Working from home with a baby: a parent’s survival guide
As the pandemic drifts into its third year and remote work with makeshift arrangements have become routine, many families find themselves working from home with a baby. Even with a caregiver on hand, this makes for a tricky puzzle ensuring everyone’s needs for time, focus, and connection are met. We give you the low-down on how to make it work (and yes, we included time for snuggles in the calculation).
Be patient with yourself and your baby
First and foremost, extend a bit of grace both to yourself and your baby. For many, working from home with a baby around was not the original plan, and it requires rethinking a lot of things you may have taken for granted. It is frustrating, and it can create a tough situation, especially if you live in New York City or another urban area where living space is limited. You may suddenly have to fit a lot of productivity into a space with very few square feet.
By giving yourself a bit of patience and understanding that this will look different than if you were working in an office, you can reduce the pressure you put on yourself and the stress of trying to do it all.
Hire a nanny with the right “work from home” experience
A great nanny is a blessing to a family and essential to making it all work, but when you’re working from home, there’s certain experience to look for when hiring one. A nanny with previous experience of working while parents are home can more easily navigate the situation - and make it a smoother experience for everyone involved.
Things to consider when hiring a nanny if you work from home:
Does the nanny have experience caring for children when the parents work from home?
Does the nanny have a few tricks to keep the baby occupied and comfortable even when mom or dad are nearby but not available?
Can the nanny help set up a schedule or plan that works for your family’s situation?
Can they negotiate the back-and-forth for you to sneak in snuggles or breastfeeding throughout the day?
Not all nannies are comfortable with parents in the home or have experience with it, so try to get a sense of their background when hiring your nanny. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much they can alleviate your stress or discomfort in trying to get childcare and work done in the same space.
Tips for working from home with baby
Even with the childcare sorted, working from home with your baby nearby is going to require a little more flexibility and a few hacks for a seamless day. We’ve rounded up the top tricks to help make it work.
Adapt your schedule to your baby’s day. Even if you have a separate room to work in, try to fit into the flow of the home. If your baby gets very fussy before nap time, try to schedule calls around those moments, so you’re not also frazzled by the noise — or keeping baby from falling asleep with a loud conference call. Take the opportunity to hang out with your baby during a lunch break - or take those breaks when baby is out of the home if separations are harder.
Act like you’re going into the office. As your baby gets older, separations may get harder, and your baby will not like to be kept away from you if you are nearby. If you have a separate room where you work, treat going into this space like you’re leaving home and going to the office. Say goodbye to baby in the morning, close the door, and then behave as if you are fully gone. Come out for breaks when baby isn’t home or is sleeping, and you may find that you both have an easier, more productive day.
Add breaks to your schedule. Remember that we are all more productive if we take breaks from our focused work. If it works for you, take short play, feeding, or snuggle breaks throughout the day and use those energy refills to make you more productive when you go back to your desk.
The bright side of working from home: more baby time
With all the stress of productivity and trying to please bosses, colleagues, and your own expectations, it’s easy to forget one big benefit of working from home with your baby nearby: more baby time through the day. Being so close to your baby - even while getting work done - means you can connect, snuggle, and get to know each other more than you might have if you were back at the office. This is especially true for dads or non-birthing parents, who are less likely to have parental leave and statistically less likely to be home with the baby for an extended amount of time.
If you are breastfeeding, this may also allow you to keep doing so while working, without having to pump and without losing those sweet moments of connecting during feedings. Try to take a step back and embrace this opportunity, even in the midst of so much other stress, and you may find the complicated work day easier to accept.
Working from home with a baby—without childcare
If you are trying work from home without hiring a nanny or using other form or childcare, you’re going to need a few more tools in your tool belt to make the day as smooth as possible. Here, too, it’s important that you try to be patient with yourself and realistic about what you can get done in a day. It will not be what you were used to when working uninterrupted and without this sweet baby in your life, and maybe that’s okay.
Tips when you’re juggling work and caring for your baby
If you can tag team with a partner or co-parent, they will be a huge help. By taking turns, you can ensure you get solid chunks of uninterruptible time to do focused work.
Use nap time for focused work and phone calls.
Try to adapt your schedule to your baby’s schedule and don’t expect to be productive during baby’s fussier moments
Help is on the way if you work from home
Parents have been struggling lately, and we get it. Over the last two years especially, we’ve helped countless families find a nanny and a childcare solution that works with their new, irregular work lives. That translates to happier bosses, happier parents, and - most importantly - very happy, growing babies.
If you’re done stressing about your work-life balance and ready for a little peace of mind, we can help you get there. Fill out a family application, let us know your dream set-up, and we will spearhead a search to find just the right nanny for you, your baby, and your home office.
And for more parenting insights and tricks, don’t miss our our family newsletter.