Tips for working from home while taking care of a toddler?

How old are your kids?

I work on off hours like when my kids are asleep if I get behind. Have different things ready to go that the kids can do nearby. Coloring, toys, tv, play dough etc. Have snacks and drinks handy. Get them down for a nap.

@Christina Thank you for your comment! My son is 14 months old - he’s at the stage where he wants to run around and get into EVERYTHING and will not sit still for more than 2 minutes. I do put the tv on and that seems to keep him occupied for a little bit but most of the time he wants to play with my computer since he sees me using it 😂

@Lindsay my two year old tries to play with my computer too. That is a tough age trying to work from home because they need a lot more attention and watching. Babies are pretty easy because they sleep a lot and my 4 year old can find her own things to do.

Do you have a walker or bouncy chair to put him in? That will keep him occupied and away from your computer at least for a little while. Also try to get as much done as you can during his naps.

I worked with my daughter in the house a lot at that age. I roughly baby proofed and then let her go have fun 😂 she loved the freedom to roam. There were mishaps like the time I realized she had dunked some paper towels in the toilet and was crawling down the hall with them. But we survived. I would make it a point to stop periodically and give her some attention. And not wait for her to melt down. That's my only tip really.

This isn't really doable - you need childcare!

I worked with kids around the house since they were babies and sometimes you have to be creative. I have a small laptop that doesnt work so i gave it to my daughter with a toy phone and she was “busy working just like mommy “. Sometimes i used to give my kids plastic plates /spoons and they were cooking for mommy while i was busy. My daughter also loved the toy camera so she would spend time taking pics of her toys. Its stressful working from home when kids are around

Can you get her a toy laptop? Or a new toy she might be v interested in. If the situation is temporary, can you explain it at your work? Do you have any day off left? People survived lockdown working with kids during Covid so pretty sure they can be understanding for a few more days

I work from home with my 14 month old 3 days a week. I do as much as I can while he sleeps. And when he is up I try to keep him distracted with toys and music. Sometimes if I sit on the floor with my laptop it's less interesting than if I'm sitting up high trying to keep it away from him. And then just lots of play breaks. If I can give him my attention for even just 5 minutes I can usually get like 20 minutes uninterrupted work time. Another thing that's worked a bit is letting him play with a notepad and a highlighter. He usually ends up with some ink on him but he's occupied and being safe. We just got him some crayons to use when I'm working.

If you have an extra keyboard, he can pretend to work too. My little used to do that with me.

It is impossible 😔

When we get caught out with illness or childcare my husband and I have to both work from home so we tag team the care. We take the calls we need to do and fit in emails where we can. So between us at the least we get through 50% of the day and then we both work during nap time.

I would honestly just tell them. That is something that is out of your control.

Have your mic on mute 🤐 call people back when baby is on a nap, and get a raised desk to prevent little hands adjusting your screen 😂😂😂 protect your lunch break, ohhh take a nap when you feel, just put on your brb status on teams 😂😂

Can you take a sick day? Can you find a babysitter online?

@Christina yeah totally, I was just saying to my husband that it would be so much easier if he was a newborn and could just sleep on me!

@Caroline we do have childcare, this is just temporary as our town is in a state of emergency after a major ice storm. No one has heat or power for 4 days now. Just hoping for some tips to get through this

@Bri love that! Thanks so much, definitely some good ideas here :)

@Marie🩵🩷💚 I used up all of my sick days unfortunately, the first few days I did take off but I’m just a people pleaser I guess and am worried about falling too far behind.. if it gets to be too much though I’ll just take an unpaid day off to prevent a mental breakdown 🥲

@Grayson I’ve used them all up unfortunately, and everyone is out of power so we wouldn’t be able to find any help around here :(

Be honest with your boss - this is something that is out of your control and you can't be blamed for that

How do YOU have power?

@Ella I have a small generator that I’m just using to run my computer and for internet I’m using a hot spot on my phone