Hellobee Boards

You're basically my hero. I SAH, and my husband is home around 7, each evening. I start getting antsy around 5. What time is your husband home at night?

Hang in there, pretty mama! Hope you get some good advice.

It was your first night so it must've been hectic! It'll get better soon. What helped me was cooking something for dinner the night before so that I could reheat it. Then I could feed DD quickly and get her off to bed.

I'm not solo, but usually do nighttime routine alone while DH does other things.

You get into a good rhythm the longer you do it!

I agree that time and reps help. DH is in medical school rotations so we have days where Lo doesn't see him at all and others where things are calmer. We are prepping for some extended solo mama times the next few months and I WOH FT.

Making dinner fast and easy is a goal. Snacks for LO help free me up enough to prep something quick, but she is already a toddler. we do elmo's world as a last resort distraction.

If he comes home in time to do something, like dishes or lunches or spray out diapers, that helps, but that is not always the case.

I usually fly solo 2-3x during the week. Dinner is definitely the hardest, so i now try to make sure i have dinner ready the night before so if LO is whining for food i can have it ready as soon as we get home. Now that she is more independent, i can do dishes while she plays and it cuts down on the work i have to do after i put her to bed. I actually feel as though it's more relaxing when it's just the two of us.

You just fall into a routine. My DH works long hours and leaves before LO wakes up and comes home after LO is asleep. Here is our schedule:

5:30 - 6:30 am.- Wake up and get ready
6:30 - 6:45 am- Wake up LO and take care of dogs
6:45 am- Leave house
7:10 am- Drop LO off at school
7:30 am- at desk
5 p.m.- Leave work
5:30- Pick up LO at daycare
5:30 - 6 p.m. - Commute home
6 - 6:30 p.m. - Play time
6:30 - 7 p.m. - LO eats dinner
7 - 7:30 p.m.- Bath time and story time
7:30 p.m. - LO in bed
I eat after LO is asleep.. DH comes home sometime between 9 p.m. and midnight.

@grizz: Why does she want to switch?

You find your groove. DH travels Mon-Thurs (sometimes Friday) so I do everything Mon-Thurs. Some days it isn't so bad and so days I am in tears when putting her to bed. I don't know how SAHM do it. Work at least gives me a break.

When we get home, I leave everything till she goes to bed. I might put her bibs and outfits in the sink to soak, depending on how bad the spit was that day. But otherwise I put everything off till she goes to bed, so we can spend time together. Since we only get an hour before she gets a bottle and then goes to bed.

Then after she is asleep I try and do a workout video, then wash bottles, prep bottles, make sure she has purees for the next day, start laundry, make my lunch for the next day, and then eat dinner.

I have found that once she is finished with her purees, I have about 5 mins she will be happy banging the spoon on the high chair tray, so I use that time to get towels ready for bath, set out pjs and sleep sack.

Also on Sunday's I pick out her outfits for the week, so I just have to grab a set each morning and don't have to think about it.

One of us is usually home alone with LO until about 7:30-8:00 due to work travel or our oldest's football schedule. My only advice is not to set your expectations too high: don't expect to make amazing dinners, get the laundry/cleaning done, or to have time for yourself. With practice and routine you will eventually find your way and see that it's doable {still tiresome, but completely doable}.

Helpful hints:
- Embrace the crockpot/breakfast for dinner/Chipotle
- In the am set out what you will need for LO in the pm {bath time items, bottles on the counter, etc.} You would be amazed how helpful it is not to have to dig for these things when LO is upset.
- Wine. It helps. Truly.

My husband and I have weird schedules that aren't the same every week, at least one night a week we end up having to do the nightly routine alone.

I do the absoulute bare minimum during the week, no laundry, no heavy cooking, no errands. Some nights, my son doesn't get a bath and I leave dishes in the sink.

I fly solo almost every night during the week because DH works late (and I go to work early, so he flies solo every morning).

4:30pm: Leave work

5pm: Home from daycare with DD

5:15pm: If her last nap of the day was early, I sometimes put her down for an evening naps around now....

5:30-6: Wash pump parts and bottles, throw EASY dinner in to cook (usually just broiled fish or chicken with a side of veggies that I cut up and washed already and can go right under the broiler with the meat), change my clothes, throw diapers in the wash, put away clean dishes that DH washed that morning

6-7: feed and play with LO or put her in the Moby while I pack her diapers and pick out her clothes for the next day, pack my gym bag, finish laundry and dinner if need be

7pm: Bath - although if DH is home, he does this.. if he's not home, I skip it.. too much.

7:30: Nurse, book, bedtime

8pm: I eat dinner, with or without DH depending if he's home and ready to eat

8:30: TV/downtime/glass of wine.

9pm: bedtime for me. I have to be at work at 7:15am (hence getting out so early) so I gotta be up around 5, regardless of if LO is up (she usuallygets up at 5:30am to eat, so I feed her and then go to the gym before work).

It gets better the more routine you establish. It's just me, so I have a pretty strict schedule until the weekend when I'm off and we can relax and get a break!

I teach state funded pre-k at her daycare, so thankfully,no daycare drop off, she just comes with me! lol After work is hard. I give her a snack on the way home. We get home at 4 and I either go to the gym or go home and go for a quick run b/c once I get in the house, I'm DONE for the day. After exercising, we usually eat dinner and watch some tv or read before bed.

I set her clothes out for the week on the weekends and I cook for like 2 days at a time so I'm not coming home and trying to make dinner with her crying because she missed me all day.

It doesn't always work out that perfect, but most times it does. I have to keep a routine b/c dealing with those kids at work all day drains me and I cannot come home to chaos.

DH traveled a lot when LO was 2-8 months. 2-3 days per week. it was hard in the beginning because i was on mat leave, so it was 72 hours of just me and the babe. mentally that was really difficult for me, but you do start to fall into a little routine. now DH is traveling again, 2-3x a week but i'm back at work while our nanny watches LO. i get home at around 5:45, play for 15 mins, then start getting dinner ready. LO is a slow eater and takes her sweet time eating...so we spend 45 mins - 1 hour eating dinner together. it really helps if you make a big pot of whatever on sunday that you (and your baby) don't mind eating for the next couple of days. only have to microwave it and its ready. then i give her a bath, do the bedtime routine and she is down in her crib 7:45-8pm. then i collapse on the couch and veg out in front of the tv before cleaning anything up. i'm strict about my bedtime too, its usually around 10pm! mama needs her sleep.

@SleepyMonkey: Awww, thanks!!