Working From Home While Fostering Babies: Tips for Success
Fostering little ones is both challenging and rewarding. Babies and toddlers require an immense amount of your time and energy. Remote work gives you the flexibility to provide care for a child while still earning a living, but it also comes with unique challenges.
It may seem impossible to balance your work obligations with your foster child's needs. However, you can nurture a child while achieving your professional goals with some planning and tips.
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Connect With Support
Find others who have similar situations to you. Statistics show that more than half of all child maltreatment cases involve children under six. You gain many benefits when talking with people who understand being a foster parent or juggling work and baby schedules. You feel less alone, gain access to resources and information, learn tips and tricks, make friends and build new skills.
Design Your Space
Carefully plan your workspace to ensure productivity. Dedicating an area of your home for work tasks helps you focus. Ensure you have the tools to accomplish your jobs and stay organized. Keep your room neat and clutter-free to eliminate distractions. Set up a safe space for your little one to play nearby.
Schedule Your Day
Strategize for success by sticking to a schedule as much as possible. Get up early to accomplish tasks before your little one awakes and plan meetings or phone calls during nap time. Designate time to give your child undivided attention. Toddlers and babies thrive when they have a routine, and you will get more work done, too.
Provide Play Opportunities
Ensure your foster child has toys, books, and other forms of entertainment while you work. Allow them time to listen to music, watch a program or play an educational game. Rotate items every few days to give them something "new" to play. Consider swapping babysitting services with another parent or arranging for childcare on certain days of the week.
Structure Freelance Work
If you have a freelance career, it is up to you to stay on task, gain clients and collect payments. Use software and other online tools and resources to simplify processes. For example, you can ensure you get paid on time by creating a professional invoice system.
Earning a Business Degree to Improve Job Prospects
Earning an online business degree can dramatically increase your job prospects and benefit your career in countless ways. Through engaging coursework in subjects such as accounting, management, economics and marketing, an online business degree adds value to your skill set that can be leveraged for promotions or higher salaries at current job positions. This is a good option to consider for busy parents who prefer to learn at their own pace.
Create a Self-Care Plan
Attending to your needs can quickly go by the wayside if you do not incorporate them into your agenda. Neglecting self-care can adversely affect your mental health, making your work and parenting tasks more challenging.
Be diligent about getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, and taking time to destress during the day. Take breaks outside with your child, practice deep breathing techniques, or call a friend for a quick chat. Designate specific days off each week and set boundaries with coworkers and clients, so you do not fall into a habit of working around the clock.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Caring for your foster child while working at home requires planning. Prioritize your workload to tackle essential items with a singular focus. Schedule deep work during times when you have minimal distractions. Turn off your phone, snooze notifications, and stay away from social media while you finish job tasks.
With strategies in place, working from home while fostering little ones can give you the best of both worlds. If you create a schedule, design your space, earn an online degree, and remain flexible when the plan goes out the window, you and your child will benefit.
Author: Emily Graham
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