Survival Guide for Stay-at-Home Parents
How Full-Time Parents Can Stay Sane While At Home With Their Kids
Nov 4, 2009
Stay-at-home parents are faced with many challenges. Parenting a toddler while dealing with loneliness and boredom can be very stressful. Once a child is mobile and can verbalize what they like and dislike, it's up to the parents to actively engage their child's minds and bodies. But parents shouldn't forget that their minds and bodies also have to remain engaged in order for them to care for their energetic toddler.
Why Stay-at-Home Parents Should Have a Mellow Morning
Take the time each morning before child awakens for some quiet time. Quiet time could be reading the newspaper, going to the gym, or exercising at home. This alone time can help parents collect their thoughts, recharge, or just relax before their hectic day begins. Starting the morning off with a clear head will give parents that extra burst of energy they will need to deal with an active toddler during the day.
Full-Time Parents Should Plan Their Daily Events Ahead of Time
Try to find free or relatively cheap activities in the neighborhood that will entertain children. Many local libraries and neighborhood bookstores offer story time readings during the week. There, toddlers can interact with other children, and parents can enjoy some social time with other parents.
Make play dates with other stay-at-home parents at a museum, another parent's home, or host a play date. During the spring and summer months, outdoor activities are relatively easy to coordinate with other parents. Picnics, long walks, and sightseeing are all great outdoor activities for parent and child.
The winter can present challenges for stay-at-home parents. The cold weather often prevents parents from going to parks and playgrounds. But the weather shouldn't keep parents from finding educational and fun projects at home to entertain their kids.
Choosing Fun Activities and Incorporating Learning in Toddler's Daily Routine
Blocks, books, paints, Play-Doh, puzzles, coloring, music and dancing, are just a few fun and educational activities parents can offer their children to keep them occupied any day or every day of the week.
Parents can also use the fall and winter months to teach their children about textures (bring in some soft and hard leaves from outside and children can compare how each leaf feels) and temperature (feeling the cold snow and feeling a warm cup of hot chocolate).
Stay-at-Home Parents and Their Toddlers' Bedtime Routine
Keeping toddlers active throughout the rest of the day will help them burn off energy and may help them sleep well that night. A trip to the playground to run around and kick a ball is always a sure bet. But be sure to wind down the activities about two hours prior to their bedtime routine.
These suggestions may not work for some stay-at-home parents. The child may not go down for naps anymore, having quiet time in the morning may be impossible, or keeping them entertained with puzzles and blocks may not work. Then, parents will have to do what they do best: improvise. Surprises and obstacles will appear throughout the day. In those instances, stay-at-home parents will go into survival mode and get through whatever difficult situation arises.
In the end, whether a child's day is spent filled with activities from morning until early evening, sitting at home reading books and playing with puzzles, or dancing and listening to music, stay-at-home parents should just remember that they are spending quality time with their child.
At bedtime, if a child responds with a big smile and a "Yes!" to the question "Did you have a good day today, honey?", this response should be all parents need to hear to know that their little one has had a day filled with the thing they need and value most: lots of love and attention.
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