• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • mom

How to juggle self-care and parenting during quarantine

by Sammi DeRosia Leave a Comment

intuitive parenting

Being a mom for the first time is a scary experience as it is. Add a global pandemic to the mix and you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience true terror. While being at home with your child can create amazing opportunities for bonding, it can also be stressful. Here are a few tips and coping tactics to help you juggle self-care and parenting through this strange time.

Learn about intuitive parenting

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re at home with your first child. Whether you’re one of the 15 million Americans who are self-employed and work from home or you have an office job, this much time at home to parent can leave you feeling a little off-kilter and overwhelmed. Don’t let the anxiety of being the “perfect” mom get to you. Instead, take this time to learn about principles like intuitive parenting. If you’re parenting a child between the ages of 2 and 10, this strategy will likely work best for you. What is intuitive parenting? Here are a few basic principles to follow:

  • Focus on your child and react naturally to what they’re doing.
  • Encourage independent problem solving and offer support when barriers appear.
  • Take cues from your child’s interests.
  • Be patient with your child’s learning.
  • Make efforts to be in-tune with your own unique parenting voice.

When you practice intuitive parenting, you take yourself out of that cookie-cutter style of child-rearing that so many people follow. Un-learning societal expectations for your style of parenting can be tough, but you’ll notice a marked difference in how you and your child interact during your quarantine time together.

Keep activities super short

If your children are between 2 and 10, your first instinct might be to keep them entertained 24/7. Under normal circumstances where you’re putting 13,500 miles on your car every year, you might have taken them on a drive to calm them down. There’s no mobile escape now! But there’s also no need to keep your child involved in elaborate activities that span hours, either. In fact, shorter activities are almost always better. Take breaks often, especially when you notice your child getting antsy or distracted. This is how you juggle self-care and parenting in a sustainable way.

Sometimes you might be at a loss for ideas. When that happens — and it will happen because you’re human — consider taking a few of these ideas and running with them. The best part? You can do at least a few these from your couch or with a cup of coffee in hand.

  • Have a jumping jacks contest.
  • Play a quick game of Simon Says.
  • Read a quick story.
  • Host a mini-scavenger hunt.
  • Conduct a parade around the house.
  • Play a game of follow the leader.

Stay in touch with your mom friends

You can learn as much about intuitive parenting as you want, but at the end of the day you’re going to need some kind of support. In times as stressful as these, emotional support from other moms you know is going to be monumentally helpful. When you’re looking for ways to juggle self-care and parenting, it’s important to prioritize support.

You might not be able to go out for coffee or take the kids out to the park together right now, and that’s okay. Fortunately, technology has allowed almost all of us to stay connected. So have your girls’ night virtually! Part of a new mom book club? Keep those meetings going. Now more than ever, it’s important for you to get the emotional support and connection you need. Most importantly, other moms in your life are experiencing many of the same feelings you are. Support and be supported.

When you make your emotional and mental health a priority, your child will benefit. You might be more patient, have more energy, or just have a better outlook on the day. Don’t underestimate the support of moms who are going through the same thing!

Care for yourself physically

We all envy children for the energy they have. “But instead of feeling bad about not having any energy, use your child’s energy as some inspiration to get moving!” says Morgan Taylor from Baby Schooling, an online resource and product review site.

Even if it’s 20 minutes of yoga in the morning, keeping your body moving is key during this time. And if you’re really stuck for ideas, have your child walk you through a workout of their own design. You might end up working harder than you thought. And remember: learning how to juggle self-care and parenting takes practice.

And of course, nutrition is part of caring for yourself and your family. A few important things to keep in mind include:

  • Keeping your drinking water clean and free of hard minerals, especially if you use a private well.
  • Incorporating fruits and veggies into every meal. Smoothies are a great way to hide them if your child is a picky eater.
  • Paying close attention to any food sensitivities or allergies.
  • Keeping snack options available, but free of over-processed foods.

Parenting is one of life’s greatest joys and greatest challenges. When you’re stuck at home? It can feel even tougher. So make sure you consider a few of these tips for learning how to juggle self-care and parenting — they just might be the push you need to thrive while you’re parenting during quarantine.

Filed Under: mom

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Peaceful Discipline by Sarah Moore

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

how to be a good mother

How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect

By Sarah Moore

Aligned Parents webinar

By Paul Banas

Footer

Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Gentle Parenting: 5 Ways to Lead with Love
  • How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect
  • Best Parenting Books: 28 Books That Will Change Your Life for the Better
  • Aligned Parents webinar
  • How to make sure your home is ready for the new addition to your family

Search

© Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT