Baby Care vs. College: 7 Tips to Handle Both Successfully
Work and studies are considered one of the toughest combinations, but imagine a kid added to this formula. Not funny, right? Well, let’s go through a less hardcore scenario first: studies and baby care. Obviously, your kid is more important to you than anything else in your life, and that’s normal, but giving up on everything else is not a must. So, here are some tips for you to handle taking care of your child, your studies, and yourself.
Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help
As soon as you get assigned a paper at college, be realistic about how you are going to handle it and the deadline. You may be able to complete it yourself, but a bit later - this is when you go to the teacher and ask for an extension. They can consider it a good sign, by the way, since you warned them at the very beginning. That is good planning.
Yet, if you can’t even imagine how and when you will write the paper, there are two options: asking for some help me write my essay or writing down a detailed step-by-step plan. The first option is much easier. The expert will do all the planning themselves, provide you with drafts if needed, and inform you when everything is ready. Still, the second option is also helpful and allows you to see the clear picture instead of panicking.
There is also another side of asking for help when it comes to children: asking for it from your friends, parents, relatives, and, obviously, from your partner. Consider a babysitter as well.
For example, when preparing for an exam, ask someone from the list above to take care of your baby. If you are not used to staying away from your kid, all of you can be in the same place. It’s just that you should be in different rooms. That way, you won’t have to attend to your child’s needs whenever they cry or ask for attention but still be there if anything serious happens.
Ask for Counsellor Recommendations
These are extremely useful for any parent who’s not sure whether and when they can leave their child to another person they trust. Or for those who don’t trust their baby to anyone. Sometimes, there is a reason, though.
Such recommendations help the parent understand whether the attachment to the child is healthy and what can be done about it if it’s vice versa. They also prepare one for the key stages of separation that occur in every healthy child-parent relationship. As a result, both sides benefit from it and can live a full life.
Minimise Useless Activities
Looking after a baby is about keeping the mess under control. Sure, you need to have everything clean and neat; however, be realistic. If you clean it up every time, you’ll go crazy. The goal is to avoid unsanitary conditions, not keep your apartment squeaky clean. Chasing the latter is basically Sisyphean labor, especially if you’re a single parent without regular support.
So, make it 1-2 major cleanups a day at maximum, and not more than one washing machine loading. Have an extra pair of clothing put away from the rest of your clothes that you can wear after changing the dirty ones. That way, you will always see that you have used your last but one set of clothes and need to load the washing machine before you realise there are no more clean clothes at all.
Don’t Underestimate Scheduling
Good planning is half the success, they say. With a baby, it’s complicated to even sleep when you planned, but don’t get desperate! Your goal is to reinvent the scheduling or, let’s say simpler, adjust this concept for yourself.
A list of your top-priority tasks and chores is a must-have when you try to follow the composed schedule. That way, whenever your plans get disrupted by baby care, you will know what task you should attend to in the first place. Otherwise, there is a risk of starting to do something less relevant and forgetting about a critical school assignment, meeting, and so on.
Use Calendar Reminders
Scheduling using a diary is a good and effective thing, but only when you have time to look into it, leave alone remember about it. However, there is one thing modern people look at frequently on a daily (or minute) basis: their phones. So, set regular reminders for the things you have all chance to forget about:
- water plants;
- pay bills;
- call mom;
- buy medications;
- feed the tarantula, whatever.
By doing so, you won’t have to worry all the time whether you forgot something. It significantly reduces stress and helps you do basic things on time. No incurred debts, hungry pets, or deteriorated health care.
Self-Care Goes First
Not on this list, maybe, but in real life, it should. With your needs addressed, you’ll have more energy and strength to take care of your baby instead of being annoyed because of it.
Some people put their children first and deem it right. Yet, if you neglect yourself, it may lead to illnesses, disorders, and so on. And those significantly reduce one’s ability to look after anyone.
Opt for a Flexible Studying Program
In case you still haven’t enrolled, look for a program with a less rigid curriculum. Online one will also do. It used to be hard to find such options one could afford. Yet, in the post-pandemic world, there are numerous opportunities. In combination with the best assignment services, you’ll get to study in a light mode, hence more time for your little one!
To Sum Up
Parenting is extremely tough sometimes. However, remember that there are numerous people around you who’ve gone through the same. It concerns not only having a baby but also handling all that life offers. So, do ask for recommendations from people with experience. This is another kind of asking for help, by the way, which is the most important thing, after self-care, of course!