Time Management For Stay-At-Home Dads

When I sat down to write a post about playing and interacting with your toddler, I was unsure about where this post would go. On one hand I could write about the myriad of ways to play with your toddler, giving examples of games, toys and so forth.

On the other hand, I could go in a different direction. I decided to take the latter approach because I think the play/toy subject has been well-covered on other blogs and websites.

So I want to cover balancing the level of time you spend playing with your toddler with that of taking care of your own needs. Face it, even when it's just you and your son/daughter at home, there are still things you need to do for yourself. Some of those things you just have to do, like going to the bathroom. Others are in more of a gray area, like taking time for yourself to do something you enjoy.

If you look at it realistically, you cannot play with your toddler every minute of the day. He/she will probably need to take a nap. You will need to take a sanity break every now and then. There's also the more practical needs of getting stuff done around the house.

It's a fine balancing act to ensure you play enough with your toddler to satisfy his/her need for direct interaction and stimulation, with you getting other stuff done as well. I walk that line every day with my little DS (dear son).

I try to divide my time into chunks. I'll set aside a chunk of time for just playing with him. After that I might let him play alone for a little while I check email, go the bathroom, clean up the mess from breakfast and so forth. Then we might go somewhere, like to the store or our play group. Depending on when we get home, there might be another chunk of playtime or we'll eat lunch. Then he plays a little before going down for a nap, which is an opportunity for me to get more stuff done, like writing this blog post.

Mealtimes are great for you to do stuff because your toddler will be safely in his/her chair, rather than running around the house. I make sure my DS gets his main meal first, along with plenty of water. Then it's snack time. I use snack time as a chance to relax a little. I might read some news on the web, work on a blog post, clean up the kitchen or any other activity I can do that doesn't lead me too far away from him.

I don't think there is one correct answer for how to balance your time between playing and your "you-time." Some kids are more needy than others. I'm lucky that DS is very independent. So it's hard to judge my schedule with him against another parent who has a child that needs more attention.

I think the best way to manage your time is to get into a routine with your toddler. This brings some stability to the otherwise hectic life of a parent. It can also be comforting to know what to expect each day.