night shift and children

[gingerflaps]

is it advisable to bring up a child on a night shift pattern, sleepin days and awake at nights, i have no children and dont want any for a few yrs yet, i work nights and so does my partner and its very hard to switch to sleepin nights and being awake at nights. i was just wondering wot the sffects would be if the child had the same sleep pattern as us from birth?

[spudqueen]

It would probably be okay for a new born, but as soon as you want to go to Parent & toddlers, playschool, preschool., nursery and then school you'd have problems! And believe me, they come round VERY quick!

[Corkyb]

I'd have to go along with spudqueen and say that to begin with it might be fine, but come 3 years on, a 'normal' sleep pattern would be necessary for nursery school and then main stream schooling. By then you may have all sorts of problems trying to establish an accepted sleep pattern.

Personally, I'd start getting the normal day/night patterns going from the start. As you say you have problems changing your sleep patterns now, for a toddler it would just as hard and very confusing.

[Emily Ball]

And when would the child get the fresh air and sunlight necessary for its healthy development?

[kick3m0n]

my brother works as a fireman, so it's two day shifts, two night shifts, then four days off.   Granted, his wife worked normal hours (9-5), but they found it worked brilliantly for them.  My brother got to spend his days off with the baby when mum went back to work.  And cos she was completing her PhD, she could go back to work quite quickly, and know the wee one was in his dads safe hands. It cut down a lot on child care and also meant that my brother and his son have a much closer bond than most fathers and sons I've seen, because from a very early age, Jamie was in his dads sole care for a lot of the time.

[madiesmum]

I am the mother of a very active 18mnth old and I also work permenant night shifts on a part time basis. During the first few months of a babys life it makes no differance what sleep patterns you have as you don't sleep at regular hours anyway, once your baby is in a regular sleep pattern, as long as your baby is cared for by a trusted carer allowing you some rest, you soon learn to fit things in around your shift patterns. If you are struggling then you can change your hours. My daughter certainly doesn't suffer because of my nights, in fact she doesn't even realise that i've not been there.