Tips for Working at Home with a Toddler By Emily B. McCormick As a mother who works from home, heaven knows it's difficult to find constructive things for your children to do while you work. Some days are great; the kids stay busy and happy and your work goes well. Other days, you may feel as if you're failing at everything; you're mad at your children for not letting you complete an email, and you're mad at your computer for interfering with your kids. So, you revert to every Disney DVD and stale bag of marshmallows within reach to keep your children occupied. There are steps you can take to make your workday pass smoothly. From activities that help your children develop cognitively and creatively, to preparing your home and meals before the work day begins. Changing your habits can help change the mood of your home. More importantly, these activities can aid in maintaining a happy and healthy relationship with your children. First, consider mimicking your office for your child. If you have a desk at which you work, get a small desk or mini folding table with a chair for your child. Incorporate things that will help your child pretend to be "big." Find a home phone you're no longer using or buy a toy cell phone for them. Look for a toy laptop; they're available at most general merchandise stores and typically retail for under $30. Make sure there is a full keyboard, so it's as much like "mom's" as possible. Fill the desk with things you have at your desk; the same pad of paper as yours, an assortment of pencils and crayons, a calculator, a folder. As you work, remind your child to do activities similar to those at which you're working; they can finish a document, call their grandma on the phone, or color something. It can also be helpful to make a schedule of activities for your child, changing them hourly. Your child could draw for the first hour, play action heroes during the next hour, look at library books the next, nap afterwards, and so on. If your child finishes an activity early (my toddler wouldn't make it an hour!) tell him that this is his special time and he can choose whatever he'd like to do. Help your child understand that "free time" is exciting. This is a great time to help them develop independent play. A crucial element to occupying your children is to take a 10 minute break every hour and spend it with your child. (If you're feeling guilty about this idea, remember the day when everyone took 15 minute smoking breaks!) Be as interactive as possible. Get involved in a game they're playing or take them to the kitchen and have a snack together. Ten minutes may sound like a long time, but by giving them attention they're more able to enjoy the time they have on their own because they trust that they'll have one-on-one time with you. They come to expect "their" time. Plan ahead! Work to save mindless activities like movies and snacks for a time when you need things to be really quiet. Realize that every mom, whether they work outside the home or not, needs time every day to get things done. If you have a conference call (or an especially demanding project) and you're typically noisy home isn't the right setting, try the following. At the beginning of your work day, let your child choose a movie that she would like to watch. Place that movie on their desk and treat it as something special. When you need quiet, tell your child how good she has been and that she has earned a reward. Let her watch the movie. You can also set aside a special treat (fruit snacks for mom's like me and just ‘fruit' for the more au naturel!) in case it's needed. Finally, prepare snacks and lunch the night before, or in the morning before you work. That way, when you take your 10 minute breaks, you're not rushing around making food and not paying attention to your child. You're able to spend the time totally devoted to him. It also saves stress in general, as it is one more thing that's off your plate for the day. It may seem like a time investment to prepare food the night before, but the 15 minutes you spend putting together peanut butter and jellies and cutting up celery, will save you much interruption and help you feel more prepared for the day. Being a mother is a busy job in and of itself. Add on work-from-home and life can feel overwhelming. You can avoid tantrums and help maintain a happy, healthy household by planning ahead to implement creative tasks for your children, prepare food, take breaks and forecast your day's events. Emily McCormick is a co-founder and co-owner of Shabby Apple, an online dress boutique that provides women’s dresses and little girl’s dresses. She lives and works from her home in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two children ages three and one. Also see: • Working out a telecommuting proposal • What flexible work option is best for you?