shift workers?

[beansbeans!]

Hi all!

My name is justine and my husband, James, and I have a beautiful 8 month old daughter named Maya....
James is a chef who works shifts... He starts work at 10:30am to 2:30pm then 4:30 to whenever they finish, which is normally between 10-12. Also he has very varied days off..
So heres the deal, ever since maya was conceived, her timetable has fit around him.. In my tummy she would rest, and the second he got home from work, she would kick and move around for hours! When she was born her feeds fit around his scedule by accident, and now she will not sleep if he is at home and she wakes at night around the time he is due home from work!!! (it is cute)
So at the moment she wakes up just before or just after he gets home from work and refuses to sleep in her cot, so we have decided to co-sleep which we love desperately, but I wouldnt mind the alone time with him every now and again!!!
Does anyone else have similar experiences or any advice on what we could do to help her understand that althoguh dad is home now, he will still be here in the morning and that is when playtime is???? btw, in the mornings he gets up with her to have some daddy-daughter time while i sleep, he also gives her brekky and gets her ready fo the day...

Thanks peoples,

Justine

[Chocaholic]

Can't help you with any suggestions but she definitely sounds like a daddy's girl!!

[Doing my best]

Hi Justine...

I know how you feel. my DD has just started to wake when DH gets home from work (No matter what time of day or night), and she is a daddy's girl. I am a bit redundant when he is home, cause she too just wants daddy and to play. She was actually sleeping through the night until a few weeks ago, so a bit more frustrating!.

But at the moment (she is only 6 months), I am getting him to feed, cuddle and settle her once she wakes and as soon as she wakes in the morning, we go and give daddy a kiss and leave him to sleep (depending on what shift he has come off).. She seems happy once she has seen him and is happy to play, eat and (if I am really lucky) sleep , then we wake DH up together..

We are going the opposite approach and putting her back in her own room (she has been in our room as she was sick a few weeks ago), cause she is quite a lite sleeper and wakes as soon as she hears our voices.. Since DH has been putting her back to bed instead of me, the times she is awake is less and less each night, like she is starting to realise that he will still be there in the morning..

GL and am sure she will soon realise that she doesn't need to welcome him home!!

oh, and as for time alone, on the days I don't work we tend to make the most of her morning sleep time (around 9sih) to spend some time together.