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Permalink Reply by Jen Marie on April 2, 2013 at 2:27pm

I think alot of people do this while the child is sleeping. I would love a job like this lol. mainly because once children start school you can work while they are at school and then when they are home you can do things with them and after they are asleep you can do a little more work at least that is how I understand they work. I could totally be wrong though.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Cash Hanson on April 3, 2013 at 5:21pm

LOL I can totally relate :) I have a 2 year old. I'm a Huggies Grant Winner for my www.SnuggWugg.com ( a diaper changing pillow with a smart phone option ) I'm launching and I coach women in business and bloggers.

My daughter does the same thing. Every time I'm on the phone she starts getting louder.

The only solution really is to keep giving him different things that occupy him or take all the calls before he wakes up or when he's napping.

I give Matilda playdough. Playing in water in the sink helps too. They love that. But it's definitely hard. For me I normally tell people I have a toddler at home but for a customer service rep I'm not sure that would work out.

Good luck :) 

Lisa

www.MompreneurMogul.com

www.SnuggWugg.com

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Permalink Reply by Karina Mendez on May 4, 2013 at 8:55pm

I am a work at home mom as well and I have a daughter who has yet to go to school so she basically around me 24/7. I feel your frustration, and sometimes it even makes me feel bad that I work from home yet I cannot seem to spend as much time with my daughter as I want to. I am lucky, though, to have a husband who also works from home, and since I take on more work than he does on a daily basis, he takes care of our toddler while I'm busy at work.

Svetlana (that's my daughter's name), has an iPad that she busies herself with sometimes. Maybe that could help? Although of course you have to mix it in with other activities like that suggested by Lisa (Playdough) or my daughter's preference this summer: swimming in her mini-pool. Giving him pencils, papers and crayons can also help, as well as Lego blocks and other toys to keep him entertained for the day.

I hope that helps :)

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Permalink Reply by Therese Miller on May 13, 2013 at 12:53am

I just visited your website (www.MompreneurMogul.com) and I am loving what you are doing. I am starting an online community of working mothers who can sell their products or promote their services online. I want up to 100 mothers to sign up before I do an official launch in September. Is that somethings that you would be interested in: http://www.momfirms.com

In regards to my work from home phone job... i have put myself on vacation for a while because it has become a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. At least in a few years I will be able to do it again. 

Thanks for the response.

Lisa Cash Hanson said:

LOL I can totally relate :) I have a 2 year old. I'm a Huggies Grant Winner for my www.SnuggWugg.com ( a diaper changing pillow with a smart phone option ) I'm launching and I coach women in business and bloggers.

My daughter does the same thing. Every time I'm on the phone she starts getting louder.

The only solution really is to keep giving him different things that occupy him or take all the calls before he wakes up or when he's napping.

I give Matilda playdough. Playing in water in the sink helps too. They love that. But it's definitely hard. For me I normally tell people I have a toddler at home but for a customer service rep I'm not sure that would work out.

Good luck :) 

Lisa

www.MompreneurMogul.com

www.SnuggWugg.com

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Permalink Reply by Lea on June 13, 2013 at 6:14pm

Hi Therese, 

I have had a similar experience. When I started working from home, my older two were school age, so they learned quickly how to work around my schedule. I now have a 2 year old and much has changed for me - in regard to work at home - in comparison to before he was born; even with a teen homeschooling and my husbands help.

I actually started making adjustments around my due date. I changed the type of accounts I accepted and then also started a direct sales home business. Both together take less time and more money. I am free to chat on the phone no matter what he is saying or up to because if they do not like it, they can email. Same with stopping what I am doing to do what our toddler wants. 

Maybe consider transitioning to something that will work better for you.

If that is not an option, here are some things that work for us:

ABC Mouse - he is not so great with the mouse, so I have to click but he will keep the earphones on and do it.

Cars - we acquired a used collection of cars (all different size though small) - he loved them. He will spend over an hour lining them up and then rearranging them, etc. 

Blocks - Good old fashioned wood blocks work well. From the little square alphabets to various sizes. Once he was shown how high and remarkable his large towers could be ... Blocks really help.

Coloring / Creative Activities - He colors at his high chair (yes, we still use it because he will still get up with food). he is right next to us and supervised, this helps him to color nicely and quietly during calls where we need that time.

Train Table - We searched and watched for a deal on Craigslist and boy did we get one. He loved it and if we set up the track fresh (cause he knocks it down at times) and in a different design, he will play with that for quite a while.

Breaks - When you take breaks, if he is more energetic that day, make that a time of physical play because everyone needs exercise and boys have a lot of steam to blow off. Power walks, tumbling, etc. We have a mini trampoline for our son, too. On calmer days, sit and read, do puzzles, etc to show him that those down times are still times where he should behave.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Spell on March 7, 2014 at 3:40pm

Yes it is challenging. I have 2 little ones here. I try to get as much work as I can in while they nap or have quiet time. It's hard because they are both very energetic and nap times are becoming less and less now. I explain to them if they do not take a nap to have quiet time for about an hour then I will play with them. I try to get as much done within that hour as I can. It usually works out most days and I try to remember why I'm working at home in the first : to be with them. I am also exploring doing online facebook events after they go to bed, so if anyone is interested in helping me test out a few online events, please let me know :-)

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