Working from home and scared that LO will be bored

[MGardner]

My LO is 4 months old. I'm a working mom (not by choice), but FORTUNATELY I am able to work from home 2 days a week. I was so sad when I returned to work after my maternity leave and I missed my LO so much. I cried everyday and finally threatened to quit and made the compromise to work from home parttime. Now I get to spend 2 extra days with my DS and only leave him 3 days a week! BUT...I still need to work while I am home these 2 days. For the summer my sister comes over and takes care of him while I get work done. But she is a teacher and in September she is back to school. At that time, the 3 days while I am at work he will be in daycare, but the other two days it will be up to me to multitask. I am scared of two things. 1. that my work will suffer because I will have no time for that when caring for my DS. 2. That my DS will suffer since I won't be able to show him as much attention as he gets now and he'll have a lot of individual play during those days. I don't want his development to slow down. And I do not want him to cry out of boredom as I need to work! I am preparing by changing my office into a office/playroom. We have everything in there, the swing, an excersaucer, a jump and go, a bumbo seat and a play gym. I have plenty of baby einstein videos, toys, books, cd player. But I was thinking that each week i want to introduce something new to keep it fresh and exciting for him. I am very nervous for this time to come. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can keep him entertained while also working on the computer all day? Do you think I am going to hinder his development and he would be better off in daycare where people can focus more on him? I just want to be with him and I feel like I have to make this work somehow!

[courtneyandmiles]

I've taken my Dd to my family-owned dept. store since she was 3 mos. or less. she's 10 mos. now.  I had bouncy seats, swings, a sling, there's jumpy things for doorways, exersaucers, playpens.  No matter what you do w/ your lo, as long as you're consistent and routine, he'll come to expect it.  You can try it out, and if it's not working, bring someone in for a few hours while you're home so you're still together, but you have help.  I get lots of work done during naps, and during independent playtime, which is very important to foster.

[GG]

I always thought how ideal it would be to be able to work from home while taking care of little ones. However, after watching the nanny shows on TV and reading articles about this arrangement, I've come to realize that it's not the most ideal situation. Many times during the day, especially if there are phone calls involved, you simply need to choose one over the other. I don't know if a certain age (younger vs. older) is easier to deal with in this situation; I think each age has it's drawbacks. The fact that he'll be sleeping during naps will definitely help while he's young but don't forget you'll have to do wind-down for each nap. Is it easy to arrange meetings around them?

I agree with courtneyandmiles... you may need to bring someone in to watch him for a few hours a day.  However, I suggest looking for someone now. It'll take time for your lo to warm up to that person (not to mention you needing to figure out if he/she is the right person). That way, if/when you need them, they'll be available.

HTH!

[Grace's Mom]

My lo just turned four months on Wednesday.  I work from home everyday (part time).  When Grace is awake I feed her, give her about 20 minutes or so of mommy and baby flirt time and then she has independent time and I work then, I also work while she is asleep (when she stays asleep  ).  The more independent time she gets the more used to it she gets.  Your lo will get plenty of stimulation other times during the day and especially the three days he is in day care.  I wouldn't worry at all.  Independent time is so important and you will be so thankful that you lo has acquired the skill of independent play as he gets older.  And, at this age they really don't get too bored with the same toys everyday.  Enjoy!!!

Melissa