How I Work at Home with an Infant

Since 2020, I’ve been blessed with having two children in two years. While I didn’t have a daycare plan for my firstborn, I figured that when I returned to work after maternity leave in March, it wouldn’t be too hard to find a sitter to help watch my son while I worked. (Ha! Hello, pandemic.) A na?ve soon-to-be mom, I imagined my baby would nap a few times during the day and I could work during them. That didn’t work out how I intended either.

After baby number two, I was ready to start working again when he was about 10 weeks old except my sitter fell through. All to say…I figured out how to keep my freelance business afloat while working part-time and taking care of an infant and a toddler.

5 Tips for Working at Home with an Infant

If you’re in a similar situation or think you’re going to be, here’s what worked for me.

1. Embrace the art of working during a short nap.

I used to think I needed 45 minutes to write. Then I had my firstborn and I never knew if his nap was going to be long or short. I learned how to make do with the time I had. I had to focus and just write when he went in his crib. I almost always got a lot more written than I thought I was going to. Here are some productivity hacks for parents who work during naptime.

2. Write a first draft quickly.

When I sit down to write, I gather my sources and try to get everything down first and then edit.? Write first, edit later. You’ll be motivated by seeing something on the page. Edit it another day.

3. Figure out what work you can do with children around.

If you’re willing to do work while your kids are awake,? determine what “light” tasks you can easily do with lower levels of concentration. Here are some suggestions:

• Potentially updating your LinkedIn profile or connecting with new contacts on the app.
• A few quick email responses throughout the day.
• Conducting research and saving URLs on your phone to read later.
• Retweet, share, or comment on a few social media posts throughout the day.
• Draft a blog post or LinkedIn article via voice memo or recording app.

4. Know your most creative hours.

I try to maximize my most creative time and productive time, which is the morning. That's when the caffeine from my second cup of coffee hit my veins and brain (I think). When my oldest is in daycare three days a week, I schedule a sitter two mornings a week for the infant so I can get work done. This is when I prefer to write.

Avoid scheduling calls, social media, skimming emails, reading articles, texting friends and family, or anything else that slows you down. (Yes, this means chores, too!) Do “deep” thinking, and creative work when you are the most focused. Arrange for childcare during these hours, if you can.

?5. Try to “let go.”

It can feel stressful knowing children may wake up from a nap in the middle of the call, or be fussy while I’m trying to participate on a call. I? try to give video call attendees a head’s up that I don’t have a sitter due to illnesses or scheduling conflicts so I might need to turn off my camera, mute myself, or they’ll hear a noisy toy in the background that is keeping my little guy occupied. Luckily, people are generally okay with it. Anyone who’s a parent of a young child and has worked from home during the pandemic “gets it” to some degree.

I used to feel more anxious about this type of situation, but I’ve learned that all I can do is my best—giving the clients what I can and being a mom who works from home and doesn’t always have childcare.?

I chose to be a freelancer because of the flexibility, so I could be with my children and keep my career afloat.?

When you find yourself feeling stressed about working from home with kids around, just take a deep breath and tell yourself you’re doing your best.

What are your best tips for working at home with a young child?

Learn more about how many hours freelancers work each week.