Ready to work from home with a baby? Working from home takes discipline and a good schedule. Add a new baby into the mix and it can get more challenging.
With the right mindset, resources, and strategies, you can successfully work from home while caring for your home and baby. Just know it is going to take some preparation. I’ve been working from home for over ten years. I was homeschooled part of middle school and all through high school. Because of this I was already used to having the discipline to focus and get work done at home.
But later as I became a wife and mother I found that I just wanted to focus on our home. I didn’t really want to work. But as with many of us, I needed to help financially support our family. I want to help you as much as I can prepare to work from home if you already have a baby or have one on the way. Working from home with your baby is a great solution. You can care for your home, and baby, and help financially. But that does not mean that it is easy.
I’m passionate about helping moms because I learned as a new parent how fast time really goes. Babies grow so fast and I don’t want you to miss out on that precious time that you can never get back.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when working from home with a baby is to plan around your baby’s schedule. Having a daily and weekly schedule can help you manage your time more effectively and reduce stress. It’s also a great way to help you have the time you need for your home and yourself and still manage your to-do list. You have to stay healthy to be able to care for your baby. It’s important as a work-at-home parent to set realistic expectations and create a routine that works for both your work day and your baby.
As a stay-at-home parent when it comes to creating a schedule you have to be willing to be flexible. Babies are constantly changing and growing so your schedule will change too. Getting flexible work hours if at all possible is so helpful. Be flexible with your work space too.
Learn to take advantage of tools and resources that can help you work more efficiently and then plan uninterrupted work time when you can. This may only be during the baby’s nap time. Give your full attention to baby right before your focused work time, especially if you have a conference call or something that takes a lot of attention. Then baby will be more like to rest or play well and let you work.
So if you’re ready to prepare to work from home with a baby, this post will present practical tips to help you on your journey. But remember that every momma and every baby is different so you will need to find what works for you.
How To Work At Home With A Baby
Know and Write Your Why
This may seem like an unimportant step but gives you something to come back to when finding motivation is challenging. If you are waiting for your first baby’s arrival you may not realize the extreme love that you will have for your baby and how much you will long to soak up every second. As I mentioned when I had our baby I didn’t want to work anymore for quite a while. But my family needed me for income. Young children grow and change so fast and being a working parent can be hard.
I had to remember that so many moms have to leave their babies to go out of the house to work and how blessed I was to stay home with her to work. It still felt like I was taking attention away from her though and that was hard. What helped me was a strategic plan and working times. Also realizing that our daughter was the reason I was doing this. Income for a better life for our family and to provide for her but also as an example of contributing to our family and others.
The income may be important for your family too but search for an even deeper reason that will keep you going. Write it down and read it anytime you are struggling.
As our daughter has grown I have found that working from home with a toddler gets harder so if we can establish good systems while you still have a baby that sleeps more and is less active, you will be better set up in the future. It is something I wish I had done better when our daughter was younger.
Set Up A Dedicated Home Office Space
You may not have a dedicated home office and if you don’t that is ok. Not everyone has space to dedicate a whole room to an office but you can get creative. You can create a cart that acts as a mobile office so you can have your things with you and roll your cart to the dining room table or wherever you have to work. You can create an office space in a closet or under the stairs.
This post from our sister site has some more ideas: 8 SMALL HOME OFFICE IDEAS TO TRY NOW SPACE SAVING & PRODUCTIVE WITH SOME DIY
There are a couple of reasons why having a dedicated space is important.
Number one is that it’s better for your health. There will be days when you will work on your bed while the baby is sleeping or sitting on the floor or on the couch. That’s fine. Mommas, we’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do to get things done. But having worked from home for so many years I know how hard it can be on your neck and your eyes and your body if you make a habit of not sitting and working properly.
Reason number two is that it helps with boundaries. We’ll get into that next.
Here are a few tips on setting up a comfortable workspace:
- Choose a quiet and well-lit area: Find a space in your home that is quiet and has plenty of light. This will help you stay alert and focused while minimizing distractions.
- Invest in a comfortable chair: Since you’ll be spending a lot of time sitting, it’s important to invest in a comfortable chair that provides good back support. Like I said, there will be times when you work from bed but good posture is crucial. Choose a home office chair that is cute and comfortable and that you will enjoy working in.
- Organize your workspace: Keep your workspace organized and clutter-free. Use shelves, file cabinets, and other storage solutions to keep your papers and supplies in order. I’ve become a big fan of binders for different topics too. A clean organized space makes for a happier space and also helps you work faster which is important so you get more baby snuggle time.
- Make sure you have the right equipment: Think about what you really need for your particular job or business and have no more and no less. Maybe you would rather work with a desktop computer. Maybe your laptop will do. Maybe even an iPad will suffice. Will you need to make phone calls that require a headset? Will you need to record videos? Research what you need.
- Consider your baby’s needs: Of course, if you are working from home with a baby you will want to consider them in your office space too. Make sure you have a comfortable place for them to nap or play nearby, and consider investing in a baby monitor so you can keep an eye on them while you work if they will be in another room. A baby bouncer can also be a great addition and if you want to keep the baby extra close a baby carrier.
Also look for simple, quiet toys your baby can play with just in the office area to keep them engaged and interested. Some parents also find electric baby swings really helpful in their workspace.
By following these tips, you can create a workspace that is comfortable, functional, and conducive to productivity.
Set The Boundaries You and Your Family Need
Creating healthy boundaries is so important when working from home. Even more so when you have a baby to care for. You don’t have a normal 9-5 and a single boss telling you what to do. This is part of the freedom but it can also be a downfall if you are not careful. Family members need to understand that you need focused work time and not interrupt needlessly.
Having that dedicated office space means that you can mentally and physically close up shop. Otherwise, you can overwork at all hours and not take care of your health and get the rest you need. The opposite can also happen- too much screen time. You veg out in front of the TV or find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media at all hours of the day and don’t get your work done.
A few things to think about setting boundaries around:
- Schedule
- Office space
- TV and Social media usage, any distractions
- Breaks and health habits
You have to prioritize your health and your baby’s health. Thinking about some healthy boundaries and adjusting them as needed will help keep your work in the right place. Not overdoing it or undergoing it.
This brings us to another point…
Give Yourself Recovery Time
Two days postpartum I was making lasagnas for our delivery business baby in a wrap on my chest. Here is the thing… I shouldn’t have been. I should have let someone else handle that work. We can wear a quick recovery like a badge of honor but your body needs rest. Even if you had a healthy pregnancy and your delivery went well. Pregnancy and giving birth take a lot out of you. I learned that exhaustion tends to catch up with you later if you don’t rest. Parental leave is important even for work-at-home moms.
Learn to have rest time when your baby is resting when you can. Make it a priority.
Why am I saying this on a post about working from home?
Because even if you need to work, it is essential that you get help with the things that you can get help with and rest with baby and enjoy baby as much as you can, especially for that first year. Babies are a lot of work but it’s a special time you can’t get back that goes way too quickly. Take the time to recover as needed. Your work and life and motherhood will be better for it.
Getting dressed, even if it is loungewear but clean clothes, and showering and taking care of yourself will help you feel better to work. You can find cute loungewear sets for moms that will still make you feel more put together while staying comfy with the baby and making breastfeeding easier if you are breastfeeding.
Ask for Help and Hire Out Tasks
If you have friends or family around that can help with household tasks so you can work and take care of the baby don’t be afraid to ask. It may not be in the budget to hire out tasks but if you can that could be a big help.
You could:
- Order your groceries online and get them delivered
- Hire a house cleaner to do the deeper things you can’t get to
- Order prepared meals that are healthy but easy to just heat up
- Send your laundry out to a wash-and-fold service
If these kinds of services are not in your budget, they weren’t for us, come up with some creative ways you can get the money. Maybe you can sell some things at home you are not using. A more minimalist home will help you and your family thrive so it’s a win-win.
Also, think about your time and how much you can make per hour versus what the service cost. If the task will take you a couple of hours and does not cost much it can be worth outsourcing. You can make more working from home in those two hours.
Establish A Flexible Work From Home With A Baby Routine
When working from home with a baby, it can be challenging to balance work responsibilities with caring for your little one while taking care of your home. One way to create some structure and predictability in the day is to establish a routine.
A routine and schedule can provide a sense of order in an otherwise chaotic world of parenthood, and it can also help the baby feel more secure and comfortable.
Just remember to give yourself grace. Do not overschedule yourself. You need to create a schedule that is flexible to take care of baby duties, home duties, and work duties. One that you can grow with as life for you and your baby continues to change. Set boundaries as needed for you to feel your best. Being a mom is hard work but you can do this worklife and home life thing with grace.
To establish a routine, it’s important to consider the baby’s natural rhythms and needs. For example, babies need to eat every few hours and take naps throughout the day. You can plan your work schedule around these needs, carving out time for focused work during naps or when the baby is content playing independently. Having a dedicated play area in your work space will help you as a working mom. You will learn that you can get a lot done in short bursts.
Even just writing your to-do’s for the week can help you stay focused and get so much more done.
I have found that having a flexible block schedule is a good way to go. The routine can stay in the same order each day but the times can change as needed with the baby while incorporating feeding times, work calls, and needed home tasks. It is a way to ensure everything gets done but not trying to schedule out hour by hour as that is a quick way to become stressed.
Strict hourly schedules just don’t work well when you have a baby to care for.
Need Help Creating a Flexible Schedule to Work from home with a baby?
If you want help with this I have worksheets and a process I walk you through in my workbook guide How To Create Your Stay-At-Home Work-From-Home Mom Schedule.
It’s a process I call SOAR based on Isaiah 40:31. It stands for Schedule, Organize, Assess, and Rest.
It’s important to be flexible, as babies can be unpredictable and their needs can change from day to day. Having a general routine in place can help create some structure and predictability in the day, making it easier to balance work and baby care.
Consider your needs, your baby’s needs, and what you take care of at home, and create systems that will work for your family. Don’t get too stressed about this. You can always change what is not working. That is the “Assess” part of the SOAR system.
Flexible routines and systems create a sense of order and predictability in the day that can help you be more productive and focused while also caring for your little one and leaving time for family life.
Working as a new mom or even a seasoned mom can be challenging. But what a blessing to be at home and to be the COO’s of our homes. Better work-life balance will make you a happier stay-at-home mom too! I hope you found these tips for working from home helpful. The best thing you can do is find what works for you while keeping you and your baby healthy and strong. Don’t forget to rest. Working at home is a great option for moms to spend quality time with family and little ones. The greater flexibility is such a blessing but comes with challenges just like everything. You can do great work and be a great mom too! I believe in you and know you can do it, momma. It’s popular in modern culture for people to act like having a child holds you back. But having our daughter has made me a better person in so many ways.
And as with our theme here at Grace Filled Mom, remember that His grace is sufficient for all. Anything we are struggling with we can pray and ask for wisdom.
If you are already working from home with your baby and have additional tips, share them in a comment for our community or if you have any questions. Much love. You’ve got this momma!
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