Top tips for working from home with poorly children
Trying to balance your working life and life can be challenging at times, especially when you have young children to look after. If you are working from home with a poorly child, we feel for you! It’s difficult enough looking after a child when they are feeling under the weather, so trying to work at the same time can be tough.
Here at Tixylix we’re all about soothing your little ones, so let us help you tackle your sick day. Read on for our top tips on working from home with a poorly child or toddler.
Working from home with poorly children
Whether your child is at home poorly, or even if you are working after school time, it can be hard to concentrate with children around, so here are our top tips to help keep the balance between work and childcare!
Create a schedule
Create a schedule for yourself and your child so that you can work whilst they rest on the sofa, or whilst they are occupied with a light activity, such as colouring. Think about your daily tasks and when it will be best to fit them into your day, for example, setting time aside to take calls whilst your child is taking a nap.
This will help you to stick to a routine while being able to be close to your child at the same time.
Be Realistic
Set your priorities for the day and stay realistic! There is no magical system that works for all families, so remember to be adaptable and try to find a system that works best for you and your child. Setting a few tasks that you must complete will help you to stay focused on the key priorities.
It’s important to accept that it’s unlikely that you will accomplish as much as you would in ideal working circumstances - so don’t be hard on yourself!
Try to get support
If you have a partner who is working from home, try splitting the day up so that you take care of your child in the morning and your partner looks after them in the afternoon. It’s a good idea to have a back-up plan and - whether it’s a family member or a friend with flexible hours.
If you have an employer, you can also consider speaking to them to see if you can change your hours slightly to suit your child’s needs. This way, you can work for a few hours when a family member or partner is home from work.
Communicate with your little one
Don’t underestimate what you child can understand, especially if you have slightly older children. Try to set clear boundaries of when you’re available to play and when you’re at work; it will naturally take a little time for children to get used to the idea that if you’re at home you aren’t always free, but trust us - they do adapt quickly.
It’s natural for parent guilt to settle in when they ask you to play or pay them attention - but trust us, you aren’t harming your relationship or them by explaining to them that you’re working.
Have a designated workspace
If you are used to working in an office environment, you may struggle to work from home, even if you do have child support or after your child goes to sleep. It might help to have a designated workspace; try and set some space aside for you to set up a workspace.
It may help if this is also somewhere that you can watch over your child when they are awake as well. And when you are in your ‘quiet corner’ your little one might think twice before they disturb you!
Most of all, don’t feel the pressure to be perfect! Working from home with young children can be really trying, especially when they are poorly. But trust us - you’re not only teaching your little one the importance of work ethic, you are also giving them an amazing role model to look up to. We hope this guide helps you the next time your little one is poorly!
Do you have any tips for parents working from home? Share your tips with us on Instagram or Facebook. And don’t forget, if your little one is home poorly from school or nursery with a dry or tickly cough, our Tixylix syrups can help soothe and relieve their symptoms - shop here.
