Entertaining a 13 month old whilst working from home

[Mummysparrow]

My childminder is on holiday for 2 and a half weeks in August and despite my best attempts I have only managed to arrange childcare for 5 of those days with another childminder. All childminders local to me are either fully booked or have holiday in August as well (or both). Not family close by to help and I was hoping to get my 18 year sister to help for a few days (as she loves babysitting her nieces and nephews) but she has recently got a boyfriend so no longer interested in helping.
I work from home a few days a week and few days in office. Hubby is going to work from home when he can (mainly when I am in office) so we have no choice to have her at home whilst we work.
Any suggestions on how to keep a 13 month old occupied without just shoving her in front of the TV every single day (as she will inevitably get bored)? Sensory activities welcomed. I just need to put a plan in place so I can rotate activities that will keep her occupied for more than 5 minutes at a time.
I am really not looking forward to it but really don't have much choice. I can't really take unpaid leave as it will mean I won't have enough money to pay the next month's childcare.

This.

Can you not both take a few days holiday
Are you even allowed to be in care of a child and wfh
We can work from home but cannot be in charge of a young child as well , may get away with odd day if spoke to a manager
Can you work anytimes so work around sleep time at least ? Anyone that can have them even for a couple hrs

Op well no you won't get uc if you earn £1 k in 8 days
But how comes you and your dh/ dp didn't book holiday for the time off ?
When mine were little myself and dh often had different leave to cover the school hols
I know many people who fake same holiday as there childcare provider

Well to answer your actual original question.....

-get up early to start before child's awake
-work during their nap, during your lunch hour and in the evening if needed to make up some time lost
-utilize baby gates for safety and to block off areas

-use tv strategically for times you may have a meeting or be on the phone - oh well that's life, it's only 2 weeks. Don't have it on all the time or it won't hold their attention

have some activities pre-prepped:

-coloured rice sensory bin (just mix food colouring in with white uncooked rice) - add in scoops, cups, little cars/trucks

-blocks + tongs + various vessels - challenge them to only use tong to transfer things

-finger painting/brush painting in the empty dry tub/shower....then bath with toys, perhaps a bath bomb (while you do paperwork/answer emails sitting next to her of course)

-bubbles

-cloud dough/play dough + bin of cut outs/utensils/play dough toys

-pull out a brand new toy

-put out various cardboard boxes

-make a big fort and give your kid a flashlight

-lay down every pillow in the house in one area for jumping/flopping into

-cars + ramps, homemade car wash - cars in salad spinner for example

-pudding painting/eating - food colouring in vanilla pudding pots

-stickers

-put out a tent or any play tunnels

-work in the yard if you have one while they play - maybe put out a bin of mud and some pots and pans, big metal spoons

-put toys away now and pull things out so they are special and new again

We should be supporting flexibility in the workplace and not be so painfully judgemental that someone's child is home for a defined period of time. As long as people organize it so their work gets done than it's fair imo.

Just roll with it and do your best OP.

Same here, you can't do a job and look after a young child, you are paid to do a job not do it half arsed as you are also looking big after your child

Pay your sister the proper rate so she’ll do it or ask her if she has a nice friend who wants the work. If you’re at home there’s less risk involved in someone new being around.
You need to make a really big effort - it’s not okay to work whilst minding your child - you’d have to take unpaid leave.

I am a manager and I am as flexible as they come. Genuine childcare issues with older children who can entertain themselves- I'm flexible and I wouldn't insist on leave being booked. For a very young child, if it was just one day then I would likely let it slide.

You can't look after such a young child and do your work adequately at the same time for eight days. You just can't.

Split the 8 days with your husband, 4 days each. Take one day annual leave (therefore only losing one day for Christmas), two days unpaid and one day splitting/flexing your hours if possible in your job. Or a different combination of the same.

OP, I have looked after DS whilst working from home quite often since he was 14 mo. He's now 19mo. It does vary on the type of job you have and how independently your child can play.

Tips- do as much of the heavy work that you can during nap time. Ie where you need two screens, spreadsheet etc.

Emails - set up on your phone so you can keep on top whilst playing/ taking to the park /soft play etc.

Child proof everything - there is nothing in the living room DS can't touch. Nothing to climb / fall off etc.

Work calls - use TV strategically when on work calls or focusing on something v important.

Work calendar - times which are off limits and you know you can't work eg. Lunch time. Block out that time as busy in your calendar so no one can book in anything.

Organise - work as much and get on top of everything as much as you can before the 2 weeks start. If there's anything that can wait for after the two weeks don't do it. Ask for extensions etc so you're doing only what must be done.

Hope this helps!

Once you have children this is what annual leave is for.

I have two primary aged DCs and me and my DP work from home. We cover the school holidays between us with the odd day of family help.

Yes it means we have less leave to use to take together but it's just what you have to do so that you can do your job.

What would you have done if covid never happened and you were in the office? (Assuming you didn't work from home before covid, apologies if this is not the case)

I am very curious as to where all your annual leave has gone if you don't have any available between now and Christmas. You seen to be skirting this question OP.

Another one who had to do this during lockdown and feeling really angry now that anyone (Boris cabinet of men) thought that was possible

I'm even more angry 😠 that Nicola Sturgeon thought Scottish nurseries should close January to March 2021.

Boris Johnson at least took on board that working with very young children in the house was impossible.

My youngest was neglected during the second lockdown in particular. Neglected. Older kids schooling and work took priority.

And the Op has the cheek to call us judgemental.

Honestly I get your issues but it will be a crap week and there’s not much you no can do but try get through it

i have my daughter home one day a week she at nursery the rest of the time and my husband and I tag team the day - she’s 15 months.

it’s hard work - usually when I’m working she’s banging down the door trying to get in etc

we both usually end up getting most work done during nap time and then we are both working in the night once she gives to bed.

you will just have to let her watch a lot of tv I reckon for the days what can you do!

If your employer knows about it and is happy with the situation then I’d go for it

What did parents do before Covid? They split their AL, they paid for expensive holiday clubs, they didn’t have holidays together, used family, etc.

you can’t work from home with little children. It’s not fair on colleagues who have sorted their childcare out. I would be fuming and would raise it as an issue if I had paid £70 a day for childcare whilst my colleague was allowed to have their child at home for free.

I work in HE, RG University.

Majority of our staff are WFH over the summer holidays to accommodate childcare. There has been no expectations for them to set up childcare, I have in fact heard some people boast about the savings they are making.

I am going to go against the grain here and say I think it is do-able. Can you explain to your employers that you have been let down by your childminder and have looked at alternative arrangements but cannot fill that week? would they be flexible? can you make the hours up later on when they are in bed for example? for what its worth, when Covid hit my youngest was 2.5 (admittedly older than your LO). Its not great but iPad/tablet/phone is your friend and before the Mumsnet people starting jumping saying its unacceptable to leave a child watching electronics for ages it is an emergency.

For what it's worth, I couldn't get my youngest back into nursery on one of their days, after Covid due to them not offering half day spaces and work were fine with that (maybe, I am lucky in that they are really flexible and accommodating). I have had teams meetings, phone calls and managed to get work done. Still managed to play with my child throughout the day, feed them, interact with them. Sometimes they "joined" me on the teams meeting, sitting beside me drawing, playing quietly. Before anybody says it is not fair, hybrid working is not childcare etc etc, you are asking for one week and I know a lot of people who have kids at home when working.

I think there is a complete misconception that employees get more done in the office than at home. In work you have colleagues chatting to you, discussing weekend plans etc etc.

Good luck @Mummysparrow

Completely agree with you @springbreak22

Pay a local teenager to look after her in your house. My dd has done this for friends. They don't have sole charge but can play with them, do a meal/ snacks etc. You are in charge but they are helping you.

Do you know any of the other parents who use the same child minder? Just wondering if anyone else might be in the same position so you could share with them and do four days each of looking after both children.

It's a long shot I know, but it's a suggestion.

Impossible task
there must be some local teens who could attend to baby, play with him while you are in the house- teens love money!
otherwise unpaid leav from work for you or your husband

Apologies - I hadn't read all the comments and didn't realise some people were offering helpful comments :-)

@Iliveonahill , i get your point, we did that pre-Covid and spent a fortune on wrap around childcare, nursery fees and holiday camps but I think Covid has shown that employers have to be more flexible.

A lot of people are talking about "before COVID". Which I feel is irrelevant. COVID happened, and it changed the way we work, and our outlook on life. That is a fact.

You can see OP from all the responses here how bitter people are from using AL, paying through their noses for childcare etc. Misery loves company. They might think it's unfair etc, but it's the reality of the world. Some kids need more supervision than others, some aren't able to work from home, some get stressed very easily.

If you don't have to pay another childcare provider for a short time, and your employer knows, and your job enables you to, then all power to you. You aren't the only one.

I just wanted to respond to those who have taken the time to answer my original question and the ones who have said it was possible.
I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't have to and if I could organise holiday clubs I would but she is too young for them. I have offered my sister a good amount of money but it is enough to entice her away from her boyfriend for a few days.
My colleagues all have older children or no children and are completely fine with me having her at home as they would rather I work then let all the work fall on them for that week.
I have a bit of annual leave but I used a lot at the beginning of the year when my daughter kept falling ill and not being allowed into childcare.
I am going to see if my employer are happy with me doing some of the work in the evenings so help a bit. I know it is doable as I have had to do it in the past, I just wanted some new fun activities for my daughter to enjoy whilst I supervise her but don't need to get involved.

@Mummysparrow these are great suggestions from @FixItUpChappie . I would also add kinetic sand and playdough to the list (made or bought). I remember being in a meeting with my line manager who commented that my LO was being really well behaved and quiet until I showed then the kitchen floor which was literally covered in kinetic sand and then they had helped themselves to an ice lolly from the freezer :-)

As I said previously there is a misconception that employees need to be in the office to work effectively. Covid has shown that it can be done (I know there are exceptions to this as there are with everything)