Working at Home With Your Kids
As a parent with a home business, sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on your work with your kids around.
Toddlers can be the hardest. They have a very small attention span, and need more supervision.
Many moms feel guilty about sending their kids to daycare while they are home working. And by keeping them home, you might convince yourself that you’ll be able to effectively manage both your business and the care of your children. But between everything that has to get done, with feeding time, diaper changing time, and dealing with a tantrum, you can find the day over before you’ve even begun your work.
Here are a few tricks to help you actually work around your kids, rather than try to work with them around:
Turn your house into a fully childproof environment. Toddlers can be distracted by letting them crawl around the house and explore. Just make sure your house is fully childproofed first so you have nothing to worry about.
Implement a routine. Children do better when they know what to expect. If they are used to a 30-minute playtime after breakfast, they will be anxious to get it. If naptime always comes after lunch, it will be much easier to get them down and asleep. Your children’s sleep times are great times for you to get some work done.
Teach your toddler to play a silent game when your Skype or phone rings. This can turn into a routine, and your toddler will get used to not making noise when you are on a call. It can also be beneficial as an icebreaker to divert a tantrum. If you do have to take a call while your child is having a meltdown, start the call and push it back five minutes to calm the baby down.
Save TV time for when you have a meeting or need those 30 minutes of full concentration. If your baby is used to sitting in a stroller, keep a light one around the house and use it for TV time. With a seatbelt on, toddlers won’t try to crawl around, and are more likely to have a quick nap.
Help your child understand your work. As toddlers get older, you can explain what you’re doing at work to help them understand why you have to sit at a table or take meetings instead of playing with them. Use your work stories as bedtime stories and talk about your business partners so your child is familiar with their names. This can become a soothing conversation you can use to turn your child’s attention away from a noisy toy or tantrum.
Delegate a specific workspace with its own rules – like no toys or noise allowed in. This helps your child understand that when you are in that room or space you will not be answering his demands on the spot. He’ll need to wait a little to get your attention.
Enlist help around the house. Get your spouse to help with chores. Help him understand that even though you are the one who is supposed to be home all day, it’s hard to get a lot done with the children around. Involving your toddler in the housework, such as helping you take laundry to the washing machine and picking up toys is also a great way to keep him busy and help him feel important.
Schedule outings for your child. Invite your spouse to dedicate one to two hours a day for a couple of days a week to take the baby out. Or get another mom to swap kids once or twice a week for a couple of hours. This can really help you have some much needed time for yourself.
The hardest thing is to stay motivated and not let your work suffer. It’s important that you know why you are working from home in the first place. Keep pictures of the your dreams and goals nearby where you can look at them often. Your kids were probably a big part of your reason for that decision to stay home too.
So don’t try to do it all. Keep in mind that as you develop a routine, it will get easier. In no time at all, you’ll have a routine established and your kids will enjoy time to themselves as well.
And in the end… it will all be worth it!
If you are looking for a home based business which will allow you to be home with your kids – working only a couple of hours each day, with a team to support and mentor you, watch the video below and see what I’m doing.
…fill out the form below, and follow the simple steps. It’s working for me, and thousands of others out there online.
And, if you already have a business you’re happy with, I will still cheer you on!
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EXPECT Success!
By Lynn Huber
p.s. Don’t be afraid to let your children sit in your lap while you are working. It helps them to feel wanted and it helps them to be a part of your daily life. There are times when it is okay for them to be sitting in your lap while you work, and at other times you need them out of your lap. Don’t be afraid to tell them to get down and go play or read a book so that you can resume your work.
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