If your S/O works a late shift....

[neonalee]

How do you keep your young kids quiet?  DP works nights.  He worked yesterday from 5pm - 5am this morning.  Saturday mornings are easy - DS and I go for an early walk and when we get back it's close to nap time.  DP usually wakes while DS is napping or soon after.  But he's working extra hours tonight (and is completely exhausted from last night) and is sleeping again now.  We live in the desert, so it's too hot to go outside and I didn't get a chance to shower after our morning walk.  I'm sweaty/stinky/greasy and everything that exercise in the desert entails so I'd really rather not be in public.  DP has a fan on in the bedroom and the door is closed, or it should be anyway.  DS is currently playing with my water bottle.  I guess there really isn't anything to be done other than put the loud toys away and try to keep him entertained.  Just venting I suppose.

These are the times when the refused nap really irks me.  He nursed for a half hour and then instead of being asleep got up and started crawling around.   

[Xavismom]

Oh Mama I FEEL YOUR PAIN.

My DH works a Midnight to Noon shift. And we also live in Utah, and it is HOT in the summer and COLD in the winter. And my DH gets really really frustrated with the amount of noise that keeps waking him up every week

Add to that, we share a vehicle, and its a manual, which I do not know how to drive, so I cant just put DS in the car and go somewhere so that the house can be quiet.

Its frustrating to say the least. I did put a kids pool outside, far away from the bedroom window, and in the shade of the porch... that worked for a few weeks. But now DS is bored of the pool. I am exhausted from trying to keep DS entertained enough that he does not tantrum, and also trying to keep up the house, make meals, etc.... while trying to keep DS quiet...

I love my DH's schedule because he gets 4 days a week off with us, but the three days he works are a nightmare.

[mommy68]

We use white noise machines in our house. Maybe you could invest in one of those for your husband. They work wonders! With that and the fan he is already using, I bet he wouldn't hear a thing.

[neonalee]

Thanks mamas!  Apparently DP wasn't even sleeping well when it was quiet in the house so he took some kava based relaxer and that helped.  I wouldn't want it to be a habit, but hopefully it will get us through the adjustment.  Probably need some heavy curtains on the window as well.

mommy68 - do you have any you recommend?  I used to have one of the round white Marpac ones.  It got left in the hospital when we came home from DSs birth   but it wasn't as loud as my fan is, though it probably used a lot less electricity!

[Jewels*]

I second the white noise.  Also can DH use earplugs?  We live in a tiny house and DH works a lot of night shifts - he will come home exhausted and needing to sleep...

I feel your pain!

[Dazedstella]

DH works 5pm-5am 3 nights a week and has for about 6 months. It's really hard sometimes, especially as we have entered the two-year old tantrums and I find myself giving in all the time to keep her from throwing a screaming fit. Then on his days off we have to try and undo some of the time spoiled child behavior that comes from keeping her quiet. We have the marpac sleepmate sound machine which works wonders, especially accompanied with a fan, and DH has an eye mask. That would actually probably be enough except that in our house there is no insulation between the floors and it's 860 sq feet so it's really not easy to keep quiet.

I entertain DD with helping me bake, especially pancakes and other things that are then quick to cook or we make muffins a lot, and she loves to tell DH about whatever she made that there are leftovers of for him to eat when he gets up. Art projects are quiet and entertaining but make a huge mess. WE LOVE FINGERPAINTS. Since about 18 mos. I see your son is younger than that though.

My best suggestion is hard one for you though which is that I plan most of my errand running and playdates for those three mornings he is sleeping so the house is quiet for a while. DH also takes the occasional Ibuprofen PM to help stay asleep which I don't like but I know it's not forever and it helps.

If your DH is going to work this shift for a while do you think you could learn to drive stick so you can get out some? it's really stressful to try to keep the house quiet all the time!

[neonalee]

Originally Posted by Dazedstella 

...

Art projects are quiet and entertaining but make a huge mess. WE LOVE FINGERPAINTS. Since about 18 mos. I see your son is younger than that though.

My best suggestion is hard one for you though which is that I plan most of my errand running and playdates for those three mornings he is sleeping so the house is quiet for a while. DH also takes the occasional Ibuprofen PM to help stay asleep which I don't like but I know it's not forever and it helps.

If your DH is going to work this shift for a while do you think you could learn to drive stick so you can get out some? it's really stressful to try to keep the house quiet all the time!

I CAN'T WAIT until we can do art projects without him eating the supplies!!!   The stick shift car isn't me; we have 1 family car and 1 motorcycle (that I dearly miss).  I did discover Target is open early enough to go there and come back for his nap (around 10:30).  I bet I could do some grocery shopping somewhere too.  The only challenge would be waking before him so I can get a quick shower in.
 

[Dazedstella]

Oh sorry! I didn't keep track of who I was replying to! Just FYI- we still eat the art supplies on occasion, I just buy non-toxic paints and hope for the best! I often wake up to shower before DH gets home and before DD wakes up. Or sometimes, and again your son is probably too young for this but, I set her up on a little chair in the bathroom watching Kipper and take a super fast shower!

Could you use all natural food-based dyes and yogurt or something for painting?

Originally Posted by neonalee 

I CAN'T WAIT until we can do art projects without him eating the supplies!!!   The stick shift car isn't me; we have 1 family car and 1 motorcycle (that I dearly miss).  I did discover Target is open early enough to go there and come back for his nap (around 10:30).  I bet I could do some grocery shopping somewhere too.  The only challenge would be waking before him so I can get a quick shower in.
 

[insidevoice]

We found our new house just because of this.  DH's work kind of demands working nights (and other wonky hours) so we found a house with a big family/rec room and second kitchen downstairs (it's a split level.) 

Kid play spaces are down in the sunken rec area, and their rooms are downstairs as well.  Upstairs is more 'adult' space with the living room, master bedroom, guest room and my oldest daughter's homeschool work area and a big harvest dining table.  When she is working on that sort of thing, she's fairly quiet- she also needs the escape from the little kids. 

Blackout shades, a fan, and a white noise machine are in our bedroom.  They will also be in the guest room once the new baby is born- that way if I am in the bedroom with the baby, he can go to the guest room if he  wants to avoid disturbance.