Tips for Working From Home With a Baby

Working from home with a baby can be difficult - especially during these uncertain times. Thankfully, we have picked up a few pointers here and there to ensure that you remain productive while also taking care of your baby. Time-management, multi-tasking, and partnership are all effective tips for working from home with a baby. In this article, we will break down these tips into more digestible parts - so you can be a businesswoman and a mother.

Tips for Staying Productive

It is easy to be productive when you are at the office with little to no distraction from your work, but when you are home it can be difficult. Your baby may be crying, your toddler may be begging for your attention, and sometimes even your dog can be whining to go outside. There are constantly things competing for your attention, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be productive. So what are ways that you can stay productive and still take care of everything else?

Take Breaks: Even while you were at the office you were entitled to a work break. This probably looked like scrolling on your phone, or maybe taking a walk outside, or maybe even chatting in the coffee room, but when you are working from home you can use your 15-minute breaks to take care of things. Take the dog for a walk, change the baby’s diaper, play with your toddler - that way you can still attend to other things, and remain productive.

Take Advantage of Naps: Make sure while you are working from home that you set up a nap schedule. For infants, you can put them down for multiple naps a day, for toddlers you can put them down for one. And while many people say nap when they nap, this doesn’t count for a working mom. You will want to take advantage of that uninterrupted time to get work done.

Try Working Different Hours: If you are able to work it out with your employer you can try to create a schedule that works for you. Maybe your baby needs the most attention in the afternoons, schedule your day around that. It may not be ideal, but it will help you get your work done.

Share the Stress: If you are currently working from home because of the pandemic, it is likely your partner is also working from home. Make sure that you share the pressure of working from home with a baby with them. It is not all up to you to attend to the baby’s needs. If you don’t have a partner to help out, enlist the help of a babysitter or even a family member - you don’t need to go through it alone.

Create a Work Space: This doesn’t mean you need to have a whole office space in your house, but make sure you have a place where you can keep all your work located. Make sure this place is free of unnecessary distractions - like the television. This will allow your mind to associate the space with work, and you will be more likely to get things done when you are there.

Working from Home with a Newborn

Depending on how old your child is, working from home can present different types of struggles. It can be difficult to work from home with a baby, particularly if they are a newborn. They need to have their diapers changed, they cry for food, when they are uncomfortable they can be fussy - and they don’t have the communication skills to tell you what they need. This can create a frustrating guessing game that takes away your time and energy while you try to soothe them.

These are a few things that have worked for other moms:

• Keep the baby in a sling/wrap. This allows them to be near you at all times and leaves your hands free to work. This will keep your baby nice and calm, and you can keep an eye on them if they start to get fussy.
• Work While Breastfeeding/Pumping. Many moms use the time that they are breastfeeding or pumping to get work done. Keep your computer on a flat, solid surface, and prop your baby up on a pillow towards your breast. This way you have at least one arm free to type and work.
• Freeze Your Milk. Make sure you have a ready supply of milk available for anyone who may want to help out. This way you won’t have to breastfeed if someone is watching your baby for a few hours - they will have milk available for them to use at all times.

Working from Home with a Toddler

As your baby gets older new challenges will arise when you work from home. Your toddler may try to get into things while you are working, or they may throw a tantrum while you are on a work call. These can be frustrating and it can feel like you have no options available to you, but it’s not true.

Here are a few things moms have discovered that help keep your toddler occupied and you productive:

• Work While They Play. The good portion of your child’s day is spent playing. This is a great time for you to work and get stuff done - while they are entertaining themselves.
• Have a Designated Play Area. This area can be a playpen or a play mat where they have toys and other things to keep them occupied.

• Try Out a Play Swing or Glider. A swing or a glider keeps your baby occupied, and in a contained area. They learn to use their leg muscles and learn to play with toys.
• Child-Led Activities. Try introducing your kid to some child-led activities. These are things like playing with blocks, drawing, and duplos. Anything where your child does not need your input to play a game. This will keep them occupied, enhance their creativity, and allow you to work.

Coping with Tantrums

One of the biggest concerns that parents have while working from home with a baby is that their baby will start to cry or have a tantrum. It is a valid concern, and no one wants to be on a phone call when their baby decides to cry. There are plenty of tricks to try to eliminate temper tantrums, but here are a few that you can try:

• Reward good behavior
• Try to avoid saying ‘no.’
• Make sure they have enough sleep
• Divert their attention with something when they are about to have a tantrum

Make Sure You Have Time for Yourself

Ultimately, you are such a hard-working woman and mom that you probably rarely think about yourself. Make sure you take the time to check in on yourself. You need to take care of your own mental health so you can prevent burnout. Keep good lines of communication open between your employer as well as your partner and family. This can relieve any excess stress you may experience.

If you are a new mom it can be even more stressful to deal with work. Not to mention navigate being a new parent. Not to mention the pain and postpartum recovery your body has to go through. Bellefit wants to be there for you to make sure your postpartum journey goes smoothly. That is why we create postpartum garments such as leggings, panties, girdles, and waist trainers. So that you can take care of yourself and stay comfortable all while being a boss. Try out our garments today.

We hope this article has been helpful and that you found a few tips that can work for you.