Working from home with toddlers – Many people ditch commute and hassle of going to work for telecommuting opportunities. But most of us are accustomed to working in a proper official environment. And amid this global pandemic crisis, we all are forced to work from home.
Mom working from home
Like it wasn’t challenging enough, add tots to the mix and things get a lot more stressful! For parents with kids a little older to manage playtime and reading time by themselves, it’s not that chaotic. But those with tots and babies, juggling home chores, baby-duties, and work from home responsibilities, it is altogether a new and mind-boggling experience!
With daycares and schools closed, things become more nightmarish when you can’t even hire a babysitter at home. Why? The reasons are obvious! You can’t risk your family contracting the virus. I have a toddler and I have ditched my babysitter and guess who’s the replacement! My Cox internet essential subscription! Playing those rhymes and animated videos do buy me some work time.
Since take-your-child-to-work just got real, save yourself from stress migraine with these effective tips.
Get Up Early, Really Early
And for that, you need to go to bed early too. Just when your tot hits the hay. Waking up early will allow you to make the most of that time and get as much work done as possible while your little one is still asleep.
Set up an alarm. Since you have no distractions and interruptions during this time, tackle your most stressful tasks and largest projects at that time. Have a steaming cup of coffee to wake your brain up. If you have some time left, use it to organize yourself, plan your workday, and send quick responses to emails.
By now, you must be good at multitasking. So, take care of the home chores too before your toddler or toddlers wake up.
Create a Schedule
Most of the offices are sticking to their old work hours in the work-from-home format. Therefore, you need to create a routine around those set office hours. For instance, if your child likes to build blocks or colour, utilize that hour to accomplish a task.
Or, while he is watching an episode of The Simpsons, you can return important calls or have a meeting that was pending. Remember, when it comes to creating an effective routine, it’s more about working smarter, not harder.
Moreover, don’t be hard on yourself for sticking to the same routine every day. There’s room for flexibility on the days when you are not feeling your one hundred per cent. Or, when your child is fussier than usual. It’s okay to push aside your work assignment for a while to fix the mood of your cranky baby or to take advantage of a stroll on a beautiful day.
Once your little one has settled down, you can catch up on work.
Capitalizing Naptime
Toddlers and babies sleep somewhere in the middle of the day. Take full advantage of this naptime by staying productive. Kids sleep around one to three hours. Use this time to complete your unfinished assignments and pending tasks.
Prefer doing to gigantic tasks during this time because you can give undivided concentration and focus. It is a great time to have a conference meeting or a phone call.
Start Encouraging Independent Play
It’s not only for the parents to get their work done while tots indulge in independent play. It is known for a fact that independent play is vital in toddler development. Therefore, encourage them to play independently.
Tempt them to play by themselves with busy bags. These bags particularly designed for toddlers and are full of simple activities to keep them busy. While you work, your kids will stay entertained. You can also set aside their favourite cool toys. If these toys keep them busy, they will be less likely to interrupt the parents.
Put in some time and effort to set up an activity center or a play area in your home. This designated place will entice the kids and they will spend considerable time there.
Let Kids Be Kids
Give a rest to the typical obsessive-compulsive nature of a parent. Allow your kids to mash biscuits to smithereens, create a mess with the playing dough, or pour a cup of sand on their heads. This is what childhood is all about!
Let them indulge in these harmless and messy activities and get your work done while they are busy. You can clean things up once you are done with the work!
Be Prepared for Interruptions
It would be foolish to expect complete privacy and isolation while working from home. So, yes! It’s going to happen. You are in the middle of an important client call and your tot throws a tantrum. Meanwhile, your client listens to your child crying and all of it.
First things first, yes, the situation is embarrassing. But don’t feel guilty. You are just being a parent and he is just being a baby. Your employers and clients also understand that we are in the middle of uncertain times. So, reschedule the call if you can.
Also, to avoid unnecessary disturbance in a conference call, hit the mute button whenever you are not talking. This was just one instance. You will have to tackle tons of interruptions and come up with smart parenting ideas to come up with them. Even doing simple tasks like Cox bill pay can become challenging in situations like these.
Just make sure your kids are healthy and you complete your tasks by the end of the day. Hang in there! Things will be back to normal soon!
