You Can Survive Working at Home With Toddlers
You Can Survive Working at Home With Toddlers
If you’ve recently started a home-based business or went to a remote work platform, congratulations. You are part of a revolution of people who are learning how to balance personal and professional priorities. But when one or more of your priorities calls you “mom,” you have to learn to balance. Aside from endless episodes of Blippy and sticky peanut butter fingers, having little ones in the house presents even greater challenges than you might imagine.
Today’s tips from BabySetGo.com can help you survive the turmoil of working with toddlers in tow.
Go back to school and change jobs.
It might sound counterproductive, but changing jobs might be the best thing you can do as you move into a work-at-home role. If you are currently employed, talk to your boss about helping you pay for a degree that will help you grow in your career. There are plenty of options online that will still allow you to work, keep up with your family, and go to school.
However, if you are looking for a more hands-on profession for after the kids have started school, consider a veterinary tech, dental hygienist, or medical sonographer degree or certificate. Or if you want to get your teacher’s license, you can earn a teacher certificate by enrolling in an online program.
Spend as much time with each child as possible.
When you have multiple children, be available for each separately. While this might take away from work at the moment, it may keep them from coming to you when they’re simply bored or want attention since they know that you have something to look forward to together each day. A few things you might do here are to go places together, cook together, or have a special bedtime routine that’s just for them.
Color-code your door.
Your kids will learn early on that green means go, red means stop, and yellow means caution. Take this lesson one step further by color-coding your office door with a doorknob hanger (this is a simple and fun art project you can do with your little one). When red is on the door, the kids can only come in if it’s an emergency. Yellow means they can come in quietly, and green means you are off the clock.
Bring in a babysitter.
If you’re making more than $10 to $15 an hour, you would pay a babysitter to hang out with the kids while you work and hire someone for a few hours each week. This will keep them from getting bored, and you’ll have an extra set of hands to fix snacks during your ZOOM meetings.
Alter your work schedule.
According to the Taking Cara Babies blog, most toddlers nap until about four years old. This means you can expect up to three hours of quiet time during the afternoon. Alter your work schedule so that you get your most pressing projects completed during this time.
Give the kids a job.
Put your little one to work. There are plenty of tablets and toy laptops out there that will help your child learn, and you can tell them that they are the employee of the month if they stick to their task while you are your busiest.
Take some time out just for you.
Listen to your mind and body when it says you need a break. Even if you’ve already outsourced some of the childcare duties, it’s okay to leave your toddler (and, yes, even a nursing baby) behind for a few hours so that you can enjoy some much-needed time to yourself. This will help you relax and return to your workplace renewed and ready to rock, even if you work at the kitchen counter.
In the early days of working at home with little ones, it might seem like an impossible proposition. Take heart knowing that it is not, and more and more employers today are allowing for flexibility. And if you think it’s time for a more challenging career, you can enroll in an online degree program which allows you to study while caring for your child.
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