What Do You Need to Survive This Summer with a Toddler There’s something about summer and toddlers that feels more chaotic than the rest of the year.
Maybe it’s because I’m in the Midwest, and summer is only a few short months out of the year. There’s this pressure to go outside, do activities, go places, and so on.
So while you’re adding more fun and hopefully more vacations, the need to work can feel heavy and harder to get done. No two days are the same, and the need to adjust is extremely important.
Setting yourself up to be productive and creating those moments of opportunity to get your work done is crucial.
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Mobile Work Station
There’s just something about summer that makes it that much harder to work at a desk. You need to be able to move around, keep an eye on the kids more, go on vacations, and so on.
So why not create a mobile workstation that allows you to just get up and go? This way, you can enjoy those vacations and be present with your kids more.
My summer office is either the kitchen island, the couch, or the patio table. I rarely actually go to my office space.
To create a mobile workstation, you are going to want the following:
Wi-Fi Booster
Depending on the location of your router and the size of your house and yard, you might need a booster to enhance your signal when working around the house.
My modem and router are set up in my basement living space, and I have the booster in the basement, but closest to my stairs and the center of the house.
You want this booster to have minimal walls between it and your router, if possible, to get the best signal.
This booster can give coverage up to 9,000 square feet. So it works great to be able to work outside or in the parked van in your garage as the kids nap.
Yep, I’ve done this. I’m not moving those sleeping babies; they will not take a nap in the house if I even try to move them.
Travel Bag
Everything needs a place, a home. Otherwise, it looks and feels like clutter, so give your laptop and its accessories a home with a travel bag.
I personally love these types of bags. They have harder sides, can hold my laptop, a few notebooks, my pens, highlighters, the charging cord, and my mouse all in one spot!
These are two of my favorites on Amazon:
Once you get everything in here, you can take it with you anywhere you want or need and throw it in the closet when you want to forget about it and have a clean island for five minutes.
Headphones
With the kids playing in the background and the dog barking, it can be hard to hear those Zoom calls or video training sessions you’re working on.
So invest in a good set of Bluetooth headphones with a microphone so you can easily run away to get your one-year-old off the kitchen table for the tenth time that day while still hearing your meeting.
Hello, motherhood multitasking!
These are some of my favorite pairs:
I love these bone-conducting headphones! I hate having things in my ears, and I love that I can still hear my kids completely!
When looking at these, be sure to check the band size and order the right one. I got the Mini and my husband got the standard.
Lap Tray
Super simple here: a lap tray to hold your laptop and work.
There are those days when I need to work after the kids go to bed, and I just want to lounge on the couch with a bowl of ice cream and have one of my favorite shows on rerunning in the background.
This tray allows me to do just that!
Outdoor Work Station
The goal here is to be able to work outside so that your kids can burn off all that extra summer energy and you can still feel productive, even if it’s just for a little bit, because let’s remember, this is our summer too!
When I first tried to work outside, I hadn’t considered how much the sun would be an issue with seeing the screen.
I messed with my brightness settings to no avail and had to come up with a different solution.
Pop-up Tent
I got a pop-up tent! Because let’s face it, pergolas and gazebos are expensive! And besides, my yard isn’t ‘done’ yet, so this was the best option for us.
We are on year two of buying one of these. The first one we left up during a storm, and the wind ruined it. So please learn from my mistake and take it down if there’s even a chance of storms!
Then all you need to do is bring out your iced coffee and your mobile office bag, and you’re good to go.
Side note: Depending on your patio table, you might need a mouse pad and a rock from the yard to hold your notebook or papers down.
Outdoor Activities for Your Toddler
Now this is the fun stuff! You’ve gotten your work set up all figured out, now to keep those kids busy and out of your hair for a bit.
I have three kids, and they are five, two, and one. They absolutely love to be outside, and thankfully we got the yard fenced in, so they have free range to go crazy, and I can breathe knowing they’re not trying to get in the neighbor’s pool or in the street…again.
Sandbox
My kids love their sandbox. We got this one, and with three kids, it’s perfect!
The lid surprisingly stays on even in a storm, which I love. Play Sand is pretty cheap, though heavy! So definitely volunteer your husband to go get it if you can.
We have some Tonka trucks, the obvious sand toys, and monster trucks in our sandbox and yard to play with.
Water Toys
Some of my favorite and most loved water toys are the water table and splash pad.
Surprisingly, the pool doesn’t get used much, but I’m sure that has more to do with their age and that we don’t go swimming much. So this is more a personal preference.
I like to put the water table at the center of the splash pad or small pool. This helps keep the water contained and creates a new play space for them.
I also will put up a standard umbrella next to it if it’s too sunny or I think they need a shade break.
We have this water table and this small pool. The splash pad was a Costco find.
Car Wash Station
We have a few cozy coupes and, of course, the Tonka trucks in the yard, and they get dirty, covered in sand, ripped out grass, and whatever else they can find.
So whatever kind of toys you have in the yard, get them a bucket of water, a few cheap sponges, and dish soap.
I’m telling you, they were entertained for over an hour! They washed everything they could: my deck, the siding, the grass.
Whatever they wanted, I didn’t care. I was able to sit in the shade, drink my iced coffee, and work for a bit.
This is one of the best activities!
Obstacle Course
Have you seen that Bluey episode where she races her dad through an obstacle course, cheats, then trains with her mom to win fairly?
Well, if not, I highly encourage you to watch it. But if you don’t, just know that Bluey learned the value of playing fair and not cheating.
If you do watch the episode, pay attention to the obstacle course, the items they used to create it, and think about what you have around the house and yard already that could be used similarly.
Some of my go-to DIY items for this are using sticks, chalk, the cozy coupes, and even filling old socks with sand to make bases.
You can also add in some fun activities throughout, like doing jumping jacks when you make it to the fence and jumping up and down when they get to the splash pad.
Pull out your phone and time them too. My five- and two-year-old boys love to know how fast they went, even if the two-year-old doesn’t fully understand the concept.
Yard Paint
Crush up the chalk and add water, that’s it.
For an extra layer of fun, put the chalk in plastic bags and let the kids hit it with a rubber or toy hammer to break it up. Then dump it into your choice of container: old cupcake tin, old baby jars, whatever you have.
Bring out some paintbrushes or sponge brushes and let them create a new masterpiece.
Dinosaur Dig
This one takes a little planning on your part. After the kids go to bed or while they’re napping, take some dinosaurs or another toy, like Hot Wheels or whatever you don’t mind getting dirty, and go bury them in the garden or the sandbox.
Side note: Be sure to count the number of toys you bury.
Let the kids dig up all the toys and play. You could even set up a wash station for them to give their toys a bath.
These are the dinosaurs that I purchased, and someone tell me why two year olds love small toys like this. He loves these!
That’s it! A few tips on working from home this summer with your toddlers, and ways to enjoy the outdoors while still feeling productive in your work.
I hope this was inspiring for you to come up with more ideas that are perfect for you and your family.
