AIBU to dread DH working from home with a toddler underfoot?

Could you drive him to the office and collect him later?

Otherwise compromise all round - he can’t get cross from toddler disturbance - perhaps try a bit of if we leave daddy to work he can’t have lunch with us - closed bribery etc

Whyever would you go out all day, every day? Don’t people play with their children at home any more? I used to spend hours on the floor playing with my daughter when she was little, reading with her, and drawing. There was never once an issue with her disturbing my husband when he was working. She lived it when he came out of his office to make a cup of coffee or for lunch but other then thst she always knew he wasn’t to be disturbed when the office door was closed.

Oh I totally get that but at the moment it’s all new to the little one and telling her that daddy is working won’t stop her trying to get into the room just now. Probably by the time she gets used to it, he’ll be back in the office!

I didn’t go out all day every day when mine were toddlers and DH worked from home. We spent a lot of time at home baking/playing with toys etc. There is no need to be out all the time, she just needs to keep reinforcing to her child that daddy is busy working.

So you explain it to her. ‘Daddy is working and can’t play at the moment. He will play when he has finished work’. And redirect.

It’s all very well people saying just go out but that’s easier said than done all day, every day!
Could you drive him to the office and pick him up again if it becomes a real issue?
I do agree to just tell your little one that daddy is working and he’ll come and have lunch/dinner later.

It’s not about forcing her to sleep, you’re just coming at every single comment from such a negative angle. Her not sleeping could easily be a positive as there’s no disruption to a nap routine!

She’s not used to it now but she will become used to him wfh very quickly.

Get her out of the house a lot.

My husband worked from home during my daughter’s entire childhood and it was never an issue. She knew from a very early age that she didn’t go into his office when the door was closed because he was working. I didn’t take my daughter out every day and we spent huge amounts of each day playing with her toys, drawing, baking etc and it was never an issue.

We printed out a stop sign when that was on the door - it meant no entry.

I know she is 2 but 2 years should know and accept that No means No.

My DH works from home on a Friday so I know what you mean, it feels like every time he coughs the two year olds remembers he's there and wants to play. He can open the doors so we've got a toddler door lock from Amazon (just sticks to the handle kind of thing) so he can't go busting in in the middle of client calls. DH works downstairs so I try and play with DS upstairs in his room or in the garden, obviously I try to schedule trips out - we do the grocery shop on Friday, usually go to the park, it try to arrange to go to a friend's house. It's not easy but it's lovely to have lunch all together and have DH home and ready to play as soon as work is done :)

Get her out of the house a lot.

Argh that’s brought back some awful memories. At home with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 year old, DH working from home and absolutely nowhere for us to go except our 1 permitted walk a day.

Two year olds are a pain in the arse at the best of times, so I get it.

The obvious starting point is to make sure you have background noise on all day to drown him out. Radio or something else aural if you don't want screens.

You just have to manage it the best you can. If he is on the phone/Teams a lot she is going to hear him. Have you got decent separation i.e. him upstairs and you downstairs? Keep the radio on where you are and watch more TV than usual to muffle the sound.All have lunch together so she can see him and play for a while, then when he goes back to work, you head out to distract her. These things are just part and parcel of parenting.

Ah @Velumental said it better!

Well not ALL day of course, you could do up breakfast as normal.. 10am.. out to park/walk,..
12pm home; lunch, nap
3pm… out to library/soft play etc.

its only a few weeks!

Can't you go out. Would you normally stay in all day. Can you swap nursery days, swap your work days

She's 2, it's a few weeks, look at play areas, softplays, local playgroups, kids museums. Swimming pool, make it a get out and do stuff period. When my husband wfh it was only an issue in COVID because we couldn't just go do stuff. Other than that we did playgroup in the morning. Home for lunch, softplay in the afternoon, home for snack. Library or dog walk before dinner. Day done.

I think you’ll be fine. Just be firm and keep repeating.

Just tell him to be quieter and make sure the doors shut.
DH works from home a bit and I’m here with our 2 preschoolers, it’s not really an issue.
He’s here for longer in the morning, then goes upstairs when he “goes to work” and then they see him later. Often the 2 y old will be asleep during lunch and 4 year old understands he’s working at home so is here to eat lunch with her and have a short play but then he goes back to work.

I think you might be overthinking it.