As a mother with young children, working from home is both a blessing and a curse. You can spend more time with your little ones, avoid the daily commute to and from work, and save money on childcare, but you’re also faced with constant interruptions and distractions that make working seem close to impossible. And due to COVID-19 concerns, you may not feel comfortable hiring a babysitter or sending your little ones to child care — even when you’re desperate for a break.
To help you juggle it all, the team at Business E Suites is here to share some sanity-saving tips and strategies to make working from home with young kids much more feasible. Read on to get started!
Work While the Little Ones Sleep
If you’re a sleep-deprived mother of a newborn, you may be tempted to catch up on some sleep whenever your baby goes down for a morning or afternoon nap. However, nap times are the perfect opportunities to power through your important work tasks — even if you only have 20- to- 40 minutes to yourself. The same goes for napping toddlers and young children!
In addition to working while your little ones nap, you’ll accomplish more if you aim to work when your children are at their calmest. For most children, this usually means immediately after waking from a nap or eating a meal.
Share Responsibilities
If you and your partner are both working remotely during the pandemic, try splitting your parenting duties between the two of you, and scheduling childcare shifts throughout the workday. If your partner has deadlines, phone calls, and meetings in the morning, you could care for your little ones in the morning and your partner could take the afternoon shift. If each workday looks a bit different, however, you’ll want to sit down with your partner every evening to plan out the following day’s activities.
Try Virtual Babysitting Services
To keep young children entertained so you can focus on your work, you could turn to online games and activities — or you could enlist the help of a virtual babysitter. To find a virtual babysitter to engage with your little ones via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime, Kelsey Hurwitz of Woman’s Day recommends:
- Obtaining referrals from friends and family.
- Visiting websites such as SitterCity and Care.com.
- Asking for recommendations on Facebook.
- Looking for virtual sitters on NextDoor and other neighborhood platforms.
As another option, you could check with your friends and relatives to see if they might be interested in a virtual visit with your little ones. Grandma and grandpa, for instance, can read stories to your young children, draw and color with them, and play fun virtual games like I-Spy and Mad Libs.
Preserve Your Sanity
When you’re at home with your young kids all week long, some days may test your sanity — and you may start to feel as if you’re on the verge of losing your mind. However, this is where self-care comes in. Even as a busy work-from-home mom, self-care is a must!
Here are some simple self-care strategies to keep you happy, healthy, and sane:
- Try a coworking space. One day a week away from home could be a boon for your productivity. If you can work it out with your partner, plan to use a coworking space for a whole workday. You may be able to work ahead to lighten up the rest of your week.
- Dress comfortably. Skip the tight jeans and business clothes and opt for comfortable yet stylish leggings, tanks and joggers. When you’re chasing toddlers and young children around all day, comfortable clothing is a must.
- Remember to breathe. Try a meditation app like Insight Timer, Calm, or Omvana — even if you only have a few minutes to spare.
- Drink plenty of water. Nourish your body and mind by sipping on water throughout the day, and aim to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. If you’re breastfeeding, however, you’ll need to increase your water intake by about four glasses.
- Do something for yourself. Extra time at home may have sealed the deal for you on future plans. For example, if you aspire to become an entrepreneur or finally want to get your MBA, you can join a program that fits your busy schedule but allows you to advance your career. You owe it to yourself.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’ve been working from home for years or you’re still adjusting to remote work amidst COVID-19, the challenges of being a work-from-home mom are vast — especially when you’ve got young children to feed and care for. However, focusing on the many advantages of working from home with your children will help to keep your sanity and remind you of how fortunate you really are to be given this opportunity.
Some days will certainly be tougher than others, but in time, you’ll fall into a routine that works for you and your little ones. Before you know it, working from home with a baby or toddler (or both!) won’t seem so impossible after all.
Are you looking for an affordable office space away from home? Look to Business E Suites for a monthly membership that allows you the opportunity to work in a professional environment so you can be more productive.
Image via Pexels
Article by: Janice Russell
