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.

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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"

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Joining a mature students society is a great way to meet other parents who are studying - know some people who will rotate child care between them so that everyone has at least some child-free time to study/use the library/go to lectures.

So I’m currently in my second year with the open university (two modules) and my baby was 3 months old when I began the study year. I started a month early to get ahead whilst I was balancing it which massively helped. I plan out my schedule each week, doing the online activities on my phone when he naps on me in the afternoon, and any textbook stuff I do once my husband is home, or at the weekend. Assignments are trickier, I have to just utilise my MIL and husband to have him whilst I dedicate a few hours each day or night to write them. I got a good mark for my first assignment so I must be doing something right!
I’m worried about when I return to work in February but I will just utilise things like days off, his bedtime, etc. to fit it in, knowing I’m working towards a better life for us both. I’ve already planned to buy him a graduation bear from the OU shop when I graduate to remind him it’s never too late to achieve your dreams.

My hacks would be to take advantage of tutorials, they can be helpful for comparing your progress with other students. In my course tutorials are recorded, so I can watch them later.

That’s like saying don’t ever go to work because you won’t see your child- it’s not that simple. Also, it’s important to set a good example and create a better future for your family. If us mums dedicated all of our time to nothing but being a mum, we’d be miserable. Just because I’m a mum doesn’t mean I’m not my own person with my own needs and wants.
Everyone on here is saying to use time where the child won’t miss you (e.g. nap time, time they’re spending with the grandparents,etc.) then giving themself a limit so they’re still able to prioritise their children.

My tips are setting a study timetable and try to stick to it - reminding your OH every Monday what your study days are - and make sure he is doing the majority of the cooking and childcare during that period - and remind youself - IT WILL BE WORTH IT.

I agree, tutorials always make me feel less overwhelmed when I realise the other students have the same level of understanding as me. I think well surely they can’t give us all a fail haha!
@JacCharlton

My tips are have a doable timetable - giving time for everybody and keep in touch with the OU if you are feeling overwhelmed or are struggling with keeping up with the schedule ahead of you - we all struggle at one time and we get there in the end.

Yes I think tutorials are a great idea of catching up - I fell behind due to child and family illnesses and I caught up to a degree with attending tutorials

My tips would be to make sure you have the finances to be able to spend the time you need to study - I went back to work part time after having my DS - the fact we had savings to use for my reduced income for the 3 years made it do-able rather than being struggling to pay our bills.

Having a study timetable is essential as a visual reminder of your commitments.

Having dedicated study area, even just a desk, is quite a good way to get into the zone quickly.

Definitely get my finances in order, with making sure we can afford the drop in income whilst I studied on mat leave and went back reduced hours to be able to cover childcare and the time taking to study. A timetable was essential and using my phone for key dates when course work needed to be submitted and tutorials were on which I wanted to attend.

My hacks are to think of the 'bigger picture' almost like the mindset you had when taking your A Levels - be organised with a timetable planner - giveing yourself rewards for each module as an incentive - I buy a nice bottle of wine and set myself a night for netflix as a night to unwind and reflect on my ultimate goa.

Don't feel guilty about taking a nap during the day if you've had a bad night - there is nothing worse than looking at books or a screen when you've had 3 hours sleep - you cannot take anything in - let alone retain it - be kind to youself -there will be better days.

Another thumbs up for tutorials, they really help with revision and bite size learning which is how I store information. I had a timetable - a realistic times - two hours maximum worked for me.

My hack is to do “a little - often”. Especially coming back into study, regular activity throughout the course taking into account the non-negotiables (kid’s tea etc) enables you to avoid overload and also deal with the times when things go wrong beyond your control. Think washing machines and kids.

My advice/hacks is to keep on top of things week by week. The OU has a weekly timetable of what you need to cover independently. Stick to it. People on my course came unstuck because they’d think the TMA student portal was not open as you'd thought , then it was overwhelming and too much to cover. They then fell more and more behind, asking for extensions, and then trying to play catch up because they were now behind on the reading for the next TMA.

My top tip is to plan your work schedule in advance, with contingency built in and school holidays, and your partners annual leave etc accounted for. Ideally I aim to have every piece of coursework done a week before the deadline.

I spot to study to call your own, a notice board with dates, notes and photos to help keep you motivated when your ever feel like giving up.

My hack would be to use your devices. Kindles are great, you can send journal articles to them as pdfs and read them when you are on the train, or in the evening, and you can access text books if you have the links on your desktop.

I did my degree with 2 small children and it was a slog, but worth it. I had to be super organised and couldn't take the risk of leaving things to the last minute. Don't lose sight of the purpose for doing it, that's your motivation.

I also plan out my schedule each week, doing the online activities on my phone when DC has an afternoon sleep, and focus on any textbook work once my husband is home, or at the weekend. Assignments are not as easy, I have to just as my friends who are a great support whilst I dedicate a few hours each day or night to write them.

Tips - study timetables are important but they must be flexible your circumstances can change at short notice. just remember if you miss a study session, make sure you rearrange it, don't just forget it - of arrange a tutorial to catch up. You need a supportive partner also, and to take care of yourself - eating and sleeping to keep your mental and physical health in good form

My tip is to form a whatsapp group or similar with other students on your course, that way you can share study notes is great especially if you have to miss a session due to childcare.

I did my degree when my DC were 10 and 8. I attended uni and worked part time. It was hard, but I enjoyed it and found I was actually pretty at good at writing essays, and ended up with a first and a prize for the highest mark in my cohort.

My tip would be to plan time in advance to study and stick to it. I treated it like another job. Also reward yourself when you've done something, even if it's just a cup of coffee for reaching a set amount of words that day.

I'm doing a MA, children are 13 and 15.

Classing study time as 'working from home' - I try to work while they're out at school/work but, when they're around, kids and DH know that if I'm focusing on study I'm not available for a quick chat, cannot be asked a question that could easily wait until I'm taking a break, or shown even one TikTok video (regardless of how amusing it might be).

Books for background reading, if they're available as audiobooks, are a great hack. I can get some of the background info while doing laundry, cooking dinner or running the vacuum around.

Find and use your best times for productivity - I tend to wake up early, so will sit with a coffee and do an hour before everyone else gets up. Don't force yourself to do this if it's not natural to you (if I tried to have 11pm finishes every night to work for a couple of hours after kids have retreated to their rooms I would quickly burn out, but that might be what works for you).

Schedule study, but also schedule breaks. You need to stop for lunch, and you need to stay hydrated. We've had conversations on my course (all mature students) about how sometimes switching off and doing something else can be the exact thing that allows a flash of inspiration. It's not wasted time!

Plan for your plans to be disrupted. If you have a deadline, give yourself a new deadline a few days earlier - this allows for unexpectedly being pulled away when a child is ill and has a day off school needing your attention, or any of the other many unpredictable things that can crop up when you have children.