WFH (teleconference meetings) with baby

[Jadefeather7]

I know a few people with school aged children who are working from home. The kids are busy with e-learning, activities, tv etc. However I don’t really know anyone whose doing it with a young baby.
I have a 10 month old and no childcare starting from this week. DH and I both have jobs where we have 3-4 meetings every day. We will try to ensure our meetings don’t clash and see how it goes this week.
Is anyone doing this and how are you managing?

We have a 5 month old. I’m technically on mat leave but have had to keeping in touch days due to my position ( quite senior and need to understand strategy when go back). Husband also has a range of meetings and advice phone calls ( he’s an accountant do there have been loads of queries). Put yourself on mute when not speaking, apologise at the top that they may hear squealing and try not to have overlap meetings.

We have an 18mo and 3yo and are both wfh and trying to manage meetings. We compare diaries to check for clashes and then review those to work out which might be more important (or whose meeting my better tolerate hearing the kids when we have to speak/be off mute) really key ones well if one of us is that important to the meeting then we see if it can be rescheduled.

It's hard work but I've been on plenty of calls in last week where we've been able to hear (or see) others kids. We all know it isn't ideal
but everyone is doing the best they can

We have a toddler. What sort of worked last week was for me to log on 8-9, sort emails, assess my day, then do childcare until lunchtime, and then work lunchtime -6/7pm. Catch up at weekend if needed. I can't do any work with a toddler around - my work involves serious thought and concentration, or conference calls, and she just clambers all over me / screams. The only thing I managed to do at the same time as childcare is an online training session. My boss is fairly understanding and it helps that both me and my partner do a 9 day fortnight, so we each have at least 1 full day to ourselves every 2 weeks.

People are being much more understanding about kid interruptions during wfh these days.

One thing that helps us to block off time in your calendar so people don’t automatically schedule meetings for you. Agree on a schedule with your DH and then obviously someone can contact you to schedule a meeting outside of your published availability, but it makes it easier to manage your day.

I have a one year old and due back at work this week. DS was supposed to be starting nursery tomorrow. DH still has to go out to work. So just me and baby.
I spoke to my boss and he said ‘just do what you can’ and I’ve explained to him that this is literally nothing. He just laughed as if I was joking.
DS doesn’t move anywhere or play by himself really so he needs constant attention. People say oh just pop him in front of the tv, but he has no interest in that either.
Basically I have no idea what’s going to happen so I’m following with interest!

We're doing this with a 19 month old. I've had to say I can't do the full workload at normal times (husband is flexitime, but has some core hours). We've now as a business switched to an output over hours approach and a lot of us are doing things out of standard hours once our littles are in bed. Far from ideal, but it is a sort of workable compromise.

I have quite a few colleagues with small children, some with older ones and others with none. We have all been wfh for 2 weeks now and it breaks the tedium. We all understand that sometimes things aren't going to be perfect. So be it we are not in normal times. Personally I love seeing kids pop up, babies being cuddled, stroppy teens being grumpy - it makes my colleagues more human. We are going to be a closer workforce when this is all over.

Unfortunately none of my team have kids!

We have a three year old and there is no way we could work with him the background! So we are both doing half a day each and then swapping and that seems to work well. I really don't know how anyone with small children can do anything else. It allows us to properly work too rather than being logged on but constantly distracted

We've a 3 yr old with 2 school age. I just 3 day & we compare diaries & take turns to go to the home office & Frozen is on repeat! But there's times we clash & 3 yr old in & out. What can we do productivity down for sure it's very hard to focus when a 3yr old running about. But have been on loads calls in the past 2 weeks with screaming kids in the background. If my boss or my Dh boss unhappy then maybe they can suggest a solution?! They don't want us to take parental or resign at the minute either as it's busy & we are experienced. So we just doing best we can.

I have a 2 year old, it's impossible to work in the same room as him, he wants to be up bashing the laptop. Me and DH figure out what meetings we have on and work around them taking turns with son. Thankfully he still sleeps for a 2 hour nap where we both work like crazy!

I'm WFH with a 3 year old. It's a fucking nightmare but I've got to make it work so I've just got to suck it up.

When I have a scheduled conf call, I tell my 3 year old we are playing a game and she has to be very quiet like a little mouse. I give her a Fab lolly and put that squealing Wendy on YouTube.

I then cross my fingers.

9/10 it works. Last Tuesday, she told the Business Excellence Director for Europe that she would like a unicorn. He laughed bless him.

Start the call by letting everybody know you have a baby with you, he/she might cry - you've got it under control.
As soon as you're not speaking, mute yourself. If the baby is breastfed, give him/her a feed.
Some calls the baby will be calm and perfect, others he/she will scream the hoise down.
It will be fine. Good luck.

I'm doing it with a 2 year old. On Friday she told a VP that mummy farts and eats cat food.

Only one of those things is true.

I just try to take turns with DH, but being in possession of two xx chromosomes means that I seem to be doing the majority of the childcare.

It must be even harder with a 10 month old.

At least with a 3 year old, you can kind of reason with them by way of tooth decaying bribes and YouTube but with the best will in the world you can't bribe a 10 month old.

Plus they are just starting to be mobile and are positively suicidal.

You will defo need to map calls with your DH and take it in turns. I feel your pain OP. I feel it hard.

Really feeling reassured and less alone reading this thread! I have a 16 month old, working part time but three days where me and my husband are both very busy with back to back meetings and calls - I work in a fairly critical civil service role (can be done from home) so things extremely reactive at the moment and my plan of trying to do out of hours or work for specified chunks of the day not really working - I have to just pick up live issues as they come in. Means I’m often leaving my husband in the lurch and we’re both frequently managing calls with a shouting toddler in the background but it’s just what we have to do to make it work right now. People are understanding so far but it feels very precarious and we have to get a better system in place! I’ve seen other people’s toddlers pop up so feels like we’re all in this together. It’s a tough age though!

The other option that has worked for me, because we’ve moved to a 7 day a week rota (because of the response to events) is I can do a weekend day so that means my OH can do childcare. So don’t know if that would be an option! It’s all very hard and not at all ideal, but I keep trying to think of all those who are having to make far bigger sacrifices at the moment which keeps me going to a degree. Good luck, you can do this!

People are being much more understanding about kid interruptions during wfh these days.

I agree.

Kids are popping up in Skype calls all over the place (as are pets!) - this applies to even the most senior people in my organisation as a child is still a child! Just mute when you can, make people aware and get on with it as best you can. If you can block out some time or try and avoid clashes.

My son was announcing that his favourite toys were onions, and has previously told a very senior manager when he needed a wee.