How do you keep your kids busy when you are trying to work?

[Breanne]

I have a son whose 3 and a daughter who is 8 months. Sometimes I find it hard to keep him busy when I have to be on the phone or even just be on the computer. I think he has gotten use to having all of my time and now I have to split it up among them, work, cleaning, and whatever. Usually I try to set him up with some PBS tv and some toys while I try to work but that only will last for so long. Any ideas?

[Marlo Boux]

Breanne;

I feel for you my friend - I have a 2 year old and another due this late October and keeping them busy IS tough. I basically save non-negotiable "no interruption" moments like business calls for nap time only.

I set up a play station right next to me in the dining room and have my 2 yr old play toys a long side me so I can interact with her and she feels like she is still around me. I guess having the flexibility to take mini breaks to attend to snacks, read stories, and some impromptu play keeps her happiest.

Sometimes Barney goes on the TV or I put on a CD in her room and she dances with her stuffed animals.

All the best to you,

Marlo

[Audrey]

It's really hard to keep young children quiet for more than a few minutes. When my kids were 2 and 3, I could use a video for a while, if I needed some phone time, but you just never know when they'll come running in the room needing you/your attention.

If "quiet" is not your goal, then toys/games to play with, near you, while you work, worked well for me.

Marlo...is the baby due early in the month or later? I'm a late October baby.

[Marlo Boux]

Audrey;

I am due October 30th :) So I guess this one could come anywhere in the last week of the month, or be late :eek: and be an early November baby.

My two other children are born in March so this is a new experience for me to have one born so late in the year.

It's going to be beautiful this weekend here (finally!) I can't wait for my pool to warm up enough so I can go for a daily dip. Our summers are so hot and humid here - it will be a necessity as I get bigger and bigger LOL. I hope it will keep me in relatively good shape as well :)

What time of year were your children all born?

[Audrey]

My kids were born in April and June. It's actually nice outside right now. However when I got up this morning, I had to put the heat on in the house, we were freezing!!!!

[Angela Porter]

I have one daughter who is two. I feel for you trying to contend with a toddler and an infant. I can't imagine. Elmo is my savior. He goes on repeat very often. When Elmo fails, I do what my daughter calls the "betcha game." I'll say, "I betcha can't stack those blocks ALL THE WAY up to that chair," or "I'll betcha can't find all the BLUE beads in this jar," or "I'll betcha can't put ALL your toys away before this timer goes off." This, of course, ends with her screaming, "MOMMY, I DID IT. MOMMY, LOOK IT, I DID IT," at the top of her lungs while jumping up and down until I acknowledge her, so it's probably not the best game to play if you're constantly on the phone. It's just mostly my way of distracting her from wanting me to take her to the park or out in the yard when I'm forced to be inside connected to the web while I meet a deadline.

I am lucky that I do most of my client contact via email. I reserve phone calls for nap time, but I rarely have to spend more than 30 minutes per day on the phone. I'm also lucky that I can take a lot of little breaks most of the time, and I can usually get a day's worth of work done in about four hours - so the rest of the day is for her.

When my daughter was younger, and I had less time to work (loosely translated: nursing every hour tended to interfere with my typing - go figure), I stayed up late after she was asleep to get my work done. I am lucky to have that flexibility. I don't know if you can do your work whenever you want, or if you're confined to a day shift. But, I really recommend either getting up early or staying up late. Even an hour every few days really helped me get more done.

[Audrey]

If your child is in preschool and meeting other kids, swap play dates. On the day your child is playing outside the house, you'll get a lot done and on the day the kids are playing at your house, there might be noise, but you'll also have time to work, as your child will be entertained and playing.

[Nanci5]

It's funny, I'm betting this is something our mothers didn't have to think about..
When my daughter was first born, and I was working from home, I was doing the late night shifts with computer work, and making phone calls during nap times. But because she took short naps, I was only able to make one or two calls at a time.
I ended up having to hire help, either to care for the baby or do some of the "work" while I took care of her. Luckily I had a sister in law who was finishing college and unemployed at the time, and loved being with her neice.
When she got to the "play age", 2-4, I got a "computer" for her. At that time, there were only a few computer games for that age. But setting her up at her own desk, with her own computer gave me at least an hour or so of being able to get some of my own computer work done. And she loved it, "working with mommy".
As she got bigger, and understood what it was I was doing, we upgraded her computer and connected it to mine. And I made her an "employee" with data entry and filing tasks. She did real well, sometimes better than me, and over time - about a year of it- even figured out an easier way for me to do my job. Little miss smarty pants. And, now she's the computer wiz of the family, at 11 years old.:work:
The year she started kindergarten, I took off, so I could enjoy really being a mom. When she started full time school, I went back part time and tried to be in the classroom as much as possible.
As they advance in school, the teachers don't really want parents in the classroom. Time to let go. That was HARD.
No matter what, be grateful for the experience and opportunity to be at home with them. It goes by SO FAST, and next thing you know you'll have more than enough "kid-less" time. You might even miss these moments - REALLY!:crybaby:

[Angela Porter]

Nanci, that's a really good idea about the computer. I work on a laptop, but I have an extra desktop computer that I could set up next to me while I work. My daughter isn't three yet, but I'm sure she could maybe play some games. Thanks for the idea. :)

[Audrey]

Nanci,

My daughter also was working for me, doing data entry at a very young age. She was quicker and made fewer errors than the high school girl that was working for me.

[Heidela]

Here's a list of things that have worked for me:
1) put a bowl of cheerios on the floor, & they will usually either take them out & put them back, hide them, or eat them.
2) puzzles!!!
3) put washable crayons, markers & paper out (alot) and let them draw.
4) popcorn. (when they are old enough)
5) get a high school kid to play with them after school for a couple of hours.

-Heidi
www.faboographics.com