If you are a parent who is looking for ways to work from home with a baby, there are a few things that you can do to make the process easier. Like, you should try to find a time when your baby is sleeping to work, get help from a babysitter, ask help from your husband, or try scheduling work hours. This will allow you to get the most work done while your baby is sleeping.
Working from home is a dream of many, maybe everyone, especially young moms who are striving with work and their baby. You are already struggling with the challenges of life and then you are blessed with a baby which adds up to your daily work.
Despite all the challenges and tasks that are bestowed upon you, you can still manage to be the best mom and keep earning at the same pace as before. And not just earn but be more focused and determined towards your work.
Working women are the new need of our society that demands more from women and with a working mother, it becomes more difficult. To help you work from home with a baby we have compiled some pro tips for you.
10 Pro Tips For Women To Work From Home With A Baby
Here is a list of tips you can follow to make your life so much easier and become a pro by working from home with a baby.
- Plan Your Journey Ahead
- Set A Routine For Yourself
- Work Flexibly
- Designate A Room For Your Work
- Be Choosy With Meetings
- Share Roles With Your Partner
- Consider Help When Needed
- Minimize Distractions In The Surroundings
- Keep Your Baby Busy When Working
- Make The Most Of Your Holidays
1. Plan Your Journey Ahead
This is something you need to be much more focused on. Planning your week ahead or a month ahead can be very useful as it rids you of all the worries of what might happen or that you might not be able to have command over time and you will fail to manage. All these fears automatically disappear once your head is free of thoughts of not being able to manage.
You become more comfortable and peaceful while doing your work as you know you will be able to feed your, baby, make time for your husband, and cook while also spending your time working during a few hours of the day.
A smart tip is to plan your hourly schedule so you will not lose track of all the stuff that you have to do and you don’t miss out on anything to regret and worry about later. It is always better to keep most of the things prepared before because if anything unprecedented happens you have to be prepared.
2. Set A Routine For Yourself
Setting a routine is a difficult job when you are beginning, but once you get a hold of it, you are a pro in no time. Your sleep-wake cycle that might have gotten lost because of the odd sleeping hours of the baby, will get better and even your baby will get used to that routine making things a lot easier for you.
Unexpected changes are minimized once your routine is fixed, you are aware of what your day will look like, and you can make me-time for yourself. It will also increase your productivity over the span of a few days. You will become a happier person.
3. Work flexibly
You will have to learn to work flexibly when you choose to work from home. You chose the hours that are suitable for you and be flexible about it. You also need to understand that you might get a bit lazier and a bit more tired than usual sometimes. And that is absolutely okay!
A baby can be unpredictable at times, you or the baby might fall sick or the baby may behave fussily, or your work routine might get so tough that you feel like giving things a break. If you feel so, do it, and do not be hard on yourself.
Choose a remote job that offers flexibility and allows you to spread your work over a span of days instead of giving you deadlines that keep you worried constantly. It’s even better if you work part-time with the freedom to choose what hours of the day you will be working.
4. Designate A Room For Your Work
An effective workspace is a must. Your creativity and productivity increase when your environment supports you.
You can do this by allocating a specific part of your room to the baby’s cot and toys, a separate area for study, or working on a computer/laptop. If you can afford to have multiple rooms for multiple tasks, then go for it as it will be a very good step for you.
While you work, your baby will not disturb you or if you are on a zoom call, the baby’s voice will not be a hindrance.
Working from home gets so much fun once you are able to manage both your home and work simultaneously.
Having a space for your baby is also crucial for his/her own development as the baby learns to be an independent and stronger person by having a space of their own.
5. Be Choosy With Meetings
Working from home requires a lot of extra effort and extra time than you are paid for. Like the meetings and group discussions which go on for hours and hours and the outcome is very bleak.
You need to be very picky while deciding which meetings are a must to attend and which can be overlooked so you have more time for your baby.
People doing the same work as you might be coming from many different backgrounds and not all are as busy and as loaded as you might be, so respecting everybody’s space, it’s okay to get off from a few things just for your own peace of mind.
Also, you can choose to not dress up and stay constantly interactive during meetings, it will surely save up a lot of your time. You can keep your dressing clean and simple if the camera needs to be switched on, otherwise, a switched-off camera will also work just as fine.
6. Share Roles With Your Partner
Having a partner that supports you through everything may be an option for many but not all. But you can sit together and talk about it as your baby needs attention from both parents.
Your partner and you need to understand that even if you are working from home, you still need to spare time and take time out from the baby.
Once things are sorted and you both can schedule hours like you can work while your husband watches the baby after work in the evenings or at night.
Other than that, also try to spend more time together to keep yourselves motivated and emotionally stable.
Having a friend by your side also proves effective. You can also switch some tasks like doing laundry, cooking, or making the bed while the other looks after the baby.
7. Consider Help When Needed
A little help from a friend, a maid, or a babysitter would never hurt. You can even ask your sister to spend a few hours after school with the baby while you work or relax.
You might have to pay a little extra for the additional help that you are getting but if it’s worth it and it allows you to follow your passion and earn more than you are paying, then it’s definitely a go for it.
Don’t feel shy or guilty that you are not spending time with the baby while working from home. You can always spend lots of time with the baby when you are off your routine.
Even if you are a human being, and you deserve some relaxation, peace, and tranquility, even you might need a break from the constantly running life and monotonous routine. Considering help will not make you weaker, and instead trying to be perfect at everything without considering help will only make things harder for you.
8. Minimize Distractions In The Surroundings
This world of socialization is full of distractions. You can just accidentally open an app such as Instagram and easily spend hours on it without noticing the time that just flew by. It is rather easier to keep self-control and limit your use of unnecessary apps and websites.
You can also designate a certain time of your day for checking your emails, so you don’t have to scam through them all the whole day.
Try turning off notifications from unnecessary messages or group chats. This will save you time.
Your friends might ask you to hang out with them or go to parties, but you still need to choose whether going there will be better and relax your mind or staying home with your baby will be more effective as it will not pile up more things for you to tick off the list.
9. Keep Your Baby Busy When Working
This step is very crucial. Not only for your own management skills but also for the baby’s development. Just leaving the baby in the cot serves him/her no good. Search for options according to your baby’s age and keep him/her busy.
You can do this by giving them toys to play with, musical instruments for them to explore, maybe a pet as a friend for the baby, and rattles and shiny objects that induce curiosity.
While the baby is busy with his work, you can easily focus on your work and keep checking on him during breaks while you are working from home. A dog as a pet is an option adopted by many.
Some mothers choose to give their babies Exersaurcer, phones, or play YouTube for them to keep them engaged but it is harmful as screen time should be limited. Televisions are a better option.
10. Make The Most Of Your Holidays
Weekends, holidays, and vacations are the time for you to relax and spend time with your baby. If you make the most of that time, you will have no regrets later when you have to work from home and are not able to spend time with the baby. It’s better to enjoy, laugh, and calm your nerves so you will be more productive when things get rough and tough.
Learn to ditch expectations as it will make you a carefree person. You will have to worry less about meeting people’s high expectations. You don’t have to be perfect; you need to take breaks and be more confident in yourself.
Bottom Line:
Working from home with a baby can be very tough and overwhelming but once you are a mom, you can become a super mom with a few changes and not many efforts. Everyone gets through this tough period of their lives, and so will you. Just learn to be productive, manage time, and resources, and keep your reputation at your work. You don’t want people pitying you for not being able to manage things because of the baby.
If you are confident and bold with your decisions, people will perceive you in that manner too. Your baby during his/her developing years will see you as a strong mom and your role in their development is important too as your baby needs your love, care, affection, and attention.
Find time for breastfeeding as it is a better alternative to formula milk. Find your baby a pet, find yourself a helper, be a good partner, and spend your time effectively. Make most of your time while the baby takes naps. Babies sleep longer than adults and that might prove to be of benefit to you.
Always remember you don’t have to be the perfect mom; you need to be a good mom and you already are one when you choose to stay home and work remotely so you can spend more time with your baby.
