Six Tips On How To Work From Home With A Toddler

If you have a toddler and you work from home, you no doubt will face challenges you never anticipated when you first made the decision to stay home with your little darling. Suddenly the baby who you could place down where they would lay happily for long minutes is running around, talking, playing, screaming, crying, and generally making it nearly impossible for you to get your work done.

Working from home with children demands flexibility and understanding; your two-year-old just doesn’t get that you have to focus on your work. For the next few years until they’re off to school, you’re going to have to figure out a way to make this working at home venture work for you.

Here are a few tips:

–Work very early or very late if possible. When the house is quiet, you’ll be amazed how much work you can get done.

–Work when they’re napping. If you’re lucky, you have a toddler who takes at least one, two-hour nap a day. If you’re very lucky, they’ll sleep even more. The minute you put them down for their nap, get to work.

–Schedule a play date with a friend—and make sure to reciprocate. If you have a trusted friend who also has a child, work together to give yourselves a break.

–Hire a teen-ager as a mother’s helping. When you have a toddler, you need someone to keep them happy and occupied. Young teens and even tweens can handle such duties, because you’re only a shout away if they need help.

–Know your child. Some kids are great sitting in their playpen for hours with their toys. But others feel caged in and won’t tolerate it. Don’t force your child to behave in a way that is not natural to them.

–Consider limited day care. If you find you simply cannot get any work done while your child is home, consider two or three hours a week at a day care. Your child with get to interact with other children and adults, it won’t break the bank, and you’ll have time to work.

Working from home with a toddler is a challenge, but you can do it successfully if you keep your sense of humor front and center and learn to cram two hours of work into one.