There were many, and I mean many, terrible things about having a baby during COVID, but one of the best things that came out of it was the ability to work from home with my baby. Don't misconstrue – it's impossible to work a demanding job without childcare even with working from home. Childcare is a necessity for working parents. But what isn't talked about enough is the reliability and dependability on childcare for working parents.
During the first year of Caden's life, we cycled through a series of nannies trying to find a reliable, trustworthy caretaker. In the process we were left to figure out how to work from home with a baby without childcare more times than I can count. And even now that we do have reliable childcare (thanks to our incredible au pair, we love this program!), there are days we have to juggle work responsibilities and childcare responsibilities due to the baby being sick or our au pair taking vacation.
So whether you just had a baby and want to attempt to juggle your work meetings and to-do lists as you transition back from maternity leave prior to starting childcare (I have friends who successfully did this during the holiday season) or you're attempting to stay afloat when your child is home sick from daycare, here are some tips I've learned over the past three years.
How To Work From Home With a Baby
Start your day with your 3:3:3.
The 3:3:3 method is my preferred system for managing my time. It’s pretty simple: spend 3 hours on your most important task, complete 3 short tasks you’re avoiding, and then spend time completing 3 maintenance tasks that your job requires. While I recommend making this a daily part of your work practice, I especially recommend doing this if you know you are going to be balancing childcare and your job for the day.
For me now that I'm full time working on New Modern Mom, this looks like 3 hours on a brand campaign. Then, I'll edit 2 articles and maybe answer an email I’ve been avoiding. Finally, I’ll complete 3 social media deliverables for the week. This 3:3:3 system works really well for conquering all of my most important daily tasks–in a way that’s not completely overwhelming while watching my baby!
Note all your multitaskable to-dos.
Something else I like to do in the morning if I know I'm going to be balancing work and watching my baby is determine items on my to-do list that could be multitaskable (or done at the same time). I’ll ask myself what things I can do while breastfeeding or giving the baby a bottle i.e. respond to emails, put together shopping lists, draft my POVs on upcoming article outlines. While going for a walk, I could take meetings (and use an AI note-taking tool like SuperNormal to transcribe and put together after-meeting summaries), or listen to a webinar or podcast as I continue to educate myself on how to run this platform more effectively. This is a time-management hack that helps me stay productive even when doing non-work-related duties.
Move or adjust meetings.
If your partner also works from home, go over your meeting schedule for the next day (or days) without childcare and figure out who can do what “shift” to accommodate meetings. Be realistic and only keep meetings on your calendar that are absolutely necessary to complete your highest priority items on your list of to-dos for the week. If the meeting isn't blocking you from completing your job, then push it out to a day you can be fully present.
Decide the best times to do each task.
Once you have your 3:3:3 plan, break it down even more and decide when you’re going to complete each work task. For example, maybe you have 1 hour where the baby is awake and 2 hours where the baby is napping. You may want to start with tasks like planning, emailing or data entry, and save things like meetings or “deep work” like writing or preparing a presentation for nap time! Literally time block out your entire calendar for the day so you can stay focused on your priorities, avoid scope-creep and remove distractions. Remember, today is not a day to overachieve. Set realistic goals knowing you have to take care of yourself, your work and your baby. And also come to terms that your “work day” won't likely be your typical work hours, expect to complete your 3:3:3 in the evening after baby goes to bed.
Prepare snacks and drinks in advance.
Babies require several feedings, snacks, meals throughout the day. Consider preparing for feedings by prepping everything before your workday begins – my preference is the night before. If you bottle feed, get all the bottles you need ready. And if your baby is old enough for snacks, prepare their treats for the day, too. This way, when it’s time for the baby to eat, you don’t have to shift your focus too much!
Meal plan to avoid wasted time.
When working at home with a baby, my focus can easily be derailed by simple daily duties. Mealtimes are a big part of that! If you don’t have a plan for what you and your baby (if applicable) are eating, you’ll waste a lot of time scrambling and wondering what to cook. I recommend having a meal plan for both lunch and dinner and preparing your lunch in advance. This will make sure you both eat well without interrupting your work day. Honestly, this advice isn't just for days you don't have childcare while working. This is something I subscribe to in my daily life with and without childcare. Not sure where to start? Here’s my weekly meal prep and grocery list!
Create a makeshift workspace.
When you work at home while caring for your baby, it may be easiest to set up shop in your family room or play room where all the toys are. And I know it’s hard to get into a productive mindset when you’re sitting somewhere you normally relax. This is why I recommend bringing a mini workspace setup into whichever room you'll be spending the most time in for the day. If that means setting up your second screen, or simply bringing in your notebook and pen by your laptop, when you sit down in a space dedicated to work, it’ll immediately inspire work.
Get the right gear.
There are a few pieces of gear that’ll be a lifesaver when working at home with a baby. First of all, I recommend AirPods Pro for phone calls (and podcasts or music). It allows you to attend meetings or make calls hands-free while muting background noise with its active noise cancellation technology, so you can feed, hold or play with your baby.
You should also consider getting a baby carrier to wear your baby while you work. You can still get those essential bonding moments in while typing away or talking on the phone. Also ideal if your baby has difficulty napping and you have to get through your to-dos.
Set up multiple entertainment zones for the baby.
The days you must work from home with your baby are great opportunities for your infant to learn independent play skills. Establish multiple entertainment zones for the baby to stay occupied all day. Depending on the age of your baby, consider having a bouncer, a baby gym, a jumper, an activity center, or age-appropriate play boxes reserved special for the days. Of course, the stations will evolve as your child develops but this is a good start for baby!
Try to reduce stimuli where possible.
Staying focused is probably the hardest part about working from home with a baby. To help yourself, try to minimize stimulation. Avoid the TV, play acoustic music instead of kid songs, and opt for Montessori-type toys that don’t have as many bright lights and annoying noises (Lalo's new play boxes are incredible). This will be good for both your and your baby’s attention span.
Use outside time for creative thinking.
Even if you’re working from home, you should still make time to step outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. Use this time for creative thinking and planning. During this time, I like to use voice-to-text to record my brainstorming sessions and log my brain dumps. It’s really helpful.
Keep a firm routine for you and your baby.
Routine is essential when you’re trying to balance working from home with your full time job. First of all, your baby is more likely to be content and well-regulated if they know what to expect throughout the day. Plus, this will give you the most successful feeding breaks and nap times.
Limit app usage on your phone during work hours.
When you’re watching your baby while trying to work from home, the line between work and personal time is blurred. It’s easy to be interrupted by things like cleaning dishes, laundry, and apps on your phone. Whether it’s social media or online shopping, we can sink lots of time into apps during work hours – time you especially don't have to waste when trying to do all the things are these days. So, it’s a good idea to set up “modes” on your phone that restrict certain apps during your set working hours. This will help you ensure you have uninterrupted work time that’s super productive!
Split the morning routine with your partner.
I recommend that you and your partner always split your baby’s morning routine. Again this advice is not specific to days without childcare. One of you takes the “early morning shift” and one of you takes the “late morning shift.” When your baby wakes up and when you start work will determine the length of these shifts, but the goal is to ensure each of you gets time for yourself to do a 20-minute workout, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc.
Be kind to yourself, it's hard, really fuc#*$g hard.
At the end of the day, trying to accommodate working from home with no childcare is tough. Its long, weird hours, distractions and a loss in efficiency. Some days are going to be more productive than others, and that’s okay. Try to give yourself (and your baby) some grace. There are going to be days when you reach all your goals in a few hours. Then, there will be days when the baby is teething or you were both up all night and you just don’t get much done.
Try to accept these days, adjust for the rest of the week, and move on. You may need to lower your expectations for the day…and that’s okay! ♥️
Using these tips, it’s more than possible to work from home with a baby!
I love the work-from-home movement for moms. It means you get to advance your career and watch your kids grow up before your very eyes. It’s so special!
But, it does come with its challenges. Use these tips to establish your own work-from-home system and browse the rest of my blog for more honest motherhood advice. It truly takes a village, and I’d love to be a part of your mom tribe–good luck with this next season of life!
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