Working from home comes with plenty of benefits—no commute, no uncomfortable workwear, and no need for daycare! At least, that’s what a remotely employed parent with young children at home may be led to believe. However, just because you work full-time (or even part-time) at home doesn’t mean daycare should be completely ruled out.
Navigating your responsibilities as a parent and an employee can be tricky, and it can be hard to give each of these roles the right amount of attention. Read on to explore the benefits of daycare as a parent who works from home, and how to decide what option is right for you.
Can I Take Care of My Kids and Work From Home?
The short answer is yes—if you work from home, technically nothing is stopping you from taking care of your child at the same time. However, just because you can do both doesn’t always mean that you should. There are the obvious benefits to watching your kids while working: you don’t have to pay for daycare, you get to spend more time with them, and you know they’re safe in their own home.
However, daycare is still a helpful option for parents who are employed remotely. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed or hesitant to send your child to daycare just because you’re home all day. 62% of children under 5 are enrolled in some form of center-based childcare, and studies have even found that working from home without sending your children to daycare can actually jeopardize your mental health.
Why You May Want to Consider Daycare if You Work from Home
Children Require a Lot of Attention
As a parent to young children, you know they require a lot of attention. They’re growing rapidly and trying to make sense of the world around them, and as a result, need proper amounts of care, love, and nurturing to help their development. And while you’re more than capable of providing them with all that, the reality is that having a full-time job and being a full-time parent isn’t easy.
Daycares have a required teacher-to-child ratio in order to ensure your child gets the right amount of attention. Most young children can only entertain themselves for an hour at a time. Luckily, at daycare, they don’t even have to. They’ll have the company of a dedicated caregiver, as well as their peers, to entertain themselves!
Your Work (Unfortunately) Also Requires a Lot of Attention
Depending on your job, you’re likely expected to be available around eight hours a day. Your child also wants your attention for eight hours a day—and likely more! Unfortunately, you can’t concentrate on both. Sending your child to daycare allows you to focus entirely on your responsibilities at work. This can help your overall performance, job satisfaction, and relationships with your coworkers or boss.
It also means that you can get all your work out of the way during working hours, so that when your children come home from daycare, you’re able to devote yourself entirely to them! Your little one will likely appreciate your total attention for a few hours in the evening as opposed to the little bits you’re able to spare throughout the day.
You’ll Be Able to Complete Other Parental Duties
Watching your kids while working from home doesn’t just mean you have to take the time to play with them. You’ve also got to make them meals, put them down for naps, give them baths, make sure they use the bathroom—the list goes on and on!
When you enroll your child in daycare, all those small, daily duties are handled for you. That means you’re able to devote extra time during the work day to finishing other tasks, such as folding laundry, getting groceries, or tidying. All these things can pile up between work and watching your children, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and fall behind. With the help of childcare, the load becomes a little easier to bear!
Social Interactions With Peers Are Good for Their Development
An important element of childhood development is learning crucial social skills, and one of the ways to accomplish this is through frequent interactions with peers. If you keep your child at home while you work, their only opportunities for socialization will be with you or their siblings (if they’re also of an age to stay home).
At daycare, your child will be exposed to children of different ages and backgrounds. They’ll find friends in unlikely places and get to practice their social skills every day. Socialization at a young age has been proven to help children develop better self-esteem, build resilience, and become more autonomous later in life.
How to Work From Home With Children
If you still decide that you would rather watch your kids while working from home, that’s okay! As the parent, you know what’s best for your children. Everyone’s situation is different, and you may find that working from home while watching your little ones is the right thing to do. If that’s the case, try these tips to make it easier on yourself.
1. Let your coworkers know.
When it comes to your boss and coworkers, we have good news: they are all likely going through the same thing with their own kids! Everyone is trying to figure out how to navigate family life and a full-time job.
Take the time to explain your situation to your coworkers so they know what’s happening when you’re offline. Make sure to mark on your calendar when you will be taking breaks or if you will be starting work early or late. Communication is key here!
2. Communicate with your kids.
If you haven’t already, sit your children down and try your best to explain to them what “work” is. It’s important to remember that they don’t really have an understanding of how you work and what your responsibilities are. It’s important for them to know what the average day is going to look like right away so they can understand what is expected of them.
Over time, they’ll get a better feel for when you’re available and when you should be left alone. It might take a little while before those new rules really sink in, so make sure that you exercise patience as best you can. At the end of the day, they’re still young kids, and they’re just excited to spend time with you!
3. Set a schedule (and stick to it).
In order to make working from home with your kids as easy as possible, you should try to make every day as similar as possible. For younger kids especially, that means structuring naps, meals, and playtime at around the same time every day.
Whatever that schedule is, make sure you stick to it. This may mean you have to get comfortable saying “no”. For example, you may have to say “no” to a coworker who wants to schedule a meeting during lunchtime, or say “no” to your toddler who wants to play during a work call. It’s important to be assertive in order to keep your day running smoothly!
4. Try to see the bright side.
We would be lying to you if we said that this was going to be a piece of cake all the time. There are going to be times when you get frustrated, mad, and overall feel stressed and exhausted. But that’s just the reality of raising young children while working! Try to focus on the good parts, not the bad parts, when you’re feeling overwhelmed by it all.
And most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help! Even if you choose to watch your kids while working, there can still be days when they go to a friend’s or relative’s house if you need a break. You don’t have to do it all alone!
Contact Cornerstone Academy for Childcare Services in Kenosha
If you’re a working parent interested in exploring daycare options for your child, contact us today! We’re happy to schedule a tour of our facility or answer any questions you may have. We offer both full-time and part-time enrollment options, and specialize in social and language development through art, movement, imagination, and (most importantly) play time!
