Yes, It’s Possible to Get Work Done With a Baby at Home
There’s a picture of me and my son from when he was about 4 months old. He’s sleeping in my lap, pacifier in his mouth, as I try to type on my computer. It’s mostly him in the frame, but I’m sure if you could pan out to see me, I’d have been silently hoping he’d stay asleep for just a few more minutes so I could finish whatever I was writing. I didn’t work from home much during that time — I still went into an office every day, and the photo was likely taken on a sporadic snow day — but I can remember what it was like to attempt to work and attend to a baby at the same time.
Fast-forward three years later, and I decided to go freelance and work completely from home. My second child, my daughter, was 6 months old at the time. While we did have help from our parents, and my son was in nursery school by then, there were still plenty of times when emails needed to be answered, deadlines needed to be met, and calls needed to be made while she was there with me.
And I know others are in the same boat. There are plenty of parents making the work-and-parent from home thing possible with babies under 1. If you’re navigating it too, here are a few go-to tips.
Take advantage of multiple naps a day.
Before babies hit their first birthday, they’re likely still sleeping more than once a day. For my daughter, that was usually once in the morning and again in the afternoon. That was when I would aim to really focus on the important work tasks I needed to get done.
When they're sleeping, hit your work hard. “My baby would sleep 20 minutes in her crib, or 40 snuggled against my leg,” says Jessica S., a Maryland mom of two. “I’d lay her next to me, wave a toy over her head for a few minutes, and work sprint when she conked out.” This worked best when her baby was between three and seven months old, she says.
Work when they’re calmest (read: post-nap or meal).
“Obviously working during naps is important,” says writer and editor Liz Callahan Schnabolk, “But, also, if you need to work while they’re awake, try to do it right after they wake up or eat. I find that’s when my baby is most content to play on his own, so I can finish up what I’m doing and then give him my full attention a little later.”
Kristin Bianculli, who works in human resources as a campus recruiter, also aims to schedule calls when her baby is napping or she has a babysitter. But she also tries be super productive after feeding her daughter breakfast, since she’s happiest playing alone with her toys during that time.
Use your baby carrier.
Don’t underestimate the power of your carrier. “Wear your baby and type standing up,” advises freelance writer Kate Carpenter. “If your baby will allow it, wear them around the house. I used to strap my children into the Bjorn or Ergo and put my laptop on the kitchen counter and sway back and forth while I typed. It put them to sleep and then they’d sleep soundly while I worked or took calls.”
Chaunie Brusie from Michigan recommends the same. “I found over 10 years of working from home with five babies, if I really need to get something done, it’s easier to strap them in a carrier or use a backpack and stand at a counter with my computer,” she says.
Baby not into the carrier? Before her little one started crawling, Lizzie Goodman, a mom of two from Illinois, would use a dock-a-tot, which she’d keep beside her feet.
Use technology to your advantage.
You’re likely already using a good amount of tech when you work from home — whether that’s for virtual meetings or to simply type. Here’s another to add to the list: “Download Google Docs on your phone,” recommends Callahan Schnabolk. “If I have an idea or need to make a quick adjustment to a story, I find it much easier to hop on my phone to do it than actually get to my desk with kids in tow.”
Another to try: Jacqueline Patchen will WhatsApp video chat with her 5-month-old niece in Providence, RI from her home in New York City, to give her sister a break.
And sometimes what you use can be simple, but still effective. Alicia Graves, who likes to use a swing or bouncer for her 9-month-old son, also recommends picking music that appeals to you and the baby. “He has his own playlist,” she says.
Try working different hours.
If you don’t have to stick to a specific schedule, working off-hours can be helpful. My favorite time to write is early in the morning, so I’d often wake up at 5 a.m. to get in a couple of hours before the baby woke up. (It’s a method I still use now that my kids are older.)
Or, if you're not a morning person, go with the evening: “It’s not ideal, but when push comes to shove, you have to use the post-bedtime hours to your advantage,” says Callahan Schnabolk. “That’s really when the best, uninterrupted work gets done.”
Sometimes, though, you have set hours or can’t choose off-times. If that’s the case, going the opposite route is a good idea. Bianculli, recommends trying to “keep a ‘normal’ schedule.” She says: “It’s harder to ‘leave work’ when it’s in your living room, but try not to go back and forth to the computer all night checking emails.”
Take breaks.
“When I was writing at home during my daughter’s first year, one of the most important things I did was take breaks,” says novelist Laura Kenyon. “Sometimes that meant pushing her stroller around the block, other times it meant building block towers or reading Dr. Seuss. Either way, it gave me some time to recharge my brain, my daughter a chance to stimulate hers, and both of us the opportunity to bond.”
Ditch the guilt.
The hard truth is that sometimes, despite our best efforts, working from home with a baby can be hard. “Structure is incredibly important, but the key is to realize that all bets are off. Don't get down on yourself for not engaging with your baby every single second,” says journalist Vivian Manning-Schaffel, whose kids are now teens. “Use Baby Einstein while you're on a conference call. That video series got me through a rough couple of months of working from home. And don't bother feeling guilty — desperate times call for desperate measures.”
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