Working from home with a 1 year old?

[Janedoe95]

Is it possible? Or completely unrealistic.

I work a 9-5 but I’m lucky that my job is more task based I’ve only been back to work a week but have managed to get all my work done using nap time, bedtime and sending the odd email whilst DS is distracted.

is it unrealistic to think I can survive like this for maybe 6 more months hopefully by the time DS is 18 months or even two it will be easier?

im only in my office two days a week so was initially planning for DS to be in nursery 3 days but the prices have just gone up and it’s so expensive!

I'm on almost 28K which I thought was a fair salary to have a baby on but 5 days a week would cost me nearly £2000 a month! Which is obviously more than I earn.

i think I’d probably be better off on benefits staying at home with my baby whilst my partner works but I’d be completely reliant on my partner and then have no pension too.

(my work do know my baby is around when I work from home some days as I breastfeed but they also don’t expect me to be looking after him and working so “legally he’s being watched by someone else”)

I really don’t know how other women do it especially single mums the I’m 26 and the majority of mums I know my age don’t work and others are having babies mid to late 30s and 40s

I really don't get those posts. Surely you are either honest with your boss or deceiving them but trying to convince yourself it's ok. It isn't.

Either you tell your boss that you are looking after your baby and doing work during nap and evenings and they say that's ok, or they say it's not ok and you don't do it. Simple!

She works a maximum of 2 hours a day and earns 500000000000000k a year 😂

They're also much easier to wfh with. My fantasy children never need urgent help when I'm in the middle of a zoom call.

Has someone reported Brooke/Cheryl/Polly?

What a twat.

MusicstillonMTV 🤣

They are also never sick, never skip a nap and happily sit quietly reading the encyclopaedia at 14 months all afternoon while you work.

It wouldn’t even be allowed by my employer. They don’t allow you to work from home with children under 12 in the house unless there is another adult there with them.

Even in places where it is allowed, it’s not fair on other colleagues who may have to pick up more of the slack because you are unavailable because the baby needs something. I’m all for flexible working and some employers do treat their employees appallingly but if they are paying you to do a job, you should be doing that job as they expect it to be done.

Completely agree.

I WFH and did so during lockdown with an 18 month old. Juggling naps, endless snacks and general demands on my attention while working left me exhausted.

I have a job that I’ve done for 10 years and could do with my eyes closed. However trying to do it with one eye on a toddler was unbelievably stressful. Left me feeling like a crap employee and a crap mum. I get that you think you can clear your calendar for the day, but the reality is that someone will call while you’re away changing a nappy or arguing with them about the way you cut their sandwich.

If you decide to go ahead, I’d have some contingency plans in place. Are you on a team that uses MS Teams or similar for queries/discussions through the day? Is their an expectation that you reply to chats/emails immediately/within 30 mins (and how quickly do you respond in the office, as they might notice the difference on WFH days and assume you’re watching TV causing a different set of issues!).

I do think this expectation plays totally into the get people back into office cos they aren't working thought
You need to get child care not fair on your baby yourself nor the person paying your wages

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