Can You Work from Home and Look After a Child?
The pandemic made working from home without childcare non-negotiable for many parents. And with bubbles bursting and all the uncertainty, balancing work with home-schooling has proved to be a real challenge. But with childcare settings now open and restrictions lifted, you may be faced with a choice on how to proceed with that all-important work/life balance.
Plus, whether you’re self-employed, a remote-working parent, or looking to return to work after maternity leave, the cost of childcare and your available options may be an issue. As published by Grazia magazine’s The Juggle on Instagram as part of their #childcarechangenow campaign, 77% of parents say that the cost of childcare prevents them accessing the support they need to return to work.
Ultimately, balancing parenting life with professional life is nothing short of challenging, given the demanding nature of both responsibilities. Whatever your circumstances, you want to know if you can work from home and still look after a child. So, let’s first look at the pros and cons, whether it’s feasible, and our tips to help you manage.
Working From Home Without Childcare
When your children are small, knowing how to manage your day effectively while working is essential to prevent burnout. There are of course pros and cons to working from home when you have kids, so it’s important to weigh them up.
Working From Home with a Baby or Toddler: Pros
More time with your children (in theory) when you cut out the commute.
You may have more time for yourself.
Potentially significant reduction in childcare costs.
Productivity may be much higher without distractions from colleagues.
You can arrange your schedule to suit you and your lifestyle.
The flexibility of working from home provides much more possibility:
Being home for bedtime/bath time
Enjoying dinner together
Experiencing those all-important milestones
Trying to Work from Home with a Baby or Toddler: Cons
Unless you have an agreement with your employer, you could be in breach of contract if you are physically working and caring for your child at the same time.
Balancing work and parenting can be stressful. The concept of combining parenting duties with work is often different from the reality of juggling both together.
Enhanced productivity and the potential for reduced distraction get replaced with interruptions from small people.
Domestic responsibilities (not to mention the mental load of parenting) are difficult to ignore.
The extra time with your child could become a case of quantity over quality.
Parental guilt for not giving your child your undivided attention.
You may worry about not being able to focus 100% on your work.
In an ideal working-from-home world, choosing childcare is a better option, even if only for 2-3 hours a day. However, if cost or lack of family/friend support is an issue for you, there are ways you can incorporate your workload into your day. These tips assume you are either self-employed or have agreed on a flexible working solution with your employer.
So, how can you manage everything and make life a little easier? Here are our top tips below.
10 Tips to Manage Working from Home with Small Children
1. Schedule. Unless your baby is very young, children thrive on routine and predictability which can provide the perfect opportunity to schedule your workload around your child’s day.
Blocking out chunks of time where you won’t be needed every 2 minutes can really help you focus. Try to use the time when you do your best work – this may be early in the morning before the kids get up, or you may work better at night.
2. Prioritise. If scheduling and routine are tricky right now, make a point to prioritise what’s important at the beginning of the day, and again when you finish work to help you know what to focus on first thing tomorrow. Writing it down as a list can help to offload it from your mind until tomorrow.
Once you have your prioritised list, break the most important task down into step-by-step actions to make your work much more manageable and less overwhelming.
Then do the same for your next priority. While the best-laid plans rarely go smoothly when you have young children, having a plan will help take some of the stress out of it.
Next, use the tips below to find the best block of time that works for you, and schedule that into your day.
3. Communicate. If you’re employed, it’s important to communicate with your employer for effective homeworking. All employees have the right to request flexible working, which includes working from home, but you’ll still be expected to perform your duties. If you need help, be honest and keep the lines of communication open.
4. Use nap time. This might not work for every parent as every child is different. But if your baby or toddler enjoys a 90-minute – 2-hour nap every day, make the most of that time to get a good chunk of work done. Have everything set up before they go down for a sleep, and you’ll be ready to slide right in and crack on with your tasks. (See tip 2 on prioritising.)
5. Get snacks ready. Be your future friend and have some light bites and drinks on hand for your little one when snack-time comes around. If your child is a little older, you could have a little snack drawer or cupboard that they can help themselves to when it’s time to eat. For serial snackers, try a snack box and encourage them to make it last — be clear that there will be no more once it’s gone!
6. Take time to play. You are the centre of your child’s world, and they want nothing more than to spend time with you. If you can take 10, 15, or even 30 minutes out of your day to sit on the carpet and have a teddy bear’s picnic or do a puzzle together, they’ll be happier to play independently afterwards.
7. Use digital entertainment. While it might not be everyone’s go-to activity to keep your child occupied, some quiet time in front of their favourite cartoons can be very effective in giving you time to focus.
Alternatively, set them up with some early-years educational games on your tablet to keep them busy for a while. YouTube on your smart TV is also great for drawing classes, kids’ yoga, dance videos, and nursery rhymes.
8. Get moving. Fresh air and exercise are important for positive mental and physical wellbeing. Taking the time out of your day to go for a walk and be around nature is refreshing, and a great stimulant for your little one. Just getting out in the garden for a few minutes will break up the day and give you a rest from work, and you can enjoy some more quality time together.
9. Share the load. Not everyone has access to a support network, but if you do, make a point of reaching out to family or friends for help with childcare. Just having some uninterrupted time to focus can really help to get on top of things and lessen the pressure. Alternatively, you could try a service like Bubble for flexible babysitting and nanny services for those moments when you need some help.
Take care of yourself. Trying to do it all can quickly lead to burnout, which is why it’s so important to look after yourself. You can’t perform any job successfully if you’re running on empty. For help with this, download our free, sympathetic guide: 10 Tips to Overcome Parental Burnout.
Whatever your circumstances, it’s important to know that you have options if you want to work from home while your children are young. Admittedly, it’s not easy doing both. That’s why we’re here to help ease those pressures with quick-reference lists and guides to help you navigate the wonderfully chaotic world of parenting. Register for free on the Parent List app here.
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