Work-from-home parents can save thousands of dollars a month on childcare costs, but working around a baby, toddler, and/or other young children comes with its share of challenges. Remote working parents often face distractions and interruptions that prevent them from getting their work done as quickly as they can on their own, and of course, there’s the challenge of keeping the little ones entertained, fed, bathed, and engaged.
If you’re experiencing these challenges first-hand, this guide from Holmes Tutoring will help to make working from home with babies and young children a lot more tolerable.
Don’t Be Afraid to Look for Help
Working from home with babies and toddlers is no easy feat, and you shouldn’t have to do it all on your own. Look for ways to share the load with your spouse or partner, and consider hiring a nanny, babysitter, or mother’s helper to assist you on your busiest days.
Other ways to free up some of your time as a work-at-home parent include:
Hiring a housekeeper.
Ordering your groceries online.
Paying for a meal delivery service.
Swapping childcare with neighbors and friends.
As another option, you could look for a virtual tutor to help your children with their homework, especially if you’re already stressed, short on time, and worried about your kids falling behind on their schooling. Virtual babysitters are also available to entertain your children as you work, and both younger and older children can benefit from their services.
Create a Productive Workspace to Reduce Distractions
To reduce distractions and interruptions as a remote-working parent, having a private home office space is a must. Set up your workspace in a spare room with a door, if possible, and upgrade your office equipment to an ergonomic chair, keyboard, and mouse. Decorate the space with child-friendly houseplants, display your favorite pieces of artwork, and hang shelving units to free up floor space.
While you work from your home office, keep toddlers and young children busy with games and activities — and consider wearing a carrier, wrap, or sling so you can keep your baby close throughout the day. You could also place a baby bouncer, play mat, or bassinet next to your home office to avoid running back and forth between rooms as you work.
Self-Employed? Simplify Your Business Processes
If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur, several tools can help simplify your business processes so you have more time and energy to focus on the things that matter at home and in your career. These tools include:
Invoice templates. To avoid invoicing errors and get paid in less time, use a free invoice template that can be personalized to include your business name, logo, and brand colors. Many pre-made templates are available to choose from, and they can be customized to fit your brand and shared with your clients.
Accounting software. Spend less time keeping track of your business finances with accounting software such as FreshBooks, QuickBooks, and Wave.
Automation tools. As much as you’d love to do it all, you simply cannot. This is where automation tools come in: They can automate everything from your social media posts to your cold outreach.
Being a Work-From-Home Parent is Hard, But Help is Available
Working from home with your little ones in tow certainly has its benefits, but in no way is it easy. There’s work to be done and children to be fed, and sometimes you just can’t do it all. Plus, you shouldn’t have to.
Whether you’re working for an employer or running your own home-based business, it’s important to ask for help when you need it. It doesn’t matter if it’s for an hour a day or three days a week: Even a little bit of help makes a big difference!
Holmes Tutoring offers virtual tutoring sessions to help kids learn outside of the classroom. Choose from three one-on-one tutoring bundles, group tutoring services, and review the Holmes Tutoring Handbook to learn more. 334-377-0221; Keara.HolmesTutoring@gmail.com