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7 Tips for Working from Home with A Baby

 7 Tips for Working from Home with A Baby

Working from home with a baby might sound like it’s an easy thing to do, but is it? Babies are demanding and have their own schedule, so working from home with a baby can be a bit of a challenge. Here are some tips for working at home with a baby.

Keep It Light

If you just had a baby, it will be hard to work full-time. Your best bet is to start out with a light workload and go from there. Start working a few hours here and there and then build your way back up to being a full-time or part-time work-at-home mom.

Set Work Times for Yourself

As a mom with a baby, you are going to need rest. Remember your doctor telling you to nap when baby naps?  This still holds true even for work at home moms with new babies.  It’s best to find times in between naps and caring for your baby that you can sit down and focus on work. Be sure to stick to that schedule as often as possible. Treat your work at home job just as you would any other job to keep the productivity alive.  You will find ways to get work done while caring for your newborn.  I found I was able to get e-mails taken care of on my phone while nursing my baby which really helped me keep on top of things.

Take Care of Yourself

When you are busy pleasing clients and taking care of the baby, it can be difficult to remember to take care of yourself. While you are working at home, make sure you eat right and exercise as much as you can. Not only will this help keep you healthy, it will also give your body the energy it needs to keep up with the demands of your job.

Create an Outlet for Yourself

When you’re working at home with a baby, you’ll need some sort of outlet. Whether you are reading a book, crafting, or just watching your favourite show, be sure to find a way to unwind each and every day. This will prevent you from burning out.  I’ve found bedtime to be the best time to do this and reserve nap time for housework. 

Set Boundaries with Your Clients

You can’t have your clients calling you every five minutes or expecting you to answer e-mails on a whim. Make sure you explain to your clients that you have a family at home and that you’ll need to set boundaries with them. If they can’t respect your parameters, then they probably aren’t a good business match for you anyways.

Keep Baby Close

You baby isn’t always going to nap when you want them to, or play quietly in a play yard or sit happily in a bouncer or swing.  Trust me, baby’s know when you need to get work done and that is when they will decide that they want cuddles.  This is where you will want to have invested in a baby carrier or wrap.  This will keep baby up close like you are holding them but free up your arms so you can work away.  Everybody is happy.

Get out of the House

I know first hand how hard it is to get out of the house, especially when you have a brand new little one.  This can lead to you feeling trapped and unsatisfied with your work.  As much as you want to be home with your family, it can get a bit lonely.  Make a point of attending events, conferences and other local networking opportunities.  You will get the chance to meet with clients and colleagues but you will also benefit from a change of scenery.

Have you worked from home with a Baby?  What is your best tip?

 

Veronique

Tuesday 20th of March 2018

If you have an employer max out the hourse from home to about 4 per day. And make sure it is clear that you can spread those over the day.

As an IT developer, i have a bit more freedom with regards to service windows but with a mix of days on the office and days at home i make sure the work i do from home is do-able in case you are being disturbed by a baby that wants your attention NOW and not in 5 minutes.

Nap time here is sacred when she sleeps, i work and preferrely i start early in the morning while she is still sound asleep and by the time she is awake half of my hours are covered in tranquility. Any difficult or complex routines i have to do, i do when i know that the chances of her waking up are minimum.

Afternoon nap i try to cover the rest of my time although those naps are beginning to shorten with my 15 months old. When awake she has my attention and my mailbox has an automatic reply.

Keep in mind, people need to adjust that usually you are replying quite fast if not at the minute but that you are transitioning to check your e-mail on certain periods on the day. (which is better with regards to time management anyway). And somedays you have a sick kid, well that means late hours to cover your hours. Working 8 hours being home with a young child is an illusion and an increadible stress factor and burden you most likely can't handle. You can plan whatever you want but a baby will make sure that beautiful planning will hardly be realised, leading to stress.

Keep it simple, keep room in your schedule and don't overestimate your productive working hours on a day. That will result in a nice balance and keeps all parties happy.

Jordan McKee

Monday 7th of March 2016

I know that I am not a WFHM, but I am the husband to an incredible wife and mother, and I consult many WFHM (especially network marketers) for a living. I think that you made some excellent points in this blog, and I first off wanted to thank you for sharing these tips.

The only point that I would add is to make sure that you have properly identified the job to be done. I recommend asking yourself at the beginning of the day, "If I only finished one project today, what would make today a success?" This question will help you to focus on only the most important work tasks, while the less vital tasks (or time sucking tasks) tend to disappear.

kathy downey

Friday 20th of November 2015

Working from home can be a difficult job for the best of us

Jackie M

Friday 28th of August 2015

Thanks for these great tips! Sometimes it gets really stressful when you have a baby (especially a newborn!). Your life then revolves around them.

Kelly D

Tuesday 25th of August 2015

This is truly a challenge - the advice is well-written and appreciated!