Survival Guide For Moms Working From Home With Kids

I have always desired to work from home so that I could be available for my family, especially my kids. However, I wondered how working from home with kids would be achievable, accepting the reality that my kids would always demand my attention for the slightest things.

image of working from home with kids

Sometimes they have the feeling of ‘’I want to help mom or dad’’ and in this way, they can cause you lots of distraction.

However, as a mom with little kids who has been working from home for years, I have been able to figure out a way to balance working from home with kids. So, in this article, I will be sharing a few tips on what worked and still works for me and you can tweak them to suit your unique situation.

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How To Work From Home With Kids

Working from home has its challenges but these few tips can help you effectively manage your work from home job with your kids around.

Notify Your Employer

You must make your employer realize that you have kids to manage at home while you work hence you cannot guarantee that your discussions during meetings will be uninterrupted. This will give an understanding of the environment you are working in and therefore you may be allowed flexibility on the job.

Utilize Kids’ Relaxation Time

One of the ways to get the best out of every day is for you to start working early before your children are up and also work late into the night while they are sleeping. You can also work well during their nap time in the afternoons. However, do not forget to give yourself enough rest.

Create A Daily Schedule

Your children aren’t strange to schedules because they also keep schedules at school that guide each day’s activities. They have time to work, lunchtime, sports time, break time and a time school closes for the day.

Adopt a daily schedule method because it will help to monitor your work results and assist you to balance work with managing your kids effectively. 

Therefore structure out plans for each day (you can plan together with your kids if they are old enough to understand) and try to stick to the activities in each period. Include activities that interest your children and are capable of keeping them busy long enough for you to attend to your work. Some examples of activities your children would love to do are drawings, paintings, playing games or puzzles etc. Check out these fun holiday activities for kids

Set-Up Work And Play Areas

This strategy will help you to minimize or avoid interruptions. If you have a separate room that can serve as an office, you can consistently use it as your work area. However, where you don’t have a free room, you could set up a work area at a particular space in the house.

Also, there should be play areas where your children know they can make their crafts and play with their toys.

Get Everyone Ready For Each Day

Even though you don’t leave your home to resume in an office and your kids are probably on holiday, you must create a mindset of getting you and your kids dressed in the morning, have breakfast, and get the day started. It creates a sense of responsibility that drives everyone to achieve a target for the day. 

Work With A Childcare Expertise

If your partner is available, or if he or she also works from home, both of you should run shifts on caring for the kids. This means that while your partner is working, you can spend time with your children and your partner does likewise.

Alternatively, you can just hire a child caregiver that will assist you while you are working. This method is important in situations where you have toddlers who may not understand your work pattern or schedule.

Work From Home Jobs With Kids

Photo of a woman working while her kids play; learn how to manage working from home with kids

Some work-from-home jobs that fit perfectly if you want to be a stay-at-home mom (or dad) are;

Virtual Assistant 

The responsibilities of a virtual assistant include scheduling meetings, responding to phone calls and emails, etc. It is often 100% remote, making it a perfect work to try out. To get virtual assistant jobs, visit platforms like FreeUp and TaskVirtual. You can make $38,478 working as a virtual assistant.

Data Entry Specialist

The overall duty of a data entry specialist is to input data with accuracy and speed. Working as a data entry specialist is one of the most appropriate jobs that fit well for work from home dads and moms.

With this flexible role, you can adequately manage your time. For best results, work as much as you can while your kids are sleeping or in school. Your keyboarding expertise will earn you this job and you can earn an average of $35,833 annually.

MegaTypers and Remotasks are platforms from which you can secure this type of job.

Graphic Designer

This work requires that you create virtual content to pass information. As a graphic designer, you can find jobs on sites like Authentic jobs and AwesomeWeb. You can make up to $43,275 yearly working as a graphic designer. 

Proofreader

Proofreaders earn an average of $43,126 yearly. It is a popular work-from-home job that fetches you money while looking after your family. If you pay attention to details and are good at checking grammar errors, this is a suitable job for you. Fiverr and Upwork are the best places to get proofreading jobs.

Bookkeeper

As a bookkeeper, You have the responsibility of keeping financial records for business owners and this can be done remotely. Bookkeeper’s jobs can be found on Upwork and FlexJobs from where you can make an average of $40,240 annually.

Transcriber

Transcribers convert audio into written texts. For you to make good money from transcribing, you must be a good listener and a fast typist that pays attention to details.

It is a great work-from-home job that helps you work around your schedule. You can work at your convenience as long as you meet up with deadlines. The average earning of transcribers is about $58,441

Tutor

Working as a tutor implies that you are making money for imparting knowledge, and the advancement in technology has made it possible to teach students beyond the walls of a classroom.

You can take advantage of subjects you are good at and teach others for a fee. The average earnings of a good tutor are about $44,700 annually and jobs can be found on TutorMe and Studypool.

What To Do With Kids While Working From Home

Photo of a man working from home with kids

There are no perfect templates for stuff to do with kids while working from home. However, for you to adopt any strategy, you must understand what interests your child and this will guide you to employ the right strategies that will work well with them. 

Here are some tips that can help you.

Spend Time With Them

As a parent working from home, you should realize that you can’t have yourself working all through the day and you also can‘t have yourself caring for your children all day therefore you must learn to balance both together.

Spending time with your kids leaves them with the impression that they haven’t lost you to your work or employer and it can also keep them happy for some hours while you continue your work. You can spend time in between your work time, for instance, taking 15 minutes out of every three hours.

Bribe Them 

Sometimes, urgency may be required in your work; you may have a meeting coming up or need to meet up with deadlines. In such cases, giving kids a special gift may just be the way for you to concentrate on your work. For instance, a new toy or special dessert. 

Invite Their Friends

Having your children’s friends around will help to keep them entertained while you work. You can also send them to their friend’s houses occasionally. This strategy should help you when you need to meet deadlines. 

Be Gentle And Set Boundaries Right

If you are just starting to work from home or you are having issues balancing your work time with your kids, first you need to realize that both your work and kids are very important and wisdom must be applied to get the two going together at the same time.

Do not be harsh on your children, you may want to set boundaries for them but this may not work if they are toddlers who may always want you to carry them on your legs.

Let your children know when they can talk with you hence the need to take breaks in between work.

Benefits Of Working From Home With Kids

Photo of a mom holding her child while working.

Despite the challenges that may come with working from home, it also has many benefits, some of which include;

Gives You More Time For Your Kids

Working from home allows you to be part of the daily routine of your child. You are available to care for them at all times and spend quality time with them.

Increase In Productivity And You Save More.

Working from home helps you to be more productive at home and on your job. If you have to commute to work daily, you will not be available to spend sufficient time with your kids and the time you could have used to achieve more on your job will have been spent sitting in the car on transit to the workplace. This in the long run reduces your overall output.

You will also be able to save on the cost of commuting to work daily and also the extra cost of childcare for your children while you are away, especially for children who are under school age

Flexible Hours

You can choose your working hours as long as you meet deadlines. You are also able to complete your home chores at your convenience.

Escape Office Dynamics

You escape the distractions of meetings or social gatherings. You are also free from corporate dressings and other outfits for the office environment.

FAQs On Working From Home With Kids

How Do I Adjust To Working From Home With My Child?

  • Be creative with your schedule
  • Let your employer be aware of your work environment
  • Adopt a routine
  • Allow your kids to choose their activities
  • Relate with your coworkers
  • Plan your breaks with your kids. 

What Are The Challenges Of Work From Home?

  • Loneliness
  • Distraction from family members and house chores
  • The difference in time zones with co-workers
  • Difficulty to switch after a day’s job.
  • You can lose motivation
  • Poor internet connection

How Can I Work From Home With A Toddler?

  • Hire a babysitter
  • Make nap time work time
  • Start work early and work late into the night
  • Set up a schedule
  • Play with pets
  • Engage in crafts projects
  • Maximize the use of toys

What Are The Benefits Of Working From Home?

  • Increase in productivity
  • More flexibility
  • Improved communication
  • Commute time is excluded
  • More independence

Final Thoughts

Working from home with kids is a learning process that works differently for every parent because of the many factors involved. For instance; age of the child, interest of the child, state of health and much more. 

Understanding your kids and family will help you to craft out what works best for you from the tips provided in this post.

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