4 shifts a pay) which with the in lieu of benefits and vacation...works out to the same that I made full time. I also work only nights and I work when my hubby is off. The only time I need a sitter is on the rare occasion that I'm coming home from work in the am and he needs to leave for work earlier than I can get home. Most times it works perfectly...I work when he is home and I get to sleep for 5 hours during the day (which is good for me).Maybe this is an option for you?

Kelly - posted on 02/20/2010

It looks like we might have to look into home care.. The day cares around close at 6:45pm max.. THank you everyone for your support and advice!! This is such a hard time.l think the transition back into work will be the hardest one i'll have to make.. THe balance of life and new responsibilities can at time be so overwhelming.. Then we add in work. How have you moms dealt with going back to work? I'll be going back part-time but I'll still be doing 12 hrs.. It makes me cringe when i think about work..

Kimberly - posted on 02/20/2010

Your best bet would be a home day care facility. They are a lot more flexible with hours and special needs care. I used one when I was working full time and had full time school. She even ran her day care at night if I worked a crazy shift. One of my jobs, I had to be there at 5am. So she would take the kids the night before and keep them all night so I didn't have to wake them or her up to drop them off. Where I live they have an agency called Child Care Information Service and it is run by the Assistance office and the YMCA. They help ANYONE who is looking for any kind of childcare and subsidies if you qualify. They might have something similar in your area. It's well worth looking into

Kristen - posted on 02/19/2010

what area do you live in?

Nikki - posted on 02/19/2010

in your area there might be a daycare that does different shifts and allows you to leave them there longer and some even do over nights. If you have a wic office and such in your town they should be able to direct you to a place that can print off all of the daycares in town.

Billie - posted on 02/19/2010

My answer is already with the other people that have responded to you :-)
I understand your frustrations. I use to start work at 7.30am and work was til ABOUT 4pm, they could not give me any other guess. Daycare did not open until 7.30am and I have to travel, Oh my god what do I do, I rang anyway and they said they did in-home daycare in the carers home. Great one just around the corner. She was great and so flexible. I dropped her there at 7am and drove to work. She was enrolled for 10hour days until 5pm. That usually gave me plenty of time to get back to her. Sometimes I was running late and I would just text, No Problem was always the response, but I use to sometimes get her early too, swings in roundabouts :-)
Now I got the problem again, I now work 6.30am til 3.30pm Again no set time to finish and my daughter has just started school. What to do now! We have an afterschool programme I need to look into, but its now the early morning thing. Sometimes she just comes to work with me and then I take her to school, but that is not fear on her either, so currently looking at alternatives again.

Jennifer - posted on 02/19/2010

I too work 12 hour shifts as a paramedic, and was in the same boat. I looked on Kijiji, and found a home daycare right in my neighbourhood. Home daycares may be more flexible with hours. Just make sure you get plenty of references. Good Luck!

Jen - posted on 02/19/2010

Check your local craigslist in the child care ads or there's a site called sittercity.com and you can post an ad looking for a babysitter or nanny. There are also some rare day cares that are open 24 hours. Just do a google search for child care in your area and that should help. You can also go to the website for whatever agency oversees day cares in your state.

Debbie - posted on 02/19/2010

Sounds like your going to want someone to come into your home to stay with your baby. You can see if there is a nanny service in your area. They are usually really good at screening candidates. You can also maybe take out an ad in a paper or on fb or something like that. Ask some of your coworkers what they do! good luck... My husband and I also work crazy schedules, but luckly we have our family near.

Stephanie - posted on 02/19/2010

I don't know where you live, but I'm in college now. We have a daycare on campus (I personally don't use that one, but know people that do). They are open until 9:30 at night I think because people have night classes too. Maybe you have a big university nearby with the same type of daycare?

Kayliecia - posted on 02/19/2010

well good for you that your a nurse! does the place you work at maybe have daycare there? also i would look in the phonebook and call places cause some people work with you on times and stuff. good luck!. or maybe see if you cannot work around your husbands schedule.