How to Work From Home With Kids

Hi, I’m Jessica!

I write the blog, According to Jessica, where I share tips for Traveling With Toddlers, Camping With Kids and Airbnb Design. 

My husband and I have been working-from-home with our 2.5 year old and 14 month old since our oldest was 3 months old. It's not always flawless, but we've learned a few tips and tricks along the way. 

1. Wear sound canceling headphones to cut down on the noise while you work. 

Let's face it, kids are loud. Sound canceling headphones are great to cut down on the noise while also allowing you to hear a meeting, podcast or informational video while you work. They're great if you're having a meeting while your kids are around.

2. Set up entertainment stations for your kids. 

When my kids were babies we had to get clever about how to care for them while also working. We realized pretty quickly that they'd be distracted by an activity or toy for a while and then get bored. To entertain them, we started setting up "stations." For little ones, a station might be a pack 'n play with balls, or an activity center. The stations have changed with age but our now almost-three-year-old has a train table station, play kitchen station, block station and coloring station in rotation right now. We keep smaller toys like blocks and coloring supplies in labeled plastic pins. He gets to have one bin at a time, and when he's done, we ask that he packs it back up before we give him another bin. 

3. Use naptime for meetings and calls. 

We schedule meetings and calls around naps so we know there won't be any crying happening in the background. Having a schedule in place has really helped us all on this journey. 

4. PLAY HARD on your lunch break!

We like to use our lunch breaks to play really hard. If the weather agrees with us, we typically take lunch outside and let the kids run around so they get out as much energy as possible before nap time. On Fridays we like to take them on a lunchtime outing to a park, the library or just for a walk. The change of scenery is great for all of us and they usually nap longer when we've been out together. 

I hope these quick tips are helpful. Our process is not perfect by any means. The fact is, working-from-home with your kids, is hard. Sometimes they're talking in the background of a work call or I have to stop what I'm doing to change a diaper, but the pros far outweigh the cons.