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I imagine this varies based on the child. How are you finding working and being the primary carer of an infant? Do you have any particular strategies for getti
by Benjamin_Dobell 8y ago
I imagine this varies based on the child. How are you finding working and being the primary carer of an infant?
Do you have any particular strategies for getting work done, and somehow keeping your child safe, entertained and developing?
I've got a 6-month old daughter, but my wife doesn't head back to work for another 3 months. I'm a bit concerned about my productivity once that happens.
I absolutely love spending time interacting with my daughter, in my free time. However, I presently find it near impossible to work when I'm the only carer around, unless she happens to be asleep. Hopefully that changes in 3 months and she's capable of short periods of independent play - but I'm not quite sure what to expect.
I've worked full-time at home for approximately the last 5 years. So I have very much got that down pat. Unfortunately, I can't work on a laptop anymore, as I developed RSI doing so a few years back (was working long hours, my own fault). I've also got two dogs which I love having around. However, once my daughter can walk (and harass them) they'll have to be mostly separated from my daughter. They're 50kg, so any small mishap would be a large mishap - can't take that risk. We've got a fully fenced acre out back so the dogs can't really complain!
I'm also a night owl, its 4:30 AM here and I'm pushing Docker images to ECR ;) It's quite strange how much more efficient I am working at night. I've tried all sorts of things to work on a "normal" schedule. Running on the treadmill in the morning, going for walks at lunch etc. No matter what, when I really need to get work done, I fall back into a night routine - even though I'm putting in the same total hours.
How do you manage being a night owl and being awake to look after your child during the day?
- krolley 8y agoI don't know how the GP poster is doing it, because it is practically impossible to be the primary caregiver of an infant or toddler, and be able to work at the same time. Don't fool yourself into thinking you will somehow manage, and I suggest you start discussing options with your wife for when she heads back to work.
- Benjamin_Dobell 8y agoIt's alright, we're not totally naive. My wife is only heading back to work part-time, and we have baby-sitters lined up for 75% of the time. For the remaining 25% I'm fully expecting that I'll be working catch-up hours in evenings. However, I was holding onto the hope that I might be able to get some work done with my daughter in the room, and was genuinely curious about the parent post's purported success.