My maternity leave is over in two weeks and I will go back to full time WOH and DD will go to a daycare center. I will do drop offs and DH will do pick ups.
What are your best tips for success? I have a meal plan done and will be laying out clothes and bags the night before.
Looking for specific suggestions that help your family! Thank you!
watermelon / 14467 posts
I don't know if you are BF or FF, but one thing that helped me later on was to get my bottles ready the night before (BF). Also, be kind to yourself. It helped me to have a picture of H, and I asked people to not ask about her because I was so emotional about leaving her.
grapefruit / 4418 posts
Prep everything the night before. Do one chore a night so youre not cleaning all weekend! I set multiple alarms on my phone so I know how much time I have left. Two to wake up, one when I need to be all dressed, a 5 minute warning to get coat/shoes on and the last one is time to go! It's kind of annoying but also keeps help me on task and not get distracted!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Two sets of bottles so you're not washing nightly!
kiwi / 742 posts
I agree with the idea of being kind to yourself. You are not going to be able to be the same worker you were before and that's ok. You'll eventually get in a rhythm but it may take awhile!
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
Bring lots of pictures and ask if they can put up a picture or other items from home at daycare.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
Allow yourself time to fall into a routine, you will have to constantly readjust.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Agree with just prep and do as much as you can the night before. DD still doesn't have a totally set wake up time so some days I have plenty of time to get ready, and some days I'm rushing like mad to nurse her, get ready, etc. Some days I almost want to sleep in my work clothes with full make up on, haha!
cherry / 189 posts
definitely second (or third) doing as much prep work at night as you can! lay out your clothes, lay out your kid's clothes, pack lunches/bottles, etc. it might suck to do when you're tired at night, but it will be so much easier in the mornings. i have a 2.5 year old and like others said, sometimes he'll wake up when i do (which sucks for getting ready..) and sometimes he'll sleep in a little bit and let me get everything done. good luck!
pomegranate / 3565 posts
I agree with getting everything ready the night before. Both my boys were usually up when I was getting ready so I have to give myself lots of extra time.
Also, try to be flexible. Not everything can get done all of the time!
persimmon / 1129 posts
@Mrs. Coral: Here are things that helped us -
- We put a magnetic white board on the door to our garage. That way, when my husband got home he could write anything we need to bring to daycare on it or we could write other random notes of things to take to work/daycare.
-Have extra diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes in both of your cars. It sucks to realize you're out of them when you really need them! I also kept an extra shirt for myself in my car when DD was still in spit-up stage of life.
- Tons of extra bottles so I didn't ever have to scramble around like a crazy person getting everything ready in the morning.
squash / 13208 posts
Already lots of great advice! I will add that for that 1st week while you are finding your groove just be ok with being late, forgetting things, having to change clothes (again), etc. In time you will get into a great routine and it will be much easier!
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
If it's in the budget, I might start the daycare center a few days early, so that the adjustment will be well under way by the time you start working!
Good luck!!
grapefruit / 4988 posts
Tons of good tips already. Are you pumping? If so, I would bring in extra supplies (freezer bags, bottles, brushes) and leave at work. Definitely get two (or three!) sets of anything you will be using every day, like bottles. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get into a groove right away. It can take time, especially if you are sleep deprived and emotional. If you can swing it, do a few test runs first (our daycare does a transition over a few days, starting with one hour, then a few hours, then a whole day, and I started out with a few half days before my first full day). Also, does your daycare have a camera set up? Try to see if you can get it working (on your computer or phone) before the first full day so you can check in on your baby.
clementine / 812 posts
@avivoca @TheReelDeal: Be kind! Such a good tip...I am often bumming if I can't pull off superwoman. I will make a conscious effort to, cut myself some slack...thanks!
@catomd00: Your alarm idea is fantastic! I will be doing that! Thank you!
@regberadaisy: Ah! Thanks for the reminder! We use Drop-Ins, so I think I'll just snag a few more packs of nipples!
@T.H.O.U.: Good idea! I might try sleeping with a muslin Blackie so she has my scent. Thank you!
@looch: @snowjewelz: The routine thing will be interesting for sure, since DD's wake time is all over the place! If she adheres to he current rough schedule, I will need to wake her up to leave in time.
@megjay18: Thank you, that is helpful!
@Mamasig: Good reminder, I need to remember not everything will always get done and we will live to tell about it!
@My Only Sunshine: Thanks for the concrete examples--I am going to implement a few!!
@Mamaof2: Thank you! I have this visin that I will get to work on time, and people will be impressed. And my clothes will be clean... ha! With my spitter-upper, I may as well put my work shirt on as I'm leaving daycare!
@mrbee: I'd rather not sacrifice my last few days at home with DD by putting her in daycare, but we will be doing a 1 hour drop off. I think I will get groceries and run errands the other days that week, to practice getting ready and out the door by the proper time.
@catlady: Thanks for the tips! I guess better get more pump parts... so dang expensive! Daycare doesn't have a camera but that sounds awesome!
pomelo / 5258 posts
In correlation to being kind to yourself, it really helped me to focus on doing my best and only my best. I refused to ask myself to do anything better than my best. My return to work best often wasn't as good as my previous best but I had to learn to let that go.
For pumping, I recommend getting an extra power cord so you can leave one plugged in at home and one plugged in at work. It doesn't have to be made by the pump manufacturer. It's one less thing to pack up and put away multiple times a day and one less thing to forget.
I second having an extra shirt for the office in case you discover spit up or snot on your shirt once you get to the office. Good luck with the transition!
nectarine / 2667 posts
Really good advice has been given already. I used to get everything ready the night before and my husband would stick it in my car as he left for work, so I only needed one trip with the baby/car seat. I also wouldn't put on my shirt for work until after I feed him in the morning. Just give yourself some grace!
pea / 11 posts
This might be a good time for you and your husband to have a discussion on how to divide and conquer, if you haven't alfready done so. No reason for you to be doing all the prep the night before. My husband is in charge of doing all the cooking, cleaning bottles etc from daycare, and prepping all of the bottles for daycare. I give LO her bath and bedtime routine. We clean up together and whoever has time preps LO's solid food for next day - but we help each other out until all is done (unless one of us has a big deadline the next day and is pulling a la te night to finish).
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 0 |
| Posts | 1 | 0 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite1
17 comments