Looking into opening a day home for shift workers

[blackcomb]

Hi there, I am an RN too! and like you doing this now, starting out, though I did do it when my son was a baby by taking him with me to others homes, didn't own my own house then.

Like you it wasn't easy finding good child care for my child while working shifts and unfair to him too.. now I am doing agency (as I always did on the side or as a 2nd back up job, and when between jobs) I will probably stick to 2 nights a week max with this agency and do day care in the week, I did think of doing shift workers but now am going to do days, and the occasional over night (when I am not working nights and hopefully the child sleeps through) but then I am doing age 3-6 and if anything the age group will go up as my son ages. Before and after school care I am going to do to my son's school (so it fits in with us too that way).

I did consider shift workers but due to the fact I am going to possibly stick to my 2 nights a week max nursing days in the week for day care will work better for me personally speaking. That said, I am grateful to my child minder (and ones I have as back up) for having my son from 7.30pm at night until the same time in the morning (my night starts at 11pm but I don't want his sleep routine affected), and my main minder is having him for the one off early shift I am doing this week, and has had him when I've done late shifts, so she's pretty flexible and does what you are considering doing, and she's not the only one, my back ups do too! And have their regular ones in the day time, she does check her diary as she ensures she gets her breaks too, evenings out with her hubby for example, so rarely she can't do it for me but that's why I have a back up. Oh! and my minder charges $25 for having him for 12 hrs overnight.. yet $30 for having him for 9 when I've done an evening shift and collected him at midnight to take to bed (a short disturbance in his sleep, which I don't really like) but that's why I'll be routinely doing night shifts x 2 a week max most of the time.

I take my child to her all ready for bed, having had dinner, showered, and brushed his teeth, and take his sleeping bag too, he sleeps through the night without issues too, then I collect him and take him home for his breakfast and his wash and teeth to be cleaned, sometimes he has his cereal there if he's asked for it and up already.