Question About Working 3rd Shift

[HANNAH ROSE]

Without going through the entire story I'm basically in need of a new job by September 14th due to childcare issues.

I have an application in with a local chain restaurant that specializes in baked goods and the position is for 3rd shift. I've never worked 3rd shift and have read about how horrible it can be both physically and
mentally.

At this point we're in a "gotta do whatcha gotta do" situation but I'm starting to worry that it will adversely effect me and my family.

Has anyone here worked 3rd shift before and can relay their experiences?

[desmom]

Without going through the entire story I'm basically in need of a new job by September 14th due to childcare issues.

I have an application in with a local chain restaurant that specializes in baked goods and the position is for 3rd shift. I've never worked 3rd shift and have read about how horrible it can be both physically and
mentally.

At this point we're in a "gotta do whatcha gotta do" situation but I'm starting to worry that it will adversely effect me and my family.

Has anyone here worked 3rd shift before and can relay their experiences?

Your post says "due to childcare issues"? I hope you do not feel I am prying, but will you be taking care of the children during the day? You may have to learn how to power nap. i.e. when the children nap, you nap and when the children go to bed, you go to bed to grab a couple more hours before your shift.

In the beginning, it may be a little rough until the family learns the new routine/schedule. I hope things work out for you and yours.

ETA ~ afterthought....if the daycare issues are because of cost or shortage of daycares in your area, have you considered opening a home daycare? When our children were little, I did home daycare. Our area was pretty saturated with full time daycares, but did not have drop in care. I averaged 3-4 children a couple days a week. Around the holidays, I was usually full every day.

[warhorse46]

I worked graveyards for 8 years straight right after receiving my nursing licenses. I adjusted but I will not say it was easy. My schedule was to come home @ 7:30 AM, get my son off to school & DH off to work, cut the phone ringer off & go to bed. Sleep until approx 2 PM, get up have coffee then cook supper. Eat supper with the family, visit/watch tv for a little while then about 8 lie down for a nap until 10. Be sure you have child care during the day so that you can sleep undisturbed or it will not work for you.

[HANNAH ROSE]

Your post says "due to childcare issues"? I hope you do not feel I am prying, but will you be taking care of the children during the day? You may have to learn how to power nap. i.e. when the children nap, you nap and when the children go to bed, you go to bed to grab a couple more hours before your shift.

In the beginning, it may be a little rough until the family learns the new routine/schedule. I hope things work out for you and yours.

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law were alternating days watching our baby and his two cousins but it became too much for my sister-in-law so she bowed out and now we're in the position where my mother-in-law can only watch him three days a week.

My employer has been extremely generous in allowing me to work from home a few days but that will cease as of 9/14.

[elo3854]

I have been working 3rd shift for the past 6 months. For 26 years i worked 1st shift so it was a real change for me. The first few weeks were hard due to the fact that you wanted to be awake during sunlight and sleep during darkness. It does ease up and become better. The advantages of working 3rd shift are --you can go to early bird sales without have to take time off of work--you can run errands and take care of business on weekdays rather than waiting for weekends where it seems everyone on the planet is doing the same thing. I wont say it is always easy but i work with people that have worked 3rd shift for more than 10 years and love it. So if you get the 3rd shift job make the most of it. Us third shifters are truly a unique breed!! good luck to you.:smile:

[bearwds]

2nd shift here for over 20 years of a 26 year career. 2:30pm--11pm.

Don't do it...not unless you don't have other options.

It will screw with your metabolism. I still deal with it 3-years after retirement.

I've also worked 3rd shift early in my life and there is nothing better than punching out as the sun comes up <not>.


bear

[WillowInFlight]

My hubby worked 3rd shift when the kids were little for the soul purpose of keeping them out of day care. He worked from 11:00pm to 7:00am. he slept when they were in school or taking naps. It worked as far as saving money but I truly hated it. I worked days and no sooner did I get home and he was catching a nap, I felt like it really interfered with "our" time. But in the long run it worked for us.

[desmom]

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law were alternating days watching our baby and his two cousins but it became too much for my sister-in-law so she bowed out and now we're in the position where my mother-in-law can only watch him three days a week.

My employer has been extremely generous in allowing me to work from home a few days but that will cease as of 9/14.

Have you talked to your neighbors? There maybe some home daycares in your neighborhood or one of the SAHM might be interested in keeping your baby a couple days a week.

[Debb]

I worked swing shifts for 5 years, meaning we rotated from first shift to second shift to third shift. I thought it was very hard, but did it anyway. Like you, I needed the job and it held an opportunity for advancement.

I was single, young, late teens and without kids and it was hard, however, I guess it would allow you to be there in the mornings with your kids, take them to school, be home when they back from school and there to prepare dinner and do homework. If you have someone to be with them at night when you are at work, it might work out okay.

I would caution you that you MUST get your sleep in the daytime. I would invest in shades that prevent sunlight from coming in.

When I worked third, I went straight home and straight to sleep. I didn't try to stay up and do housework or anything else. I would sleep like a log for 9 hours and then wake up on my own. The problem is when you are not on third shift and are off work and others want you to do things on a first shift schedule. That can make your body feel very out of sorts. Like jet lag if you have ever had that. After your days off, then you must adjust back to the night schedule. I do think it takes a toll on your body. If you are over 30, it might be even harder.

If you are going to do it, don't try to be a super mom, get your rest. Also, do not drive home if you are really sleepy. You could wreck your car and hurt yourself and others.

I know some people who loved the night shift. Some people just have the body chemistry for it, others don't.

[ortiga]

Try to make the most of it, make a list of the positives. I did it in an emergency room for a few years but I was single w/o children, I loved the shift. I found I needed a lot less sleep, about 5 hours was fine. As others have pointed out, you can do certain things in the morning, and then sleep in the afternoon. I liked going to the movies in the evening, then going to work, then shopping some and sleeping while everyone else in the house was in classes.

[HANNAH ROSE]

What an option would be is to either come home when DH leaves for work, take care of the house and baby until
early afternoon, take him to his GM, go to sleep until DH gets home with him picking up the baby.

Or, he takes the baby to GM when he leaves for work and I sleep until 12-1pm, get the baby, spend the rest
of the day taking care of home and baby, make dinner, etc., spend time with him and go to work.

Just thinking out loud...

[airportwoman]

I worked overnights a few times around age 20 when I waitressed, and every time I did it, I was sick for a week afterwards.

[juliekan]

I worked 3rd shift at a casino in Vegas, it is not possible when you have a little one at home. My advise keep looking you will find a job that works with having a family. 3rd shift is for single people or for very robust folks that need little sleep.

I worked 2nd and 3rd for many years. Would work 16hr shifts even when 9 months pregnant. But once I had a newborn and a 2 yo, it was hell on earth. I would get home around 7:45am, hubby off to work. I would get a 2 hr nap in am and pm,if all went per schedule, when babies napped. Then after cooking dinner and housework, would go to bed about 7:30 and sleep till 10 pm then leap out of bed and head off to work.

Believe me it was awful. :crying: Look for something better. jmo

[HANNAH ROSE]

It may be only temporary until I find something else. We had one of the largest employers in the area close it’s doors leaving almost 1,000 out of work with no warning so pickings are slim.

Plus, I enjoy baking. :thumbsup:

We’re just getting to a desperate point. If I’m not working the likelihood that we’ll lose our house is 100%. We’ll already be tight with an income loss of probably at least $17,000 a year.

[IcyLogic]

Without going through the entire story I'm basically in need of a new job by September 14th due to childcare issues.

I have an application in with a local chain restaurant that specializes in baked goods and the position is for 3rd shift. I've never worked 3rd shift and have read about how horrible it can be both physically and
mentally.

At this point we're in a "gotta do whatcha gotta do" situation but I'm starting to worry that it will adversely effect me and my family.

Has anyone here worked 3rd shift before and can relay their experiences?

I currently work a night shift, 12 hours, three days on three days off.
It has both benefits and drawbacks.

Things to consider...
1. Do you live in a quiet neighborhood, that would enable you to sleep well during the day?

2. Are you able to get by on smaller doses of sleep but more often. (phone ringing, people coming to the door etc).


I have no problems with night work now, but initially I went thru a couple of weeks feeling permanently tired. It passes and the body adjusts.

[HANNAH ROSE]

I currently work a night shift, 12 hours, three days on three days off.
It has both benefits and drawbacks.

Things to consider...
1. Do you live in a quiet neighborhood, that would enable you to sleep well during the day?

2. Are you able to get by on smaller doses of sleep but more often. (phone ringing, people coming to the door etc).


I have no problems with night work now, but initially I went thru a couple of weeks feeling permanently tired. It passes and the body adjusts.

Our neighborhood is generally very quiet during the day with visitors being rare aside from the occasional Jehova's Witness group. On the side where our bedroom is is a wooded lot. The house phone can be turned off with just my cell on for emergencies. I also can sleep like the dead unless I hear the baby and then I'm up.

Without knowing the the specifics of the scheduling I'd imagine that I'd work four days a week and one weekend day and MIL would have to agree to watch him for maybe 5-6 hours. Weekends might be better, though, because DH can take care of the baby while I sleep leaving MIL three days a week.

*sigh* How badly I just want to be a SAHM.

[GMTminus6]

It may be only temporary until I find something else. We had one of the largest employers in the area close it’s doors leaving almost 1,000 out of work with no warning so pickings are slim.

Plus, I enjoy baking. :thumbsup:

We’re just getting to a desperate point. If I’m not working the likelihood that we’ll lose our house is 100%. We’ll already be tight with an income loss of probably at least $17,000 a year.With this in mind, you will do what you have to do, regardless of the horror stories I have about working the grave.

Best of luck to you. Just remember- sleep is terribly over-rated.

[lunchlady]

I am an RN and somehow have avoided working years of 3rd shift, with just a few weeks or months at a time here and there. We always called it night shift, or graveyard shift, to distinguish it from evening shift.

It is hard, even for young single people. You need as much support as you can get to do this with a family. Don't be shy about asking trusted family and friends to help you as much as possible.

I found that I felt the worst at 4-5 AM, no matter how much coffee I drank, but it helped to be busy at that time so my body wouldn't start telling me I needed to go and lie down. If you will be working with machinery or ovens or knives I would recommend you be extra careful at that time to not get injured. Can you ask to be moved to another shift as soon as one is available?

Sleeping area should be totally dark- I put aluminum foil on my bedroom window. Ear plugs, eye covers, sleeping pills, whatever it takes. For me this made a huge difference. Staying awake until noon is questionable; I had trouble staying up until even 10:00 and didn't do it unless I had a doctor's appointment or something else I couldn't change. Other people would stay up and then sleep in the late afternoon-evening, but that never seemed to work for me. It can be tempting to put off sleeping until some other time and do things in the daytime like you have a day off, but you will dearly pay for that stolen fun time.

Some people do pretty well on night shift, but they seem to be the natural nightowls, plus they usually make a big effort to keep their schedule upside down all the time. Juggling your sleep schedule on a day-by-day basis usually means you get shortchanged and are extra-extra tired. This is hard to avoid, since the rest of the world keeps wanting you to go places in the daytime. Even the nightowls seem to burn out after 5-10 years, when they start to get various health problems that all seem to be related to chronic stress.

I knew one RN who worked graveyard for years with 3 kids, but her relatives completely took over all her obligations while she was sleeping and accomodated her schedule without her having to beg all the time. I don't remember if she slept in the morning or the evening, but her sleep time was sacred and she always looked well rested. Her income was highly valued and she made a little extra money working graveyard so I guess that helped her get enough support to pull it off gracefully.

[gemsbmw]

JMO...

I would never work 3rd shift with a baby unless it was the very last option.

[desmom]

It may be only temporary until I find something else. We had one of the largest employers in the area close it’s doors leaving almost 1,000 out of work with no warning so pickings are slim.

Plus, I enjoy baking. :thumbsup:

We’re just getting to a desperate point. If I’m not working the likelihood that we’ll lose our house is 100%. We’ll already be tight with an income loss of probably at least $17,000 a year.

Hmm, you enjoy baking. Have you checked with other employers that may need evening/weekend bakers? i.e. hospitals, nursing homes, grocery stores, hotels, bagel shops..... Often you will find they are pretty flexible with working around an employee's schedule.

Our hospitals offer 12 hour shifts. You work 3 days of 12 hours and you are eligible for all benefits. They are always looking for weekend/evening kitchen help.

[Debb]

If you worked the day shift, you would still have to leave the baby with MIL for 8 hours right? On day shift your time with the baby would be in the evenings after you got off work. The third shift would be similiar.

How is the weather where you are? I can say that at 11:00 p.m. when everyone else is settling down under the covers to go to sleep and you have to get dressed and go out in the cold, snowy, rainy, weather to work all night, you just hate it. I think that bothered me more than being sleepy. The first night on was the only time I got sleepy. Once I got over that hump, I did fine. It was just having to go out in the cold that bothered me the most. Summer time was much easier.

Safety issues should also be considered. Does the company have security in place. Perhaps I am overly concerned, but any woman traveling late at night by herself and going in and out of a business at odd hours should be extra cautious.

Just some things to consider.

[HANNAH ROSE]

If you worked the day shift, you would still have to leave the baby with MIL for 8 hours right? On day shift your time with the baby would be in the evenings after you got off work. The third shift would be similiar.

How is the weather where you are? I can say that at 11:00 p.m. when everyone else is settling down under the covers to go to sleep and you have to get dressed and go out in the cold, snowy, rainy, weather to work all night, you just hate it. I think that bothered me more than being sleepy. The first night on was the only time I got sleepy. Once I got over that hump, I did fine. It was just having to go out in the cold that bothered me the most. Summer time was much easier.

Safety issues should also be considered. Does the company have security in place. Perhaps I am overly concerned, but any woman traveling late at night by herself and going in and out of a business at odd hours should be extra cautious.

Just some things to consider.



Currently, with our hours, we drop off the baby at 7am and pick him up at 6pm. That's 11 hours in someone elses
care.

If I worked overnight he'd spend approximately 6 hours with his grandmother a few days a week and the rest with
DH and myself.

Ideally we would prefer a job in the evenings but there are none available. Well, scratch that, I DID apply and
interview for a perfect set up BUT... it was with the company that just closed!

I live in North Central Florida so the only time the weather is "cold" is usually late winter.

The company is in a plaza and I'd be working with other people. Hop on and off the interstate to get home.

[BobbysGirl]

Currently, with our hours, we drop off the baby at 7am and pick him up at 6pm. That's 11 hours in someone elses
care.

If I worked overnight he'd spend approximately 6 hours with his grandmother a few days a week and the rest with
DH and myself.

Ideally we would prefer a job in the evenings but there are none available. Well, scratch that, I DID apply and
interview for a perfect set up BUT... it was with the company that just closed!

I live in North Central Florida so the only time the weather is "cold" is usually late winter.

The company is in a plaza and I'd be working with other people. Hop on and off the interstate to get home.

Good luck in what ever you decide. I feel confident things will work out. Hubby used to work 3rd and takes some getting use to. Hang in there. Rem, a job is only temp until something better comes along. :)

BG

[Noahs ARK]

I worked 2nd shift with lots of overtime - usually 3pm until 3am.

I loved it!! No ringing phones. Nobody yappin' in your ear. It was so peaceful and quiet that I would still be working that shift if I hadn't had to quit to care for my husband.

ETA ~ the only thing I didn't like was driving home after work - there was a long stretch of wooded highway that scared me.

[Lavinia]

I always preferred 3rd shift. With a family I would nap a little during the day and when Dad came home, I konked out for a few hours. It can be done. (I always like the feeling of being up while everyone else was asleep. Grave shift workers have their own little society.) I imagine grave shift is MUCH easier than when I did it, when every town in the USA rolled up the sidewalks at 6pm. Now you can buy groceries, meds, and dept. store stuff all night. Not to mention online shopping.

[bearwds]

I always preferred 3rd shift. With a family I would nap a little during the day and when Dad came home, I konked out for a few hours. It can be done. (I always like the feeling of being up while everyone else was asleep. Grave shift workers have their own little society.) I imagine grave shift is MUCH easier than when I did it, when every town in the USA rolled up the sidewalks at 6pm. Now you can buy groceries, meds, and dept. store stuff all night. Not to mention online shopping.

************************************

You hit on a point there Lavinia... Noc shift was a world unto themselves. They had a disconnect to other shifts and wanted it that way. When any policy change was being contemplated, the question around the conference table would always be.."What about Noc's..??"
Definitely a song sung by a different singer.

.....not many would criticize Noc's, lest they found themselves transferred..har


bear

[Noahs ARK]

Now you can buy groceries, meds, and dept. store stuff all night. Not to mention online shopping.

That was another benefit of working the late shift. I could go shopping after work and the stores were empty. I'd be in & out of the store in record time.

[Lavinia]

************************************

You hit on a point there Lavinia... Noc shift was a world unto themselves. They had a disconnect to other shifts and wanted it that way. When any policy change was being contemplated, the question around the conference table would always be.."What about Noc's..??"
Definitely a song sung by a different singer.

.....not many would criticize Noc's, lest they found themselves transferred..har


bear

I never like working when the "administration" was around. I may grow older and older, but I'll forever remain a perpetual adolescent, lol.

Mostly when I worked graveyard, it was in Galveston and you knew every nurse, hotel employee, police officers, coffee shop workers, etc. that shared that shift with you. Hilarity often ensued and you definitely had each others back. When I got off in the morning, I walked across Seawall Blvd since my apt. was ON the Seawall, and slept on the beach all day. Oh to be young, dumb and you know the rest. :wink:

[Lavinia]

That was another benefit of working the late shift. I could go shopping after work and the stores were empty. I'd be in & out of the store in record time.

That's right and if you had some kind of daytime appt. either with the kids or Dr. or whatever, it didn't interfere with work. I NEVER would take off work for something, I'd rather pull a tooth than not show on time, but working the night shift I could just shift my sleep and make the appt..

[PoppySeeds]

It may be only temporary until I find something else. We had one of the largest employers in the area close it’s doors leaving almost 1,000 out of work with no warning so pickings are slim.

Plus, I enjoy baking. :thumbsup:

We’re just getting to a desperate point. If I’m not working the likelihood that we’ll lose our house is 100%. We’ll already be tight with an income loss of probably at least $17,000 a year.

As young as your cutie is, it's quite possible to bend him to your schedule. I worked 3rds up until my youngest started school.My husband worked days.
My husband would keep the baby up until about 10 PM and he would still be asleep whrn I got home at 7 AM. It worked out very well with us for the first 5 years of the youngest's life. When he started school, I went to an evening shift so that i was home to get him off to school every morning and DH was home when the kids get home in the afternoon.
It takes some getting used to, but we all do what we must when we have children to support and look after.

[Lavinia]

There is one drawback to graveyard if you are so inclined. If you want a beer after work and your home stash is gone it is too early to buy a six pack.:sad:

Ha! We figured that out, too. We would go to the local airport and drink at the lounge. Don't know if that will fly now, pun intended.)

[Lavinia]

LOL, my mom never did get used to me complining about that. She worried when I drank at 8 am.:laugh:

Yeah, but our 8a.m. is someone else's 8 p.m. My liver doesn't have a clock in it anyway so who cares. :sneaky:

[HANNAH ROSE]

Can't you find a daycare that will take Billy for the 3 days your sister in law bowed out of?

I would hate to see you working third shift and feeling tired all the time.

Until he's verbal we'd like to keep him out of daycare. We are looking into it, though. The cost is astronomical!

[Krystal]

Could you work evenings and week-ends instead of 3rd shift?

When my kids were babies/tots, I worked as a cocktail waitress, while my husband was home with the kids. The CASH I made was great, and we didn't have to deal with childcare at all. It was a good fix for the time. Then when my kids were school age, I went back to a professional job in my field.

[HANNAH ROSE]

Could you work evenings and week-ends instead of 3rd shift?

When my kids were babies/tots, I worked as a cocktail waitress, while my husband was home with the kids. The CASH I made was great, and we didn't have to deal with childcare at all. It was a good fix for the time. Then when my kids were school age, I went back to a professional job in my field.

I've been looking for 2nd shift work but there's nothing available in my field or in office work. If necessary I'd work retail or at the mall which might be where I wind up but the pay is minimum wage. I'm not opposed to that but if I can make $9-$10 an hour instead of minimum then that's what we're looking for.

[cookiedog]

What about those jobs that allow you to telecommunicate from home? I have never been sure if they are scams or legitimate jobs. It would be nice to be able to work from home in your situation.

[HANNAH ROSE]

What about those jobs that allow you to telecommunicate from home? I have never been sure if they are scams or legitimate jobs. It would be nice to be able to work from home in your situation.

TRUST ME I would love to find a legitimate work from home job that is steady income. Thing is is that I CAN do my current job from home but my company doesn't permit it.

[Lavinia]

I tried to explain but then Jimmy Buffet came out with "It's 5 oclock somewhere" :laugh:

Mr. Stepped on a pop-top, blew out my flip-flop, himself, huh? Here poor Hannah Rose is trying mightily to find a job and we're trying to educate her on where to drink after the night shift. :blushing: :laugh:

Seriously though, I was trying to illustrate that working nights rarely handicaps a regular life unless you have trouble sleeping during the day either because of light or family matters.

[Noahs ARK]

Seriously though, I was trying to illustrate that working nights rarely handicaps a regular life unless you have trouble sleeping during the day either because of light or family matters.

You're right - in fact, working late shift had so many benefits that I swore I'd never work day hours again.

Doctor and dentist appts were easy to get to - I just scheduled them for either early morning or for right before I went to work.

Home repairs were easy to get done - I was always home to let repairmen in.

Shopping for groceries and/or going to Walmart was a dream - in & out in no time flat.

Of course we didn't have a baby at home, so that might make a difference. :wink:

[jewel6]

I used to work the night shift about 8 years ago. my children were small and i had to work. It was hard, but you will get used to it. You will have to set a routine. I had three children at the time and one was a infant. Its not so bad when the family gets used to it.

[angellaw]

HANNAH..I work "swing shift" for a few years..I actually enjoyes 11-7 better than 3-11...it takes some getting use to..but I actually enjoyed it

[LostinSpace]

Many years ago, I worked at a truck stop at the fuel desk. I worked all shifts since I was part time and just filled in for the full timers. I think the best advice I have seen is to stay on your schedule even on your days off. If you can sleep a few hours in the am and then a few more before you head off to work, you should be fine.

Good luck.

Lost

[HALE 2d GNAW]

Yeah, but our 8a.m. is someone else's 8 p.m. My liver doesn't have a clock in it anyway so who cares. :sneaky:


Are you my organ recipient? LOL. Hope my tab and yours are cleared.

Good luck HannahRose. You'll be surprised at your own strength when survival skills kick in unexpectedly.

ps: I'll take a baker's doz of whatever in the oven.

[Citygirl]

Did you ever hear anything more about this job? Wonder if you would get a discount on bakery items?

[HANNAH ROSE]

Did you ever hear anything more about this job? Wonder if you would get a discount on bakery items?

I never heard from them. I even took my resume in in person in addition to online.

My guess was that maybe you could take home any leftovers but I think Panera takes anything that's not sold by the end of the day and delivers it to local food banks and charities.

Which aside from helping the community would DEFINITELY keep it from enlarging my waist!!!