By Brandon Simon
I want to talk about what you need to know about working from home with toddlers, based on my own experience. I pride myself on being a ‘family man’. My daughter, Avery, is now 20 months old, and it has been a priority of mine – even before COVID – to be at home with her as much as I possibly could. To this day, I have spent one night away from her.
Is that unhealthy? Maybe for you, but not for me. I can proudly say that I have been there for every single milestone.
I saw the first time she rolled over.
I saw her first steps.
Yes, I even heard her first curse words.
I wouldn’t have traded any of that for the world.
I worked from home exclusively for the first few months of Avery’s life. This let me be there to step in and give my wife much-needed breaks to help get Avery down for naps, feedings, and anything I could do to give her reprieve. Most importantly, I got to spend time with my daughter.
The work-from-home model with children is not the most efficient work-model, but it was temporary. At least, that’s what we all thought. Now, in the Age of COVID, the work-from-home model is the norm. Who knows how long things will be this way, or if it will ever go back to the ‘normal’ we used to have.
During the first several weeks, like most parents, I viewed it as a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to spend more quality time with my daughter. As before COVID, I thought it would be temporary. Fast-forward to six months later, and it is no longer evident that working from home will be temporary. This means we’ve had to make some adjustments to our daily routines to make sure Mom and Dad don’t get overwhelmed.
That’s why I put together some tips for working from home with toddlers that we’ve implemented that have helped us juggle the working-from-home life with a very active (and very exhausting) toddler.
Mom Gets to Sleep In
Even in the non-COVID world, mom gets to sleep in. That’s the rule. I don’t care what the work situation is. If you both work full-time, or one of you is a stay-at-home parent, it doesn’t matter. Always let mom sleep in. She carried the child/children and birthed them. She deserves to get an extra hour of shut-eye everyday.
Divide and Conquer
This is especially important if you do not have the luxury of childcare. Make sure you communicate with your spouse and/or pick up on cues if they are getting ‘tapped out’ and need a break.
The Parental Breaking Point
I refer to this as a cumulative stressmeter. The combined stress level of two parents cannot exceed 10/10. If Mom is at an 8/10 on the stressmeter, Dad cannot be more than a 2/10. If the sink is leaking and Dad is at a 9/10, then Mom can’t go past 1/10. Got it?
Pick “Light Duty” Work Days in Advance
For each upcoming week, sit down with your spouse. Try to pick out days/times of each day where you can step away from work and give the other spouse a break. If you have a lot of meetings or phone calls, try to fit them all into one day and knock them all out at once.
Put the Phone Away
This one is difficult for me. I’m, admittedly, still working on it. Once you are finished with work for the day, take your work hat off and put your parent hat on. You can’t wear two hats at once. Don’t even touch your phone or look at work again until your kiddo goes down for the night. I know, this is easier said than done.
Exercise
If you’re stuck at home like most people, you need something to break-up your day. If you are fortunate enough to have the resources (and space), consider investing in some home gym equipment. There is a lot of reasonably-priced used equipment out there. Use kettle bells, medicine balls, or just go for a jog. Let’s be realistic. You probably aren’t getting back into a gym any time soon. Exercise is good for your physical and mental health. The days that I don’t exercise I find myself to be much crankier.
Finally, if all else fails, put some Christmas music on!
