Working from home means being flexible about your office space. Dreamstime

Working from home with kids can be a balancing act, but having activities planned for kids will allow for more time to get your job done. Dreamstime

Alye Duncan is the local mom behind Things To Do In Charleston social media pages. 

Decorating the garage door with Magnatiles will keep kids busy while you're trying to work from home. 

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Working from home means being flexible about your office space. Dreamstime

While 2020 found many parents working from home with little ones in tow, we gained a whole new slew of skills worthy of our resume - writing a report with a toddler-band banging on pots and pans on the floor beside you, adjusting your camera to breastfeed a fussy baby during a ZOOM meeting, swooping a small toy out of your toddler’s mouth while on a call with a client. working from home with kids can be the hardest work you do.

For some, the work-from-home trend has stuck, and now it’s time to embrace the messy-but-meaningful benefits that the flexibility of working from home provides. From baby proofing to working during naptime to having plenty of snacks and activities at the ready, Lowcountry parents have found tips and tricks for wearing two hats at once - parent and professional – and creative ways of making working from home work.

Alye Duncan is the local mom behind Things To Do In Charleston social media pages. 

Alye Duncan, the mama behind the popular Things To Do in Charleston social media pages, has mastered the balancing act of working from home with kids. Her list of fun activities to keep kids busy during work hours is impressive. “Freezing tiny toys in a Tupperware overnight and then taking it outside with some sort of pick or plastic hammer to get the little toys out [safety goggles and shoes required]; playing ‘sink or swim’ with toys in the kitchen sink; all kinds of arts and crafts, painting the fence outside with water and a big paintbrush, playdough, yarn and big beads [for stringing], stickers; Magnatiles on the garage door was a huge hit; blowing up balloons from the dollar store; lots of popsicles; having snacks out, like bowls of fruit, that they know they can have anytime - these are some activities [my kids] have loved that let me get some work done!” Duncan goes on to say, “Know that you are going to be taking lots of breaks. Patience is key!”

Here are a few tips for working alongside your little one:

Find time you didn’t know you had. Get up early and get an hour or two of work in before the kids wake up. Hustle during naptime. Squeeze in another hour or two right after bedtime. When you add up the found pockets of time around your child’s daily schedule, there will be less pressure to get it all done when the little ones are awake and ready to play.

Design a “YES space” for your mobile baby or toddler. Magda Gerber, founder of the RIE parenting philosophy, emphasized the importance of cultivating a YES space for babies and toddlers. What is a YES space? It is a completely baby-proofed room (or space enclosed with a large play yard) that contains developmentally appropriate play objects for the child to safely explore independently. Gerber was known to ask, if all of the adults had to leave, would the child be safe in the space? When your little one is in their YES space, you can breathe easy at your desk knowing they are safe.

Working from home with kids can be a balancing act, but having activities planned for kids will allow for more time to get your job done. Dreamstime

Don’t forget about your little one’s work too. “Play is the work of the child,” says Maria Montessori. Yes, your work is important, but so is your child’s. Providing plenty of interesting toys and activities that meet your child where they are in their development ensures this need for the work of childhood is met. Consider trading toys with friends periodically to keep things interesting, or create your own “busy bags” with fresh, educational activities to keep your little one learning while you earn.

Pencil in daily special time with your little one. Special time is a practice recommended by many parenting experts to maintain a strong attachment bond to your child. Children might feel lonely or neglected at times when they notice their parent’s attention is divided. They might even communicate this in ways that look like misbehavior - before you get frustrated, consider that this is actually a bid for connection with you. Carving out time for special time each day - even just 10 minutes with each child individually - can make a huge difference in filling your child’s emotional cup so that the “separation” of you being occupied with work (yes, your child can feel separated from you, even if it is only your mind that is away from them!) might not feel like such a big deal.

Decorating the garage door with Magnatiles will keep kids busy while you're trying to work from home. 

Plan for interruptions. To state the obvious, position yourself so that you can keep your little ones safe as you work. “I move around from my office in the front of the house which has no door to the living room table so that I am available,” shares Duncan, describing her work set up. “My children [ages 5 and 8] know not to interrupt if I’m on a video call and are usually pretty good about that. In general, if they interrupt I just quickly help them.” Simone Davies, author of “The Montessori Toddler,” recommends working with your child to learn how to interrupt an adult respectfully, and discreetly, which could lend itself well to parents working from home. Practice interrupting with your child - invite them to walk over to you and silently place their hand on your arm or shoulder. You can place your hand over theirs until you are available to see what they need.

While some days will be harder than others, remember that with a little planning, you can meet your deadlines and meet the demands of your family.

Be sure to follow Alye Duncan @thingstodoincharleston for ideas about what to do when your work day ends.

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