Working From Home With Toddlers (Tips To Manage)

If you are working from home with toddlers then you know how hard it is to manage kids while trying to get work done.

It seems like you are going back and forth between your toddlers and your job and it can be really tough to find a balance.

As technology advances, there are more work-from-home opportunities becoming available and if you don’t work from home now then one day you might (part-time at least).

If you are currently working from home with toddlers and having a hard time balancing being a parent and an employee then these tips can greatly help you!

If you’re working remotely at this time, let’s go over some tips you can use to balance life and work…

Get Ready As If You Are Going Into The Office

Studies show that when you get dressed as if going somewhere, you are more productive.

This is not only a tip for working from home with toddlers but a tip for those working from home in general.

So much of productivity is having the right mentality. 

You should feel like you’re able to tackle anything in your day even if you have to run out immediately for any reason.

No, you don’t have to put on makeup or put on a suit and tie just like you’re at the office. 

It’s more about the basics. Just make sure you have a casual work outfit and you aren’t wearing pajamas.

No one is going to see this effort except maybe your spouse and your kids. But you’re not doing this for them. This is for you!

Get Up One Hour Before Your Toddlers

In the dead quiet of the morning before the chaos starts, get up one hour before the kids. 

By doing this, you have a head start to do everything you need to do before any disruptions.

Yes, it will be hard getting up earlier but you will get used to it and you will have some peace doing things earlier when your toddlers are asleep.

Once the kids are up, your agenda gets pulled into caring for them. 

You’re changing their diapers, feeding them breakfast, getting them their online lessons, replacing batteries in their toys, and then your day job falls to the wayside.

If getting up earlier is not possible then try to handle a lot of your parenting tasks the night before so you are doing a million different things during your workday.

For example, you can prepare meals for the kids the night before so you don’t have to do it while you are working.

An extra hour in the morning can make a huge difference, so is planning things out the night before!

Get The Kids As Many Fun Activities As Possible

Toddlers are full of energy and they are always tinkering with something so you should feed their curiosity and fill their days with activities and toys to keep them busy.

This buys you time so you can get some work done while they’re occupied.

You can put them in their own little section in your home where they are still visible but not bothering you while you work.

Toddlers get bored easily so you have to find activities and toys that keep them focused and interested.

Screen Time If All Else Fails

No parent likes their child to watch TV or be on the iPad all day but screens have a magical effect on kids that you should use carefully.

If your toddler is having a bad day, will not stop crying, etc… and you have a virtual meeting to attend or a deadline coming up then utilize the TV or iPad to distract them.

This will most likely keep your toddler quiet while you are in a meeting or working on important tasks.

However, you shouldn’t use this method all the time, only when necessary because screen time will be less of a treat and lose its effectiveness.

Give Your Toddlers Positive Reinforcement

You should also give your toddlers positive reinforcement to teach them good behavior.

Going off the tip above, screen time is a very strong currency for many families and you should use it to your advantage.

When you’re in a meeting or working on time-sensitive tasks, leverage this screen time to your advantage but let them know that if they’re bad, they get no screen time for the rest of the day. 

This will cut down on the parkouring on the furniture and starting fights with their siblings while you can’t yell at them.

Positive reinforcement should constantly be given to your toddlers, on and off of work to teach them to respect your time and space.

This also goes hand-in-hand with avoiding negative reinforcement.

I know we talked about giving in and giving your toddler screen time when they are being difficult to calm them down but this should only be done in certain situations.

I mean, we are just human, right? We all give in sometimes but don’t make this a habit.

If you are not working don’t give in to the tantrums, this is basically rewarding your toddler for their bad behavior.

Instead, when your toddler is showing negative behavior you can ignore them until they calm down or take a toy away from them to teach them that this behavior is not accepted.

By reinforcing positive behavior and stopping negative behavior your toddler will learn that positive behavior is accepted and will be rewarded, while negative behavior won’t.

This will make your workdays so much easier!

Prioritize Your Work Tasks

Studies show you are most productive in the first 3 hours of your day. 

So if you protect and manage your precious morning time just right, you’ll be really efficient.

This pairs well with the tip of waking up earlier to get tasks done.

If you get all your important tasks done when your toddler is sleeping then you will set yourself up for success in the workday.

When you wake up, go ahead and check your emails so you can get important announcements right away.

But for the rest of your non-urgent emails, do not answer them right away, or else you’ll be swept away by other peoples’ agendas. 

Prioritize your work tasks by importance and do your best to work on important tasks when your toddlers are sleeping.

Ask Your Manager For Flexibility

Working from home with toddlers is hard and you are all over the place at times and most people understand this (they might be going through it themselves).

So, simply ask your manager for some flexibility with your schedule.

This works better with some jobs and will probably not work for other jobs like customer service jobs where you have to be available at certain times.

It never hurts to ask!

If you get your work done on time and your work is done without any issues then your manager will probably work with you.

You can work earlier in the mornings and then later at night when your toddler is asleep so you can work uninterrupted.

Ask your manager to take breaks during the workday so you can take care of your toddlers.

Just make sure you complete your work on time and that you always keep an eye on your emails to see if anything important comes up.

Stay Free From Distractions

When you are working from home with toddlers you are constantly distracted but you should do your best to create a distraction-free environment.

Set up a work area where you can work in peace away from your toddlers’ play area.

Yes, it should still be close by to keep an eye on them if you are the only one watching them but far enough to have your own space.

Also, make sure you set up everything your toddlers need the night before or early in the morning so you are not running around to get things ready during your workday.

Doing this can greatly increase your productivity!

Outsource What You Can

As we all know by now, working from home with toddlers is tough but don’t think that you need to do everything yourself.

With the power of technology, you can use services to get groceries and other items delivered to your home saving you a trip and time!

Yes, it does come with a cost but if it’s within your budget then it’s definitely worth it since it saves you time.

Check out apps like Instacart,  Shipt, and DoorDash to get items delivered to your home in a few clicks!

Don’t feel embarrassed about outsourcing these tasks. We shouldn’t perpetuate the myth that a parent should do everything on their own.

Instead, be thankful for your help and love upon them fiercely and tipping well.

Get Help With Your Toddlers

If you tried all these tips then it might be time to get some help with your toddlers.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having someone else take care of your toddlers while you work.

See if friends or family members can help out. If not, then consider getting a babysitter for a few hours a day while you get your work done.

Babysitters cost a good amount of money but if it can save you stress and increase your productivity then it’s worth it.

You don’t want to lose your job because you were taking care of your toddlers which cause you to miss deadlines!

Conclusion

These are some tips that you can use when working at home with toddlers to become more productive and less stressed!

It can be hard working with toddlers but hopefully, these tips can help you out.

If you liked this post then I recommend checking out my posts on 40 Best Jobs For Stay At Home Moms With No Experience and 50 Stay At Home Jobs To Make $1,000’s Every Month.

What tips work the best for you? Have any other tips to add? Let me know in the comments below!