Lockdowns are hard when you are working full time and looking after young children, I know as I had to do it. Here are a few changes I made to my workday and environment to make my life a little easier with a stay-at-home toddler.
Way back in March 2020 my toddler’s nursery closed down for three months. I was working remotely with an 18-month-old who had entered a world of toddlerhood and tantrums. When my son was bored or wanted my attention, he made it very clear. To remedy this I adjusted my work environment and schedule to ease the struggles, additionally, I also made some changes to his space. This made my workday easier and my son significantly happier; here is what I did.
Flexible Work
Relax
Know that your work schedule will be (or probably already has been) altered. You may have to start work earlier or work on the kitchen table whilst your child is having their lunch, or even work later than normal. But it is important to be flexible.
Accessible workspace
Work somewhere where your child has access to you; your toddler is probably less likely to be clingy if they know you are available. If you are in a meeting that you need to be active in and they are not busy already, plan ahead and give them engaging work. Distractions may help but don’t offer them too often as they will lose effectiveness.
Share
If possible share the child care with someone else, whether that is a partner or someone in your support bubble; this may require some logistical changes to your day but once there is an established pattern it should be easier.
Work somewhere where your child has access to you; your toddler is probably less likely to be clingy if they know you are available.
Independent Play
Set your child’s space up
Have fewer toys out as too many will distract your child. This means also making the toys accessible to your child, without needing your assistance. Avoid one large toy box as this will create more mess and mean the child may have to empty out the content of the box before finding something they like (plus you’ll probably have to tidy everything away).
Have toys out at the right level
If an activity is too easy or too difficult, toddlers can lose interest quickly. So by setting out work at the right level your child is more likely to play independently for longer and you can buy yourself some extra work time.
Follow your child’s interests
Toddlers can easily become engrossed in the skills and activities they are working on. Monetise on this and set up activities and toys that will develop and challenge your child’s newfound skill. Hopefully, you will be able to get at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted work done.
