Tips For Working At Home With A Toddler

working at home with a toddler

It’s hard to believe that Noah is already 2 years, 4 months old! Where has the past 2 years gone?! One of my main goals when looking for a job/starting a blog was to make enough money to be able to work from home and be with my kids while they were young. Luckily with years of hard work, I’ve been able to make that happen. In my opinion they are only little for so long, so soaking up those early years is so important.

Now, working at home with a toddler isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. There are some really hard days, and then there are some great days. I’ve found that it’s all about balance, setting a schedule, multi-tasking, and having patience. There will be days when I don’t even brush my teeth or look in the mirror, but somehow I’m able to manage entertaining Noah, cleaning the house, taking Noah to the park, and getting a blog post written. I’ve found that I can actually get more things accomplished with less time, which has been such an interesting fact to learn after having a baby. I think this is mostly because you just don’t have time for the in between stuff like you used to, and you are just focusing on what’s important.

A lot of you have asked how I balance it all, so I thought it would be fun to write a blog post sharing some tips for working at home with a toddler. I’m by no means an expert, but I have definitely found a way to create structure amidst all of the chaos.

WORK DURING NAP OR DOWN TIME

Working during nap time has been one of my biggest life savers. On good days Noah will take a 2-3 hour nap, and I’m able to get laser focused during those times. Over the past week it seems that he has strayed away from naps (hoping this is just a quick stage!) Luckily he’s able to play safely in his bed for a little bit while I get some stuff done. We have the Nest Cam, so I’m able to pull that up on the iPad and watch him while I send out some emails on my computer.

GET HELP

As moms we tend to bust out our super-human capabilities and try to take on everything all at once. Honestly it’s a bit of a recipe for disaster, because I did it for the first year of Noah’s life, and it was extremley hard. I would be in tears most days because I felt like I was failing in some aspect of my life. Either I wasn’t getting my work done, the house was in shambles, I wasn’t getting any time out of the house, or I was feeling like a bad mom. It was not smart to think I could manage everything myself, and I needed to let go a little. Obviously Dylan is a huge help as a dad, but we needed to seek outside help if we both wanted to be successful in our careers and not go crazy. We hired a virtual assistant who helps with some of my blog work, and we hired someone to watch Noah two days a week. Doing these two things was the best idea ever.  A huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and I was able to get things done without constantly being in a state of anxiety.

CREATE A FAMILY SCHEDULE

I typically work from home or out of a coffee shop in Austin. Dylan typically works from home, out of a coffee shop, or with his web developers for the new app he’s launching at WeWork in downtown Austin. We created a family schedule that makes it easy for us to be where we need to be when we need to be there, and also allows for some down time as a family. Dylan likes to work into the evenings, whereas I’m more of a morning person. We picked out certain days of the week that he wakes up with Noah, and certain days out of the week that I wake up with Noah. That way if one of us needs to stay up late to get work done, or if one of us wants to go out with friends in the evening, we know which mornings we will be taking the early shift.

PACK YOUR PATIENCE

There’s going to be those crazy days where your little one is sick, or extra needy. Shift your focus to them no matter how much you have to do.  They are most important, and they deserve your full attention.  Try your best to not let your to-do list haunt you throughout the day, and realize that you will eventually get things done. There’s many days during the week when I’m home with Noah and I barely have time to get on my computer. Those days can give me anxiety because I feel like I’m falling behind. What I’ve realized is that I’m always going to feel behind even when I’m not, and that I just need to take a deep breath and relax. If I have to stay up late to get things done that night, that’s just the way it is.

I hope that these tips were helpful for you. Life is about to get crazy again when baby girl arrives in early September, so I’m sure I will need an entire new list of tips for juggling a toddler, a newborn, and work. I’ll keep you updated on that when the time comes, ha! Thanks so much for stopping by friends, have a great day!

XO,

Lee Anne

20 Comments

  1. Amanda on May 24, 2017 at 7:35 am

    Amen!! Working from home is hard for me. Throw in a toddler, and you’ve got insanity. We are going to try the family schedule. Such a simple idea, yet so genius.

    • Lee Anne on May 24, 2017 at 9:25 am

      I hope it helps! It’s helped us SO much!

  2. Nataly on May 24, 2017 at 9:36 am

    So many great tips here girl! Thank you for sharing!

  3. Jessica on May 24, 2017 at 9:40 am

    I am pregnant with my first and this is something that scares me for the future. I think that creating a schedule and getting help are such great tips though!
    xo Jessica
    http://www.whatsfordinneresq.com

  4. Hannah on May 24, 2017 at 9:47 am

    I love all your tips even though I dont have a toddler, I still have sooo many distractions and staying focused can be hard. Add in a toddler and I couldnt imagine how hard it must be! Definiety going to save this for later:)

    xoxo, Hannah

  5. Ashley Zeal on May 24, 2017 at 10:39 am

    These are so smart!!!

  6. Natasha Stoneking on May 24, 2017 at 10:54 am

    SO needed to read this today… the struggle is REAL when little ones are running around like crazies when i’m trying to work!!!

    • Lee Anne on May 24, 2017 at 11:31 am

      Yes, the struggle can get super real LOL

  7. Casey on May 24, 2017 at 11:09 am

    I love the family schedule idea! We’ve tried implementing that on weekends and it has been a huge lifesaver for me to shift some parenting duties over to Jared so I can get blog work done without a 2 year old. Super helpful tips!

    • Lee Anne on May 24, 2017 at 11:45 am

      Yes! It’s so nice to have some help!

  8. Adiel of Rose Gold Lining on May 24, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    Great tips! I’m not sure I could be a work at home mama so I have much respect for those who do it!

  9. Laura @ Walking in Memphis in High Heels on May 24, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    These are such great tips! Perfect for those few times when I stay home with LC and try to multitask!

  10. Denisse | Le Petit Eats on May 24, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    I clicked on this because I’m fostering three baby kittens right now, which I’m sure is not even half of the commitment of having a baby, but my productivity is still way down haha! I don’t have kids yet but these are such great tips to keep in my back pocket for when I do!

  11. Ayana Pitterson on May 24, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    I give ALL props to any working mama at home with a young one. I am barely able to get anything done when we all get home in the evenings. However, as you said, a plan is probably your best option. Great tips.

    Thrifting Diva
    http://www.thriftingdiva.com

  12. April Kitchens on May 24, 2017 at 8:06 pm

    I work during naptime and I wake up before my daughter does. Waking up earlier helps. If all else fails, I bribe her lol.

  13. Anna English on May 24, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    Such a #GIRLBOSS lady!

  14. Julie on May 25, 2017 at 6:34 am

    These are great tips! My child is 3 and it took me awhile to figure out the perfect routine. You are right we do feel like failures but mothers and fathers are far from that. Thanks for sharing!
    Julie * http://www.hdthreviews.com

  15. Sarah K Tripp on May 25, 2017 at 11:12 am

    Great tips babe, thanks for sharing!

  16. Kelsey on May 26, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    These are some great tips that I will definitely be sharing! Working from home with just me is hard enough 😉 xo

  17. Nicole @ Work|Wear|Wander on May 28, 2017 at 11:31 am

    These are great tips! I don’t have a child yet, but I have a friend who’s figuring this out right now, so I’m definitely sharing this with her.

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