Being a Prepared Adult - Part 2

Less than a month after LO was born, the pandemic hit all of us and we had no idea of what was in store. Being first-time parents in the pandemic-stricken world and with both husband and I working full-time from home, I must admit it was indeed challenging to navigate through the situation, like many of you.

I went back to work (from home though) after LO turned 3 months and I saw almost no distinct boundary between work and home, and I was feeling all the feels. As much as we tried hard to set boundaries, with baby’s feeding sessions, sleep cycles, house chores and plethora of other factors, I wondered if work-life balance was even a thing while working in the tech.

While striving to achieve work-life “balance”, I began to realize work-life “blend” was a kind of balance too for us. We embraced the flexibility of the work from home situation, the work arrangements and the support from the employer and peers which we’re grateful for, by making some changes to our lifestyle and preparing our environment. Not only was the work-life blend realistic to us, but also helped us stay productive, and more importantly stay sane.

Here are some of our Montessori-friendly practical approaches which we found them helpful in our situation to be better prepared adults.

1. Baby wearing

This has been our #1 life saver. Baby wearing provides some hands-free time to work while staying close to the baby. This also allows the baby to see what we’re doing and be in a state of quiet alertness resulting in less fuss. And if the baby falls asleep, what more can you ask for?

2. Prepared environment

With the baby starting to move around and the intense need to explore, letting the child stay in the same space where we work and preparing this environment to meet her developmental needs has been helpful.

3. Play breaks

Keeping the child entertained 24x7 is not possible. As much as the little one engages in independent play, when she needs attention, at least one of us is available. We take play breaks from work to attend to her, which also helps recharge ourselves.

4. Divide and conquer

We do household chores as a family which provides opportunities for the little one to observe the various practical life activities. This gives us time as a family together while contributing to completing the household responsibilities. Busting gender stereotypes associated with household chores begins at home through healthy modeling. :)

5. Happy hour

Even before LO started to take solids, we included her during our mealtimes. After starting solids, we have been cooking simple and healthy meals, offer her the same food as ours and provide opportunities for her to self-feed.

6. Pause and hit refresh

With nowhere to travel and breaks are mostly staycations, we take time-off to disconnect from work and sometimes even technology to avoid burnouts and have some restorative time.

As situations change, we’ll continue to adapt, evolve and find balance in our life.

Check out my post on Instagram.

Please remember, each of our family and work circumstances may be unique and I encourage you to do what works best for you and your family.

We’re all in this together!

What strategies have you found to be helpful during these unprecedented times?

In case you missed, here's being a prepared adult - part 1.