Best part-time days?

[beansprout]

I've gone back to work this week and will be working 3 days - Tues, Weds and Fri. However, both my mum and the childminder have both suggested that I work three consecutive days as it would be better for ds (11 months) on the basis that it would be less disruptive. Selfishly, I quite liked the idea of not spending too many days running without him. That said, would be happy to change if it really is better for him.

What does anyone think? Not sure what to do now!

[LadyCodofCodford]

mon tues weds
then oyu get bank hols

[FrightfullyPoshFloss]

second that!

[LadyCodofCodford]

and you get that" back to work on monday" feeling liek erveryone else
t hen on wed you say " se ya"

[paolosgirl]

Mon Tues Wed here too. Lovely feeling haveing your Friday on a Wednesday

[beansprout]

But is that best for ds? Someone else at work does Mon, Weds, Fri so she is never more than a day away from seeing her ds.

I know which days I would work but I just want to know if working consecutive days is better for ds.

[LadyCodofCodford]

oh youare htinking about this too much sprouty

[LadyCodofCodford]

he wont notice after aw hile
i dont think he'll forget oyur face after 7 hours!!!

[foxinsocks]

mon - wed, definitely

that way you get it all out the way and can enjoy 4 days of not working. Doing odd days sounds very confusing.

[beansprout]

That's not what I'm asking Cod. Two people who I listen to have a view on it and I was just wondering if, along with a million other things, this was something I didn't know about!!!

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

Monday Tuesday Wednesday, it is better IMO to do the separation thing in one lump and then have 4 days dedicated to baba.

It really worked for me.


You have to work Mondays, MN orders.

England and Wales there are six bank holidays: New Year's Day, Easter Monday, May Day (not necessarily 1 May), Spring and Late Summer Holidays at the end of May and August respectively, and Boxing Day. There are also two common law holidays on Good Friday and Christmas Day.


6 extra days holidays not to be sneezed at.

[foxinsocks]

I think it's easier for children to get into a regular routine - so doing Mon-Wed is understandable whereas having you in bits and pieces might be a bit confusing. Although as he's only 11 months, he probably is a bit young to notice yet.

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

I found DS just got upset if I was chopping and changing.

[beansprout]

I get a pro rata version of the bank holidays, so don't have to work them to get them (IYSWIM!)

That's helpful Sherlock thank you, he's young now, but obviously that will change at some point!

[DelGirl]

Don't know about where you work but at my work, if you don't work Mondays you actually get more holiday days in lieu. It's because the people who do work Mondays benefit from them and the part timers should too. Before Mat leave I was entitled to 24 days. When I go back for 2 days a week, I think i'll be entitled to 13 which is more pro rata than the full timers.

[fishie]

in taht case what is wrong with working wed thur fri? take advantage of end of week wind-down. this is my plan when returning. i think is prob better all round to do it in a block.

[DelGirl]

that's what I reckon, that's why i'm going back Thurs and Fri

[ladymuck]

Working Mondays meant that I lost out re the Bank Hols as the way in which my leave was calculated was that the 8 bank holidays were added to my "full-time" holidays and then pro-rated according to the proportion of time that I worked. So if you normally worked Mondays then you still had to take the bank holidays - but they effectively cam out of your leave. Working Tues-Thurs would mean that you got an extra weeks holiday each year (and you weren't working the bank hols).

I worked the Mon-Wed-Fri pattern, but simply because my colleagues couldn't cope without me if I vanished on Wednesday evening for the rest of the week. It meant that if someone was looking for me then at worst the answer was "She'll be in tomorrow".

[beansprout]

But do we know if any particular days has any bearing on our children?

[motherinferior]

I've never thought of it that way, but I do think it's a good thing to be off on Friday because a lot of other people are too, and you get to see them.

[Roobie]

I work Mon-Weds (although currently on mat leave) and hadn't actually thought about it from the point of view of dd but liked the fact that I get 4 solid days off.
When I go back in December I am thinking of changing to Mon, Tues, Fri as it suits my work better as it is a long gap between Weds pm and Mon am. I really need to be able to instigate things at the beginning of the week and be in a position to see them through by the end of the week.

[motherinferior]

And on this one, actually, I do agree with Cod; I think perhaps you are doing exactly what I'm doing with DD1's after school arrangements, which is to replay them endlessly in my head.

[DelGirl]

No one is answering your question are they beansprout? Well, i'm going to be doing 2 consecutive days and I can only hope it's the best for dd. What do you think, you're the best judge surely (apart from Cod)

[beansprout]

Thanks Delgirl! I thought that too!
I'm only asking as both my mum and the childminder have commented and I just wondered if there was any consensus on what works best for our children?!

[beansprout]

MI - what's happening with dd1's after school arrangements?

[motherinferior]

The option, I think, which makes you feel both less stressed, and more able to concentrate on your lovely son. Which may be a burst of work and then switching off from it, I'd have thought.