Having the opportunity to work from home with no childcare is an amazing privilege. Not many other generations have had the chance to live and work remotely with their children by their side.
Thanks to advancements in technology, there are many jobs that can be worked from your phone or computer. Many online jobs help keep food on the family’s table. There are many different jobs for stay at home dads and mums. Some parents teach online others trade online.
If you could go back in time and describe to your great-grandparents what you do, and how you do it. Understanding would be unimaginable. The big questions would arise when you start discussing parenting. Here we will discuss how it’s very possible to work from home with no childcare.
Table of Contents
Can AI help me work from home?
AI can be incredibly beneficial for individuals working from home. Here are several ways AI can assist you in your remote work and save you valuable time:
Virtual Assistants
AI-powered virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant can help you manage your schedule, set reminders, answer questions, and perform various tasks, allowing you to stay organized and focused.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
NLP enables AI to understand and analyze human language. It can be used for tasks like email filtering and prioritization, automated customer support through chatbots, and summarizing lengthy documents, saving you time and effort.
Task Automation
AI can automate repetitive and mundane tasks, such as data entry, report generation, and file organization. This allows you to focus on more complex and creative work, improving productivity.
Collaboration and Communication
AI-powered collaboration tools facilitate seamless communication and teamwork among remote team members. These tools may include chat applications, project management platforms, and video conferencing tools that enhance productivity and streamline workflows.
Intelligent Document Management
AI can assist in organizing and managing documents by automatically categorizing, tagging, and indexing them based on content. It makes searching for specific information faster and more efficient. Data Analysis: AI algorithms can analyze large datasets quickly and identify patterns, trends, and insights that would be challenging to discover manually. This can help you make data-driven decisions, optimize processes, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Cybersecurity
AI plays a crucial role in detecting and preventing cyber threats. AI-powered security systems can identify suspicious activities, detect malware, and protect your digital assets while working remotely.
Recommendations
AI algorithms can analyze your work patterns, preferences, and behaviour to provide personalized recommendations. These recommendations can range from suggested tasks, to relevant articles, learning resources, or even potential networking opportunities.
Remember that while AI can enhance productivity and efficiency, it’s essential to strike a balance between automation and human involvement. It’s crucial to leverage AI as a tool to support and augment your work, rather than relying on it entirely.
How do I work from home with a toddler (1-3 years old)…without childcare
Working from home with a toddler without childcare is a job on its own, you may have to switch up your schedule and working area to accommodate your toddler’s preference. Having lots of toys and distractions around the house can help keep your toddler distracted and entertained, but usually not for long. Human interaction can never be replaced, and hopefully never will!
Parents that work from home with a toddler, without childcare – need to be creative and think of different ways to work and find tactics to keep getting stuff done and move forward. Below are some tips on how you can simultaneously utilise every minute of the day to get work done while also looking after the toddler and making sure he/she is happy.
1. Taking every opportunity to sleep
It would be great to work simultaneously while your kids are around, but in reality, this isn’t always possible. Sometimes you have to take advantage of a situation and work as soon as your kid places their head on the pillow. We use this time to finish projects that require complete focus and concentration, It’s amazing what can get done in a set time frame. From experience you can predict how long your child will sleep for, however, no day is the same and when working with children around, it can be very non-linear. Every child is unique and that is what makes every child special. Sleep should never be forced onto the child just so you can get work done.
2. Move into a different room
It is great to support your partner if you both work from home. The best thing to do is to communicate with each other daily, weekly and prioritise. When you know the basics of each other’s schedules, you roughly know what to expect for the day ahead. If one of you focus on work, the other can play with the Toddler. Moving to a different room helps separate work time from playtime.
Managing workflow and time prevents arguments from happening. Responsibility relies on yourself and your partner and you both need to take accountability for what happens in the day.
3. Seeking Extra Help If You Need It
You may think working at home means you can skip child care and save a few quid, but you’ll have days when you need help because both of you are snowed under in jobs.
Usually, the best people to look after your children are family. If relatives aren’t available, the next best choice is to ask a good friend for a favour. Finding a childminder, nursery, or daycare are also great options. Just plan and research what to do ahead of time, so when the time comes you can ring a few numbers and arrange something. Your toddler may even find this rare transition exciting.
4. Keep the Toddler Busy
It’s better if you and your partner take turns in playing with the toddler. Set aside a few different toys each day that your kids can play with. Books are a fantastic way for you and your son/daughter to interact over. Setting up your day so your toddler looks forward to certain things, helps with the day ahead. It’s a good idea to try and keep to a schedule. We have a two-year-old. Below is yesterdays schedule as an example, however, no two days are identical:
| Time | Schedule |
|---|---|
| 6:00am | My partner starts the day and starts working from home |
| 7:00am | I and Toddler start our day |
| 8:00am | We all have breakfast |
| 9:00am | I and Toddler tidy up the house |
| 10:00am | I and Toddler watch TV for 30 minutes and then play with toys/read books |
| 12:00pm | My partner stopped working, we all have lunch |
| 1:00pm | Toddler sleeps for 2 hours, I start working from home |
| 3:00pm | Toddler wakes up, has a drink and snack and then independently plays with toys |
| 4:00pm | Partner finishes work: Reads books/plays with the toddler |
| 5:00pm | I stop working, We all walk out to a nearby restaurant |
| 7:00pm | We get back home and have drinks/desserts/snacks |
| 8:00pm | Shower time |
| 8:30pm | Bedtime |
| 9:00pm–1am | I start working and plan for the next few days. |
5. Items that help us get work done with a toddler
All good parents who have to work remotely have one thing in common, and that’s keeping an eye on their kids, especially toddlers.. because they have so much energy! The list below features a collection of items that help us every single day.
The best camera for working mums and dads
This Xiaomi home security camera is super affordable and excellent for seeing and hearing what’s happening in the home when you’re not present and to keeping an eye on the baby when he’s in the room next door sleeping 💤. The 360 degrees rotation is excellent and along with the infrared-backed night vision and motion detection, you cannot go wrong! This device can be completely controlled by your phone and recorded when necessary.
Splish, splash, splosh, splish, splash…Dance, dance, dance in muddy puddles…
Peppa Pig is a life-saver. We survive by carrying a Peppa Pig toy everywhere we go. It works wonders for our little boy. Every child is different and likes different things, Maybe your toddler prefers Thomas and Friends or Ben and Hollys’s Little Kingdom. When figuring out what your toddler prefers, just sit back and get those jobs completed!
Standing desk
Standing while working, instead of sitting in a chair, stops the toddler trying to climb you. It also allows you to reach your child quickly if he or she starts to put things inside the plug sockets! Many standing desks can revert to a standard desk, which is great for giving you the choice of sitting down.
Breast pump
More suitable for babies and young toddlers. But, with a quiet, portable breast pump, you can pump breast milk while at the computer or even on a phone call.
Amazon Prime/Netflix/Youtube
This point is slightly controversial, as some people keep their kids busy all day with the TV, Others rarely use it and say it damages their child’s eyes among other things. We personally only use the TV with the toddler in case of an emergency and only really switch it on once a week for around an hour to really get some important work finalised or to take a call.
Is working from home with no childcare worth it?
If you can work remotely with no childcare, it’s definitely worth it! But, working from home with no childcare is not for everyone, it takes a certain type of person. Many people wish they are able to spend more time with their children but are unable to do so.
The secret is to utilise all the free time you can get for phone calls and for doing those tedious jobs that need your full attention. You may have to work early mornings before your child wakes up and/or work late in the evenings when your child falls asleep. You may even have to work at the weekend to get tasks completed.
Looking after a toddler with your partner while you are both working is tough and work-from-home burnout is something to be mindful about. Looking after a toddler on your own, without a partner, is extremely hard work, and nearly impossible – In many cases, it’s not fair on yourself or your child. Try to get some help and utilise the other people around you.
Once you master working from home remotely with your toddler or family members, you may even start to consider adding some travelling into the mix! Have you ever considered working remotely from Thailand or Melbourne?
