Back to studies after babies? Share your hacks for managing studies and parenthood! - £200 voucher to be won

[EllieSmumsnet]

Balancing parenting with career or educational goals can be challenging, but that’s where flexible online studies can be a game-changer! With tailored schedules and distance learning at your own pace, online courses make it possible to build new skills alongside parenting. We’d love to hear how you’re making it work! How do you fit study time around naps, playdates, or bedtime routines? Have you found ways to stay organised and motivated, or tricks for keeping little ones entertained while you study? Share your best hacks below to help others balancing online learning with parenthood.

• Post your stories and tips in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 VEX voucher for a store of their choice.
• Don’t forget to vote in our poll below.

About The Open University:
"At The Open University, we recognize that many mothers feel they must choose between supporting their families and advancing their careers. However, with our flexible, remote study options, they don’t have to make that choice. Our accessible learning model allows mothers to balance education with family life while receiving dedicated tutor support.

We also offer a range of financial support options, including childcare grants and the Parents’ Learning Allowance, to help manage study costs.

To discover how The Open University can empower you to advance your career, visit https://www.open.ac.uk/. Start dates are available as soon as February and April 2025. Remember, investing in yourself and your skills is not just a personal pursuit—it’s a valuable step towards a better lifestyle for you and your family. #FindYourMumentum"

Discover our guide to re-training with The Open University here.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

I've just gone back to do a part time university course. We are having alot of play dates at weekends so my kids are happy playing with friends and I have some freetime to study

My top tip would be a really open discussion with your partner in advance about what you will need in order to study. For example, I needed my partner to take annual leave to look after our baby for a couple of in person study days, and also needed to agree a couple of hours per day undisturbed study time on the two weekends prior to each exam. If it isn't discussed in advance, arguments can easily happen when you least need them!

I'd also recommend taking time to form good relationships with any other students on your course, as sharing study notes is great especially if you have to miss a session due to childcare.

I did a OU Accountancy degree around playdates, grandparents, nap times (once DS was in a routine). Short bursts of studies do work as long as they are regular and you are not overtired.

My tips would be to have a study timetable it worked for me. If your timetable is visible, you can plan your day around it.

Might have been sensible to link this to the Mature Study and Retraining board …

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

I am another advocate for a study and revision timetable, so everyone knows what you are doing - AND having a good support network of grandparents, siblings and trusted friends - my best friend was also studying around the same time as me, and we would take each others babies for the morning so we could study and write revision notes and do mock tests. (We both passed)

I have looked at OU courses in health and social care, term times, I have looked on-line for the course books I need (pre-loved) set up a study area in the box room, and I will set a timetable for studying, exams, coursework deadlines and the holidays of the GPS so I know when they are not available for childcare.

I have deferred a year -keeping my credits for the OU BA (Honours) Business Management (Marketing) - at 18 hours a week it's doable in 6 years before my DC's to fo secondary school when I have the plan to then apply for jobs in this sector.
Tips are to plan your 16 hours - 2 or 4 hours per day to get the work done is hard but if you plan with help from grandparents, and nursery. A long term plan is necessary - I did get behind during covid due to illness and caring but am back on schedule

I have a foundation degree in Counselling from the OU. Being able to study part time, takes longer yes, but with a timetable and focus and setting a goal for your career helped me get though the studying. When I was able to get help from sleepovers with grandma, playdates with my friends who supported me and having a supportive partner helped enormously.

A part time OU course lasts 6 years for a degree, A MA in Social work would be a goal I would want to achieve, and having studied in the past with a baby, I had a timetable, deadline dates, and dates when I had childcare, and hoped that they dovetailed into a study plan. Sleep is also essential, you cannot have a meaningful study period if you are exhausted - so self care is also an essential part of studying I feel.

I'm doing a part-time masters course. I work while my children are at school. My top tip is to meticulously plan your work schedule in advance, with contingency built in and school holidays etc accounted for. Ideally I aim to have every assignment done a week before the deadline. That way when they get ill or childcare fails, I'm not frantic. (I actually am frequently frantic, but it would be worse if I wasn't so well planned!) Also, be realistic about what you can achieve. Sometimes you just have to accept that you've done your best in the time you have.

My hacks would be pick a course which is do-able - the 6 year part time ones need commitment and I found daunting - pick a part time course as a stepping stone for a higher qualification when you have more time. A study planner is a must !🖥

I am looking to undertake the short course 'Agile leadership and management' to give me new skills when I go back to the workplace. As a post graduate - it suits me, and I can plan my study around help from family, my partner and playdates and sleepovers with grandma.
A timetable shared with these people is essential I feel.

I am not sure how I would manage studying for a course, working and looking after a family! I suppose it would have to be a course which would be over a much longer duration and wouldn't require a huge amount of personal time to study but rather a weekly group session etc? Not sure that exists!

I have voted - but I think for me it would be a mix of all of the options with a timetable being there - which is subject to change, and setting a realistic goal for a course - 6 years part time study is a long time and takes a lot of commitment and I would need to be sure that this qualification will be the best one for my career.

Educational playtime!

Make your children play with themed activities to solidify the material in your head more and to get them involved.

Of course, nap time and support from family are great times to get the real cramming done!

I voted playdates by mistake - flexible study schedules are the way for me- a study diary, an afternood here and a full day there alongside a couple of hours a day and you can learn and remember and get through coursework. Having a part time study you CAN have the best of both worlds.

I would say study timetables are important but they must be flexible. just remember if you miss a study session, make sure you rearrange it, don't just forget it. Depends on the age of your DC, if they are old enough make sure you tell them what you're doing as they will probably help give you more study time.
Make sure you have enough down time too!

I've found relying on my local mum network essential. I pick my friend's daughter up from school one day a week and she has her for the morning every other weekend. The kids have fun and I have time to study!

My phone calendar for key dates as to when coursework has to be handed in - what shifts my DH is on - term times, and grandparents holidays and I worked around that.

l use the golden hour & study during early mornings, nap times, or after bedtime. I set up a small study area with all the materials l need so l can leave them there to go back to .
I focus on shorter, manageable study sessions throughout the day.
I take up any offers of childcare from my family or trusted friends .Finally
I use apps for note-taking, time management, or use audio when out for walks or driving.

Using a timetable for study is a must - with a goal of hours per week, taking the kids to grandma's for weekend afternoons, and if you are falling behind try not to panic - just add half an hour a couple of times a week to your existing timetable to catch up.

My tip would be to ensure you get enough sleep, exhaustion and study do not do well - If you need to go to bed at 8 with baby - do it - that way you have the energy and focus to carry on studying

I completed a BA Literature and Philosophy degree in the summer and am currently doing an MA in Literature/Creative Writing. I have ds who is 10 and dd who is 20, also at uni but needs a bit of extra support. I also have 2 ponies, a business and dh works long hours so is not much help Monday to Friday.

My top tip is to be selfish! Your studies are important enough to you to do, so are important enough for everyone else to work around. Depending on the age of your children paid for childcare is an investment in your future. If that isn't possible, have study materials to hand. If you get 30 mins while everyone is napping or occupied, do some studying. Plan and organise your entire term/semester, block off time for assessments, start them way earlier than you think you need to.

Don't be too hard on yourself, a pass is a pass and if a pass is all you need that's all you need.

Prioritise your work, do essential stuff first.

Ask for help from course conveners. They will help.

Use tech to your advantage. A kindle is easier to read on in bed than a laptop or a physical book. It doesn't matter how you read it, as long as it is read.

Make friends on your course and make time for them. A coffee/online chat is invaluable for not only moral support but also for clarifying your thoughts.

And when you are studying, if someone tries to interrupt just tell them 'sorry I am working, I'll come back to you at 3pm' or whenever it is you think you will have finished.

And remember why you are doing it. Whether it is for personal interest or to improve or change your career, it is important and your hopes and dreams matter as much as anyone else's.

I retrained and did a very tough 3 year degree with very full on clinical placements when my dc were younger. Two were pre school age and one was in primary when I started.

With little kids then it is all about maximising study time and not feeling guilty for using childcare when not in lectures. Treat it like a job so keep them in childcare on your days off lectures and study then make the most of weekends. If they are little then study when they are in bed and give them your full attention between childcare and bedtime.

I did a part time masters alongside work more recently with DC in secondary/late primary.

Different with older ones as not the same childcare needs. I would say again don't feel guilty for studying evenings and weekends, it is a good example for them. When they are older and stay up later you can study but still stop in time to watch some TV and catch up with them before bed.

Use devices. Kindles are great, you can send journal articles to them as pdfs and read on the go and you can access text books via the app. Make use of all that dead time sitting in village hall foyers and cars and gym waiting areas while kids are doing hobbies and get your reading done.