By Sara Bailey
As a single mother, you’re already used to doing it all. However, that doesn’t make working from home any less of a challenge — especially when you’re caring for a baby, toddler, or all of the above. In addition to getting your work done each day, your little ones need to be fed, bathed, and changed — and your toddlers are busier (and more independent) than ever. But with these three tips you’ll learn how to stay happy, healthy, and sane while managing to juggle it all!
1. Care for Your Health
As a busy single mother, the idea of caring for yourself may seem almost laughable when you have little ones at home, piles of laundry to be washed, meals to prepare, and a stack of work to turn in before the end of the week. However, taking the time to care for your health — whether that means preparing a quick but nutritious meal, exercising for a few minutes each day, or increasing your water intake — will boost your physical and mental wellness, and make you a better mother to your children. Plus, your children will be more likely to develop healthy habits if they see you practicing them!
But even if you can’t devote a ton of time to wellness each day, supplements and protein powders can help you to achieve your health and weight loss goals. As an example, if you’ve struggled to lose weight since having your children, a weight loss product could help you to burn fat, boost your metabolism, increase your energy levels, and improve your mood. Many supplements can be consumed in pill form, added to smoothies and juices, or mixed in with meals.
When choosing a supplement, it’s important to look for products that have been designed specifically for women — as many weight loss supplements are created for men. What’s more, some weight loss products contain ingredients that are unnecessary for women (like testosterone). But before starting any type of supplement, be sure to run it by your doctor.
2. Dress for Comfort
As a work-from-home mom, you’ll make life a whole lot easier if you dress for the day’s activities — which likely means sitting behind a desk, breastfeeding or pumping milk, chasing after your little ones, and caring for your young children. And this is where comfortable (yet stylish) leggings, nursing bras, pajama sets, lounge pants, and basic tees and tanks come in. You can even find hands-free bras and tanks for breastfeeding or pumping while taking phone calls, reading and sending emails, and checking some other items off your long list of to-dos!
3. Juggle It All
In addition to caring for your health and dressing comfortably (and practically), a few hacks can help you to balance your many parenting duties with working from home. Here are some tips for juggling it all while working from home as a single mom:
- Let your baby sleep in a bassinet or portable play yard close to your desk.
- Hire a virtual babysitter to entertain your little ones when you’re in need of a short break.
- Babyproof your home office so your little ones can play independently as you work.
- Work whenever your children sleep, even if that means catching up on work-related tasks after the kids go to bed at night.
- Use helpful gadgets like wireless headphones and a wireless range extender to simplify the remote work experience.
- Alleviate meal planning stress with a grocery or meal kit delivery service.
If you need a helping hand, don’t shy away from using free online tools like CareCalender. With CareCalendar, you can organize the assistance you need — whether it’s help with meals, groceries, housework, or errands.
Final Words
As a single mother with young children, working from home is hard. However, these three survival tips will help you to stay healthy, happy, productive, and sane while balancing childcare with working from home. As a strong single mom, there’s nothing you can’t do!
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