How to Work While Taking Care of a Toddler

If you are a work at home mom, you know how hard it can be to find time to get work done, especially if you have a small toddler. Toddlers need lots of attention and don't take many naps. They have a lot of energy and need to spend lots of time playing every day. They are too big to just put in a bouncer with a few toys, but too small to play unsupervised. There are ways you can get your work done, even with a toddler, though.

One thing that I do with my 13 month old is involve him in cleaning. If I am straightening a bedroom, I ask him to help me. He can pick up toys in his room while I put away clothes. He gets to leave two or three toys out so that he can play with them when he gets bored before I finish, though. Even in my bedroom, he has a few toys that we keep on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. He can play with them and put them away while I am cleaning or folding and putting away laundry. If I am cooking, I either give him a snack of his own, or a pot or bowl and maybe a wooden spoon or spatula.

Since I involve my toddler in housework, I am free to do whatever else I want or need to do while he is asleep. My husband usually spends about an hour in the evening alone with the baby, too. This way Daddy and baby get to spend some quality time bonding, and I get to spend some time working.

In the mornings before I get the baby up, I make a list of what I have to get done for the day. I make a second list of things I would like to get done. Then I fix breakfast and get my baby up. After I finish breakfast, but before he does, I start making a rough outline of what I hope our day will look like. I don't put much stock in the chance that our day will actually go as planned. I make the outline so I know that I have plenty of ideas if I need them.

No matter how much work I need to get done, I give my son at least two hours of undivided attention where we can play and do whatever he wants. This makes it much easier for my son to understand why sometimes while he is having a snack I have to work. He feels more secure knowing that he can still see me while he has his snack, but he also knows he will get his alone time with his mommy every day. Plus his two hours of special time can be spent doing activities that really tire him out. This way he is more likely to take that second nap.

Most days I can get all of my work done while my son is napping or after he's in bed, since I don't have all the other stuff to do that many moms end up doing while their toddlers nap. If I need to, I stay up late finishing up. Sometimes it leaves me tired, but it is all worth it. I love being able to spend time with my son everyday. I like being able to make his everyday decisions. I feel fortunate to be able to do that while working.