Confessions of a Working Mom
March 2020.
Need I say more.
We all know that is when the global pandemic completely changed life for ALL of us. The world was on an indefinite lock down. Companies were shutting down causing many to be either jobless or shift to a remote work structure. Schools were closing and shifting to virtual learning . We were all forced into a new way of living and so quickly. My job as a Learning and Development Specialist became permanently remote (thankfully) and I also made the decision to pull my then 8 month old son Cairo out of daycare to stay home with me.
In a blink of an eye I became a stay at home/work from home mother.
TWO full time jobs and let me just say this is by no means easy.
At the time, my parents had just moved to Virginia from Nashville and were temporarily living with my husband and me, so thankfully my mother (a retired elementary school teacher of 20+ years) was able to help me with my son during the day as I worked. This was a life saver!!!
Everyday, if I had meetings or projects to tend to for work, she was right there with Cairo. Teaching him, playing with him, and building a bond that I find so sweet.
We were both able to tackle finding a good schedule, based on Cairo’s needs and my work demands and we worked together to accommodate everyone. (I’ll put Cairo’s schedule below.)
Fast forward to a little over a year later and I am still working from home, but now with an infant, and no live-in grandma to help. The question I get asked ALL the time is, “How do you do it?!”
My answer is…. I have NO idea lol. I literally just take it day by day, prioritize, schedule, and go with the flow!
I won’t say that it’s easy. I spend my days battling mom guilt, being overwhelmed, cleaning, chasing toddlers, breastfeeding, changing diapers, trying new schedules to learn what works best for us, trying to be as hands on as possible without neglecting work… I mean, the list goes on.
Some days I feel like super mom and incredibly productive, and other days the house is in shambles, toys are everywhere, laundry unfolded, more tantrums than I can count, and absolutely nothing gets checked off the to-do list.
See below 🤣
Those days are always tough, but I know one day I’ll look back and reminsce on the days I was blessed to stay home with my babies.
But here are a few tactics that helped me manage being a stay at home/work from home mommy.
Rotate activities every 30 minutes to an hour. Children have a short attention span so keeping them engaged with new activities consistently throughout the day helps. And, if you can, rotate rooms for them as well. Room rotation keeps them stimulated.
Have a scheduled nap time everyday and planned breaks in your work day for walks, story time, feeding, and mommy playtime and attention. And of course, expect unplanned breaks as well.
For jobs that require more focus time and less flexibility, make sure toddler knows quiet times. Schedule screen time, educational shows, nap time, or independent play for when you are most busy. Have specific indicators that signal quiet time is needed. (This is not always easy. I typically allow tablet or TV time during these times.)
Stick to a schedule so they begin to understand routine and consistency. Always plan for your next business day/week. Sometimes you will have to alter your schedule and allow independent play (with mess free activities) during any meetings or calls you may have.
Infant specific - Build your schedule once you start to see your infant’s natural routine (if you prefer a baby- led schedule versus a parent led schedule). Look for their cues - fussy times/sleepy times and their eating habits. With my first son Cairo, we did choose a parent-led schedule since he was going to daycare; however, with Jayce - because he was able to stay home with me since I am now working from home I preferred to do a baby-led schedule. I would say around 3 months I started noticing his patterns more and we developed a more consistent schedule around 4 months.
Below is a sample schedules as well as age appropriate activities I used for my infant and toddler.
