Working from home with toddlers or babies is not easy by any means, but I am deeply committed to the idea that it is WORTH IT. Being at home with my kids was my single solitary reason for creating my own stay at home mom job.
We live in uncertain times right now. And as more people suddenly find themselves working at home, many people are discovering that working at home with kids (especially toddlers and babies) can turn into another job.
tips for working at home with toddlers
Working from home is becoming more and more common, especially among parents with young children at home. In many cases, working from home gives parents more quality time with their kids, and it saves families the cost of daycare for toddlers. In fact, nearly half of all parents out there would take a small pay cut just to work from home.
Unfortunately, working from home isn't always as perfect as some working moms may believe. In fact, parents who are working from home with toddlers sometimes find themselves overwhelmed by the clinginess of their toddlers. If you're struggling with a clingy toddler while you work from home, try out these five tips and tricks.
Once your toddler wakes up, they're probably full of energy and ready for you to play with them. Unfortunately, we all need to work in order to pay the bills, and working with a clingy toddler can make even the simplest task that much harder. Because of this, the team at Verywell Family recommends that work-from-home parents start their day at least one hour before their toddler wakes up.
Working while your toddler sleeps provide you with the time and ability to focus solely on your work, which can be a huge blessing for most working moms. Waking up before your toddler gives you time to drink a cup of coffee and map out your day, or it can give you time to handle tasks that require your complete attention. Furthermore, this allows you to take a break and give your toddler your complete attention for a bit once they do wake up.
Whether you take over the bonus room or claim a corner in the dining room, the experts at Care.com say having that defined workspace at home is very important. First off, defined workspaces boost productivity and working efficiency. Additionally, this defined workspace helps kids understand when you're working.
Most of the time, toddlers are clingy because they want our undivided attention. When we work from home, though, many of us are guilty of trying to both accomplish work tasks and give our kids some attention simultaneously. Unfortunately, this can easily backfire and doesn't leave us much in the way of quality time with our kids.
Side-by-side. When toddlers and preschoolers play together, they play in parallel. In other words, they play similar activities next to each other. Every once in a while they'll take a peek to see what the other child is doing. You can imitate this sort of play with your toddler.
When I wrote my post on 5 Steps to Create a Successful Work-at-Home Lifestyle recently, I heard from a few of these moms. They agreed wholeheartedly with the tips but noted that the list had a missing component for parents who were trying to juggle their work-at-home job without full-time childcare. So, to fill the gaps, I interviewed eight of these moms to get the skinny on what it is really like to work at home with babies and toddlers. The best, the worst, how not to lose your head, and more!
For this article, I interviewed eight work-at-home moms who have worked full-time at home with kids ranging from newborn age to six. One mom has kids ranging from one to fourteen, but we focused on handling the younger years. In addition to working at home full-time, these ladies were also the primary caregivers to their kids. Some used part-time daycare or a babysitter a few hours a week to stay sane, but the majority of the time they are juggling their children and their jobs simultaneously. Hats off to them!
Ah, kids. Hilarious, crazy, and unpredictable. It is why we love them. But as a working mom who works outside the home, it is also why I appreciate that I can head to the office, close my door, and get uninterrupted work hours when I really need them. Without outside help, it is hard to do that as a work-at-home, stay-at-home mom.
Like others have said, working from home is not always as great as it sounds. I am very thankful that I was able to work from home for a few years when my daughter was young but I am very happy to be back in the office again. It is really stressful to balance everything at home along with work and I really missed being around other adults. I no longer feel tempted to work weekends, evenings, and holidays like I did when I was working from home.
The stresses of working at home while taking care of children were highlighted during the recent pandemic. Many families suddenly found themselves in a position where they were juggling work and childcare. Yet working remotely with your new baby presents a unique set of problems. They cannot be distracted by cartoons or video games, they cannot tell you what they want, and you have no control over their schedule. Oh, and they are completely dependent on you for everything.
Yes, working remotely with your new baby is a real challenge. However, there are many reasons that a new mother or father may find themselves working from home. If you find yourself in this tricky situation, below are 10 tips for working at home with a newborn.
Families with multiple caregivers can work in shifts. Try to carve out a schedule where you can trade off baby care with your partner and get in some uninterrupted work time. Even just a two-hour shift is a big help to your productivity. Now that you can look outside our home for help, check with family and friends that live close by to see if they can take one or two shifts a week. Every little bit helps and will serve to bring everyone in your tribe a little closer together.
Learning all you can about autism and getting involved in treatment will go a long way toward helping your child. Additionally, the following tips will make daily home life easier for both you and your child with ASD:
Be consistent. Children with ASD have a hard time applying what they've learned in one setting (such as the therapist's office or school) to others, including the home. For example, your child may use sign language at school to communicate, but never think to do so at home. Creating consistency in your child's environment is the best way to reinforce learning. Find out what your child's therapists are doing and continue their techniques at home. Explore the possibility of having therapy take place in more than one place in order to encourage your child to transfer what he or she has learned from one environment to another. It's also important to be consistent in the way you interact with your child and deal with challenging behaviors.
Create a home safety zone. Carve out a private space in your home where your child can relax, feel secure, and be safe. This will involve organizing and setting boundaries in ways your child can understand. Visual cues can be helpful (colored tape marking areas that are off limits, labeling items in the house with pictures). You may also need to safety proof the house, particularly if your child is prone to tantrums or other self-injurious behaviors.
Finally, keep in mind that no matter what treatment plan is chosen, your involvement is vital to success. You can help your child get the most out of treatment by working hand-in-hand with the treatment team and following through with the therapy at home. (This is why your well-being is essential!)
Infants and toddlers through the age of two receive assistance through the Early Intervention program. In order to qualify, your child must first undergo a free evaluation. If the assessment reveals a developmental problem, you will work with early intervention treatment providers to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). An IFSP describes your child's needs and the specific services he or she will receive.
Of course, helping with homework shouldn't mean spending hours hunched over a desk. Parents can be supportive by demonstrating study and organization skills, explaining a tricky problem, or just encouraging kids to take a break. And who knows? Parents might even learn a thing or two!
My toddler just turned 4, and I can assure you that I have learned so many lessons and hacks about how to create a work from home Mom schedule that is flexible enough to cope with tantrums, potty-training, umpteen snack-trips, and even time for free storytimes at the library.
Being a work from home mom myself, I can tell you that this thought used to cross my mind a good bit (especially when I was agitated and frustrated with both trying to get things done and be a good Mom all at the same time).
I'm sorry for your huge frustrations, though I'm not sure why you're directing them at me. I wrote this article in 2019 (the date is at the bottom), so yes, before the pandemic (which has changed things for all of us). Also, I clearly detail how many hours my part-time work-from-home has been in the introduction (28-32 hours/week). As an entrepreneur and business owner, yes, I do get to choose my hours. And as someone who has done this for the last five years, I believe I should be giving tips for people in similar situations as myself. Unfortunately, your job is not set up that way, and I'm sure it's beyond difficult to accomplish with twin toddlers. I wish you the best.
Indeed, these are useful tips to keep the house clean even with little kids. I do have kids too, and it takes a lot of effort to keep the house clean and tidy when kids have literally unlimited energy to run around the house all day long. Thank you Rachel for the helpful hints. 2ff7e9595c