Working From Home With Toddlers and Babies:
As wonderful as it is to have the ability to work from home with your toddler or new baby, by now, you’re probably familiar with the obstacles of juggling remote work with parenting. But with changes to your routine and a few tweaks to your workspace, working from home with your little ones won’t seem so hard. Check out these survival tips to learn how to effectively work from home with toddlers and babies.
Create a Schedule
For many work-from-home parents with toddlers and babies, a daily schedule is essential for juggling it all and staying sane in the process. Rebecca Hastings of Parents.com shares several sample schedules for parents of babies, toddlers, older kids, and teens — but the right routine for one family may not be right for yours. The key is to create a schedule that works for you and leave out the things that aren’t useful or practical. It may take some trial and error, but you’ll eventually find a good routine that works for your household.
Keep Baby Close
Instead of spending the day running from one room to the next, it’s best to keep your little one nearby while you work. You can hold your baby in a wrap or sling during the workday or place a bassinet next to your desk. For older babies, you may choose to keep a bouncer, swing, play mat, and some toys nearby.
By keeping your baby close during the day, you’ll be able to:
- Work while your little one sleeps or plays.
- Pump milk or breastfeed while you work, talk on the phone, or respond to emails.
For busy toddlers, however, you could childproof your office area or another nearby room and allow him or her to play independently as you work. If your home office desk or table is spacious enough, you could even add a designated workspace for your little one to color and play.
Dress Comfortably
If you’ll be working from home with a baby or young child, it’s important to wear comfortable clothing, especially if you’ll be breastfeeding, pumping milk, or chasing your toddler around. By wearing soft dresses, leggings, sweatshirts, and nursing bras, you’ll stay comfortable and productive while juggling childcare with remote work.
If you shop online at budget-friendly retailers like Nordstrom Rack, you can use promo codes, online discounts, and coupons to save on your new work-from-home essentials. You can even find toys, blankets, and stuffed animals to keep your little one cozy and entertained!
Plan Activities for Your Toddler
While your toddler may be able to entertain himself for longer periods of time, he may also require more of your attention when he’s not sleeping. However, you can entertain him with educational games and websites, building sets (like Legos and K’nex), and healthy snacks. If the weather allows for it, you could even bring your laptop outside and let your little one burn off some energy in the backyard.
Give Yourself Time to Adjust
If you’re new to juggling remote work with caring for your children, you’re in the majority. More and more working parents have decided to quit their jobs during the pandemic — or they’ve had to adjust to working from home while caring for their little ones.
While working from home with babies and toddlers certainly isn’t easy, it’s important to focus on the benefits of remaining at home with your little ones, like knowing you’re all safe and healthy amidst COVID-19. It’ll take some time to adjust to these changes and overcome the obstacles of working from home with kids, but these tips will help to make your days just a tad bit easier.
Looking for expert parenting advice, craft projects, kid-friendly puzzles, and more? Visit Kidz Zone Magazine today.
Janice Russell is a witty parental problem solver. A regular contributor to Kidz Zone Magazine and the author of several books on parenting, she offers help for the asking at Parentingdisasters.com |