This is a sponsored guest post.
Are you struggling to balance your work life and parenthood? Life as a working parent and that too if you have a new-born baby can be extremely challenging. You fail to prioritize and often get lost between the two.
According to a study, Americans with children under the age of 18 are more likely to report feeling stressed for having not enough time than those without children.
What is work-life balance?
Well, before we understand how to balance work and parenthood, one must be aware of what actually means by work-life balance. In short, working parents have to be excellent at managing their time. If you want to excel at work, raise your kids to be amazing individuals, live a healthy life, and also family time – you need to learn the art of managing work-life balance.
I know, it feels extremely overwhelming and you feel clueless about where to begin. It is not just you but a struggle of most working parents with a new baby. To help you, we have enlisted some great tips to help you achieve a perfect work-life balance.
1. Setting up a common calendar
The very first thing you must start with is by having access to each and everyone’s schedules during the course of the week. Now, assign the tasks to everyone in the family considering this calendar. This helps create a perfect sorted plan for the week as to who is going to pick up the child from the caregiver and at what time.
The calendar must be designed so that the caregiver is updated about you and your baby’s schedules. Make sure, the calendar has all the necessary details specified in it including who is taking the baby for the doctor’s appointment and who is responsible for his/her playtime.
2. Don’t compromise on child care and caregiver
While you are away at work, your child needs the best possible attention. Thus, make no compromises while choosing a caregiver. You can go for a nanny, a big daycare center, or a home daycare. Irrespective of what you choose, make sure you have done a comprehensive research and invested only the best.
It is also equally important to keep a healthy relationship with your caregiver irrespective of whether it is nanny, babysitter or daycare teachers and administrators. This gives you a check on your child’s progress report and also gives you an assurance about your little one’s safety and well-being.
3. Get the required support at your workplace
The first day you get back to work, you must enquire about all possible support you can get from your workplace. Start by asking whether you will be allowed to work from home at times when your little one is ill. Also, on days of doctor’s appointment, will you be allowed for an in-between break from work?
You must be aware of the employer’s baby bonding policy, paternity leave policy, sick leaves, and unpaid leaves. This is in order to make sure that during days of illness or emergency you can plan things smoothly.
If you have to breastfeed your kid at your workplace, then make sure you are well prepared for it. Dress accordingly so that it is easier for you to breastfeed. You must enquire about places where you can comfortably breastfeed your little one and if there aren’t any in your workplace, communicate this to your employer.
Other than that, if you can carry your baby to your workplace, make sure you have a car seat or a baby capsule from Maxi Cosi to ensure smooth and safe travel for your child.
4. Create a bedtime routine for your little one
Create a bedtime routine for your little one. This is one way to ensure that your baby has a good sleep cycle. Also, many babies do not sleep at daycare or with a nanny which also makes them overtired. If you put them to sleep at the same time every night, it will not only ensure multiplied energy during the day but will also keep them jubilant.
Keep a track of how long your child sleeps at the daycare or with the nanny. If your little one did not sleep properly on a day, try to find out the underlying reason behind it and put your baby to sleep early that day.
Over to you…
Now that you are aware of the best tips of how you can balance work life and a new baby, nothing can stop you from being the best parent at home and also the best employee at the workplace.