It can be tricky for moms who work from home to keep their babies occupied for a while so that they can get a few chores done. Babies are especially problematic to occupy since they require constant supervision. However, you can follow these simple tips to stay organized and keep baby busy while you need to work or prepare dinner.
Simple tips on how to keep baby busy while you work
There are various ways on how you can keep baby occupied while you’re working. Have you considered buying a walker for carpet that allows baby to stay safe and move around in close vicinity? These are especially useful when baby is crawling, and their next big milestone is learning to walk (although it’s important not to rush this process as babies learn a lot from crawling).
Try these sensory activities for infants
- Make a fluffy bin – you can fill up an empty inflatable baby pool with various stuffed animals.
- Make a ball pit – you can fill up an empty inflatable baby pool with multi-coloured balls. All kids love balls and the more colours, the better.
- Sensory bottles – you can really get creative here and this activity is a sure winner. Fill bottles half-full of water and colourful pony beads and other trinkets. You can use anything that will mesmerize your little one. Ensure the bottles are properly sealed. Glitter and confetti characters work especially well for sensory bottles. You can make different ones and allow your imagination to run wild.
- Plastic containers – go through your Tupperware cupboard and give baby a selection of different sized containers and measuring cups to stack or nest.
- Sensory rattle – you can also make a sensory rattle with snacks for baby. You can take a small plastic container with a lid and fill it up with edible snacks. Kids love taking stuff out of containers and putting them back.
- Early Threading – Use a strainer and different coloured pipe cleaners. Place the strainer on the floor with the bottom on top and pull pipe cleaners through the holes and leave baby to explore and pull the pipe cleaners out.
- Drumming – Place some pots and pans and kitchen utensils like a wooden spoon, whisk and spatula on the floor and see what baby gets up to with them.
- Posting – babies love to post things into other things. You can also use kitchen items for this. When they are small they can start with big items and big openings, as they grow more dexterous the “postbox” opening can get smaller and smaller.
Tips for busy Moms to stay focused
Planning and prioritizing
Plan your weekly activities and menus in advance as well as drafting a priority list for handling our professional and personal life. Be realistic about setting your goals to avoid feeling overwhelmed if things don’t pan out as it should.
Delegating
It’s impossible to do everything on your own. Ask family members, friends and your partner to step in for a short while so that you have a chance to take a breather. Also, you might want to consider additional help or putting your baby in day-care even if it’s just half-day.
Learning to be content
Don’t place too much pressure on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to other moms because everyone’s situation is different. Hang in there, you’re doing the best you can.
Compromising
Sometimes your day will not go as planned and you’ll have to postpone projects to focus on parenting. Acceptance and mindfulness are key to enjoying these moments. When you’re with baby, stop and be in the moment.
Time management is the key to achieving success
It is essential to create a system that is less time-consuming and allow you to get through your workload a little easier. Take cues from other mompreneurs on how you can manage your time better between family, parenting and work. You don’t have to give up on either. You just need to manage your time a little better.
Wishing you all the best as you try out these tips. May you get lots more work done now that you know how to keep your little one occupied and stimulated.
Do you have any hints and tips of your own to share? Pop a comment below this post.
