Parenting when Working Mothers

Tips for Working Mothers

Being a working mother is not easy. Resuming work after maternity leave is bound to be a very big change for both the new mom and the baby. Juggling work and managing a child at the same time requires a whole lot of planning and organising. To begin with you must start looking out for suitable child care arrangement at least a month or two before you resume work.

Tips for Resuming Work after Childbirth

1. Childcare Options

There are a number of childcare options which you can consider making use of depending upon whether these are available in your local area or not. You must also take into consideration your working hours before zeroing in on any of these points.

Creches - More and more working moms nowadays choose to leave their babies in creches. Many creches are professionally managed and equipped to look after children as young as six months old.

Baby Sitters or Maids - You can consider hiring a baby sitter or a maid to look after your child at home while you are away at work. In this type of arrangement you have the flexibility of fixing the working hours for the baby sitter or maid depending upon your own office hours. You can hire a full time live in baby sitter or a one for day care only.

Relative - Most parents prefer to leave their child under the care and supervision of a relative who is happy to look after their child. A relative is normally someone the child is familiar with and whom the parents trust completely.

2. Working from Home

Many a time new moms are unable to make up their minds and decide whether they want to be stay at home mom or a working mother. What most women do not realize is looking after a small child is by itself a full time job. It requires a lot of hard work and patience to deal with a toddler. Hence in terms of efforts required to be put in, both options of staying at home or working are almost the same.

Staying at home will become necessary in case of women who are not able to make safe child care arrangements for their baby.

Monetary consideration can also impact this decision. You have to factor in additional cost of childcare before ascertaining whether the salary you are earning is worth the effort or not. If childcare is an expensive proposition and your salary just about covers it, working from home may be the best option for you and your child.

How to Spend Quality Time with Your Child as a Working Parent?

Out of sheer guilt most working moms overdo at the home front. This is absolutely uncalled for since working is something you enjoy. Although there may be certain challenges initially your child is bound to get used to both her parents working. On your part you can do some of the following things to spend quality time with your child.

a) After returning from work and while being with your child completely focus your attention on the child. You may need to switch off your mobile phones and computers to give undivided attention to your little one at home.

 b) Make meal times family times and real special for your child. You can get the child to help you cook or set the table. Simple things like peeling potatoes or mixing pancake batter is something that small kids enjoy doing. Make sure to eat meals together at the dining table while chatting about the happenings of the day. Irrespective of whether your child is old enough to talk or understand it is important that she hears and shares food with you.

 c) Make weekends special by doing something which your child enjoys like swimming or visiting the zoo.

In this way you can deal with the challenges of being a working mother. However, as a working mother you must make sure that you are not compromising on your baby’s health, safety and development. 

Child Safety tips for Working Mothers

Dangers lurk everywhere and you may not know. As a parent you can make your child safe by ensuring his safety with proper safety measures. You can help him by being there and guiding him when the need arises. Teaching basic safety tips will be of great help to the child. Ensure your child's safety inside and outside the house with these handy tips.

Working mothers always worry about the safety of their child whilst they are at work.  There are some ways to make the home more accident proof so that the child is safer and the mothers are less distracted. Read on to know more about it.

Mothers will worry about even the safest children.  This worrying feeling seems to be built into her DNA.  You can never protect your children from EVERYTHING, but you would do well to take measures to protect them from certain foreseeable risks.

Safety Tips for Working Mothers of Younger Children

Have a quick look at some helpful tips for the safety of your children when you are not around.

Make you Home Baby Safe
For younger children you may be worried about injury.  Please ensure that your home is baby safe.  It is a good idea to put away breakable items left lying around the house.  Certain cupboards and all drawers should be locked.  There have been innumerable cases of wounded limbs and broken bones because of drawers being opened so violently that the entire drawer comes crashing down on baby's foot.  Do not leave purses and boxes lying around that contain small items that can be swallowed or are sharp or dangerous in any way.

Store the Harmful Products the Right Way
Check that your plants are harmless, non poisonous ones.  You may want to put rubber guards on the bath taps.  Keep household products like detergents, disinfectants and medicines locked up.  Even if your child is older, do pay special attention to window sills and have them barred if necessary.  Children should not be allowed to play with matches or near the gas stove.

Keep the Emergency Numbers Handy
The person looking after your child should, in addition to your numbers and your husband's numbers, also have the telephone numbers of your doctor, the nearest hospital, a neighbor and your closest relative or family friend.The above precautions will help your children, and the person whose charge they are in, to prevent some accident or unlucky calamity.  In the very least they may put your mind at ease and hopefully give you some measure of peace.

Safety Tips in Case if Child is Left with Maid

When child is alone at home with the maid working mothers may get worried when they come across horror stories about child abuse all the time.  Here are some of the tips which can help working mothers to protect their children from such issues

Teaching Basic Safety Measure to the Child
Children are trusting souls who are always being exhorted to be polite and respectful to strangers.  You must somehow teach your children to refrain from needlessly talking to strangers.  At such times they should not worry that they are being impolite or hurting a stranger's feelings.  Please let them know that bad people do not really look as obviously bad as the bad people in movies.  They must never accept candy or money from strangers.   Try to make them understand this without spooking them completely.

Similarly, they should never answer the door themselves whether or not they are alone at home.  They should never allow a stranger into the house nor accept an invitation from a stranger.  They should never go up to a stranger's car nor take rides from unknown people.  Do let them know the importance of screaming loudly when they sense danger.  Although it may be tempting to do so, they should not take short cuts to places unless you have expressly allowed them to do so.  You should teach them what not to say on the telephone, never divulging the fact that they are alone or the details of their address.  You should always carry up-to-date photographs of your children on you.

Teaching Child What You Mean by "Strangers"
You also have to make your child understand who you mean by "stranger".  He may be very familiar with a building watchman, neighbor or driver.  But that does not mean you would like these people entering your home in your absence.  Your child's caregiver must have strict instructions about opening doors and never leaving your child alone.

Helping Child to Speak Openly
For safety in the house, talk to you child about abuse, without putting thoughts into their heads.  Statistics show that the majority of abuse is perpetrated by care givers, not strangers.  You should encourage your children to confide in you.  Therefore, do not scold them if they admit to wrong doing or else they will not admit anything to you.

They must understand that there should be no secrets from mother, even those told by people left in charge once you have gone to work.  You may wish to consider installing security cameras in your home, if you can afford them. You may also be worried about safety on the internet.  Do monitor the sites visited by your child.  Discourage chatting with strangers on the net.  Keep your computer in a common room used by everyone and not in your child's bedroom.

Make it a point to know where your child is at all times.  Even small children should memories their mother's name and cell number.  Your children should know that they cannot leave the home or the school without your permission.

Tips for Breaking the Television Habit in Children 

It is clear that children cannot regulate their own TV time.  It is therefore up to the parents to regulate their children’s TV habits.  The following are suggestions to help wean your child off the TV.

• Find something better to do.  If not the television (or any of the electronic nannies) what else would your child most like to do?
   
• Reward reading.  Reading is an enjoyable past time.  It’s just that your child does not know it…Yet!

• Change yourself!  It is likely that you may have set an example by being very fond of the TV yourself.  Children tend to learn from us.

• Get your child involved with other hobbies.

• Avoid cosy corners for the placement of the TV set.  Place your TV in the living or dining room where everyone can partake of the programme that your child is watching.

• Negotiate limits for TV viewing per day.  Also, make it a fair mix between the entertainment channels and the infotainment channels.

You have now to undo all that you have encouraged in the past.  With a little bit of patience and perseverance, you will be able to convince your child to look elsewhere when he needs to keep himself entertained.

Parenting and Hectic Work Schedule

Children are like valuable treasure; they need to be taken care of. With both parents working, it is very difficult to find time out for the child. This affects the development of the child and it may also show in his behavior. Read on to know how you can increase the bonding time with your child by taking out time from your hectic schedule.

Your daughter and you have a lovely relationship.  You have great times together after you get back from work.  It is just that homework time is spent shouting at each other.  You want to get it over with and she does not want to do it at all.  You are thinking of getting in a tuition teacher to help her with homework. All working mothers feel if they are doing it right or not by getting a tuition teacher. Read on to find couple of solutions for this problem.

Very few children can possibly look forward to homework.  In addition, your daughter may also see her homework as impinging on time that can be spent doing something enjoyable – like hanging around with you.  In all likelihood, the shouting and unpleasantness must double the time taken to do the work making her resent it even more.

Find the Root Cause behind Shouting 

Examine why the shouting starts.  Are you being too strict or inflexible?  Is she avoiding doing it altogether or just postponing it?  Are there times in the day that she is more agreeable to finishing it?  Are there certain subjects she resents more than others?  If you can change the circumstances under which the homework is being done, you will be able to improve the situation.  Talk to your daughter when she is in a good mood.  Let her suggest ways in which homework can be done without any negativity.  Try out different tactics, making it fun or interesting.

Get a Tuition Teacher if You Cannot Manage 

If all else fails, you could consider getting yourself a teacher to come in and help her.  Agree between your daughter and yourself whether this should only be a short term measure.  Set yourselves a period after which you will review the need for the teacher.  There have been many instances of mother and child relationships blossoming once the homework – studies issue has been delegated to someone else.

What to Do When Both the Parents are Working Late?  

My husband is a restaurateur and I am a doctor.  We both work very long and odd hours.  Our careers are important to both of us.  Consequently, though we try to juggle our schedules, we really are not spending too much time at home.  Are we being terrible parents?

Your husband and you both need to understand this.  You can find great help and delegate the job of bringing up your children, but the final responsibility of bringing up healthy, happy children lies with you two. 

Make Sure that Children are Looked After 

Given that you are both not at home very much, you have to somehow ensure that your children are adequately looked after.  Presumably, you have marvelous help, who will wake your children, feed them, send them to school and all their classes, help them with their studies and problems, supervise their social schedules, brush their teeth and put them to bed.  And love them.  And encourage them when required; cheer them up when they are down.

Children can do remarkably well with very little attention from their parents.  However, the two of you are spending some time with them albeit after juggling your schedules.  Make an effort to make the little time that you spend with them count for something.  Ensure that they feel loved and wanted.

You could make the weekends special.  You can also take time off for a long annual holiday.  Do make timetables so that there is no confusion as to when your presence is needed. Very tight schedules lead to some amount of stress.  Do take care that this stress is not passed on to the children.

Spending Time with Children on Weekends

Spending time with children on weekends is the best stress reliever. It helps in connecting with the child and also is a great bonding time. Make the most of your weekends and holidays with our unique ideas and suggestions. Read on to know the ways of having a whale of time with your children.

Are you a working mother? Would you love to make the most of our weekends and holidays? Here are some suggestions just for you.

Children really look forward to the weekends and holidays so that they can be relaxed,  and can do whatever they like without a strict schedule. (Just like you!)  So do not give in to the temptation of filling these days with back to back activities.

Spending Weekends at Beaches or Hill Stations 

It is a wonderful idea to do weekend getaways to the beach or to a hill station near your town. New surroundings and new adventures are always good for children. When traveling, always carry something to eat and drink for your children as they are not likely to be very understanding about traffic and delays. You should also take your children’s favorite book or toy to immerse them in when they need to unwind or you need a break

Making Short Outings with Kids on Holidays 

Of course it is not possible to hit the highway every holiday. There is plenty to do even at home. If you want to head out, you can make a trip to the zoo, to the museum, to the garden, to an amusement park, to a water park, to a playground with all kinds of equipment. Children are excited to go anywhere.

Entertaining Children on Weekends 

Depending on your children’s interests, you can catch a show of some kind. There is the circus, dog shows, puppet shows, exhibitions of paintings, photograph and sculpture, cricket and football matches, plays and movies.

Playing Some Outdoor Sports with Children 

You do not even have to head out too far. You can take you children down to the compound or to the nearest open ground and teach them cycling and skating. If possible, you can go swimming. You can play hide and seek, catch, cricket or football with them and they will appreciate this forever. 

Telling Stories and Doing Craft Activities 

Even at home, you can tell stories to your child, paint pots, dance to music or simply horse around. You can bake a cake, plant a tree, make a house, have a tea party, do a puzzle and play a make believe game. You can sometimes call a friend over if that will make your child feel special. You can go for a drive or walk to the nearest ice cream store.

Discussing Life with Children 

Another great option of spending weekends is rather than going out just sit and talk at home and do nothing. This will refresh the mind and will also help in staying connected with your child. You will be aware of what’s going on in the daily life of your child.

As there is no work stress for parents on weekends, it is the best time to spend as much time as possible with the children. There are also some unique ways of spending the weekends with your children. Attending classes or parenting workshops on positive thinking or on stress busting is a great idea. These classes will be very useful in this cut throat world of competition. 

Time Management Tips for Working Mothers

You are an organized person at work.  But when you get home things tend to be chaotic.  In spite of your planning there always seem to be things to do at the last moment.  Here is how you can manage this well.

Analise your Schedule
You have to give yourself and your schedule a good, hard inspection.  What is it that is leading to such chaos?  Is it the children's schedules?  Is it the cooking?  Groceries?  You can simplify almost any complicated chore.  For instance, if you are doing groceries whilst rushing back from work, you are wasting your time.  For one, you do not need to go to the stores more than once a fortnight.  Two, reintroduce yourself to your phone, which can turn into your friend in need.  You can call for almost anything to be delivered to your door today, from salt to refrigerators.

There are mothers who even shop for birthday presents over the phone.  Three, welcome to e shopping.  Even if you ultimately purchase what you need by going to the store, a lot of your homework on available products and prices, even holiday planning, can be done on the net.

It would help to set out your priorities.  What do you want to be doing when you get home?  (Be realistic - a movie and spa just is not possible!)  What are the things that are important for you to do immediately?  What are the things that can wait until later, or another day?  Get the main things done.

Make a To Do List
Make a list.  Lists are wonderful things and can help you to simplify your life.  Make a daily list and a weekly list.  This can help you identify whether you can do more than one task together.  For instance, you can return library books on the way back from dropping your daughter to class.  You can sew the torn uniform while waiting for the milk to boil.  (Why are you boiling milk?  Do you feel strongly against processed milk?)

Avoid Switching the Television Set On
Do not switch on the television set.  Once it is on, it will be the biggest waste of your time!  Yes, you do need a break, but the television route takes up too much time and makes your brain shrivel.  You need your brain until the children are in bed.

Divide the Work Amongst Your Family Members
Get everyone involved.  Enlist the help of your kids to finish wherever they can help.  Give each person some responsibility and hold him accountable for it.  Match each job to the person.  If your husband is the sort who is raring to leave the house, you can send him out on an errand.  Your older child can peel vegetables whilst on the phone.  Your younger one can lay the table.  Ask for outside help in case you still need it.  You may also want to use the services of a part time maid to get through certain chores.

Tips for Reducing the Household Workload

When you get home from work, you find that most of my time is spent is spent in a blur of chores.  Your family never seem to get the time to enjoy yourselves.  Here is how you can spend a relaxed evening with the family by reducing your workload and get all the pending jobs done.

Try to Make your Kids Self Reliant
A good way to make together time more meaningful is to make your kids more self reliant.  This way, when you are together as a family, you are not running around doing things for everybody.  By doing everything for them you are making them shirk responsibility and increasing your work needlessly.  Ask yourself which of the things you are doing should correctly be done by them.  Sometimes mothers stay up till the wee hours finishing their children's projects.  This is clearly work that needs to be done by the child, who should be able also have to bear the consequences of work not done.

Assigns Simple Tasks to Your Kids
Even little ones can be expected to dress themselves, wear their shoes, comb their hair and eat their own meals.  These things may not be done as well as you can when you help them or as tidily.  But, leaving them to do these jobs will, over time, reap rich rewards... you will have more time on hand and they will learn to get things right.  You just need to take a deep breath and find that well of patience.

Start with Small Assignments
To begin with, start with the small jobs, moving on to the bigger chores only once you feel they are ready.  Give responsibilities to your children and hold them accountable for them.  The children too, feel a sense of importance knowing that they are being depended on.  Allow them to set their own goals.