time poor parents

For families busy balancing life/work, children, the cost of living, mortgages, and other requirements of life, we often find ourselves feeling time-poor and exhausted as well! It is important for parents to reflect upon their lifestyle and to ensure that they are able not only to look after themselves, but to ensure that they have quality and regular time building their relationships with their young babies and toddlers.

time poor parents

Over the last 30 years, working hours have extended and technology has greatly increased the pace of life. Work demands on parents’ time have never been more exacting, meaning time spent as a family is diminishing.

Kathy stresses that the well being of young children in their first years of life requires time, space and relationships that provide a non-rushed and stimulating environment for healthy and productive development. In her book, “What’s the Hurry? Reclaiming Childhood in an Overscheduled World”, Kathy highlights the tendency for toddlers and preschool children to be overscheduled today. This leads to their being excessively busy and, as a result, having even less time to spend at home with family members.

These children often lack the time and opportunity to play, to initiate and use their imagination, or to enjoy family time.

There is a need to reclaim childhood in an overscheduled world, making time for simple play at home with parents.

Kathy refers to renowned psychologist David Elkind (Tufts University, USA), who says children need time to play imaginatively in order to develop cognitively, socially and emotionally. He says play is not a luxury, but a crucial part of development.

In order to enjoy positive self-esteem, healthy curiosity and productive brain development, babies and toddlers need strong relationships with their primary carers. They need to be held and spend relaxed, quality time. There is little point in spending lots of time together if you’re so exhausted that you don’t have the emotional or mental energy required to provide quality interactions between you and your child. It’s quality over quantity.

As the parent, you are setting the model, the lifestyle pace and the quality of the experiences within your own home. The family remains one of the most important and significant influences upon young children in their early years of life.

Providing time to play, to rest, to love and have fun as a family needs to be the priority within the home, particularly in the first few years of life.

Use the sidebar to the right to see how you can make the most of the time you spend with your child.

lets get practical

Use these quick tips and activites to help with your baby's develoment.

  • kathys quick tips
    • 1
      Try to avoid becoming caught up in what you think everyone else is doing or how every other family seems to be coping better than you. It’s usually not the case.
    • 2
      Establish clear routines in the home so you all know what’s expected – this helps everyone feel calmer, even baby. For example, make time to eat together as a family; use routine times like bath, teeth and getting into bed as part of a family ritual that you all do at a similar time each day. Meaningful family time can be as simple as these everyday life experiences.
    • 3
      Avoid thinking your young baby or toddler needs lots of socialisation at the ripe old age of 1! They need lots of time with parents, playing with toys and enjoying a relaxed routine that is not rushed and filled with lots of extra curricula activities.
    • 4
      Take time for you. Meet a friend for coffee, go for a walk or to the gym. Remember the saying - a happy parent makes for a happy child.
    • 5
      Try not to fill each hour of the weekend with activities. Make yourself slow down.
    • 6
      Seek additional support if you’re feeling things are getting on top of you. Share these feelings with a friend, family member or professional counsellor.
    • 7
      Provide lots of time for your children without them being rushed.
    • 8
      Be gentle with yourself.
  • featured activity
    • 1
      If you are cooking or preparing food, place your baby or toddler near you with some pots and pans to play with whilst you are working.
    • 2
      Remember, what baby wants is your attention and time, but it doesn’t have to be around sophisticated activities. Ordinary life and household events are a good and simple way to spend time and interact, to talk with and to have fun with your child.
    • 3
      When you have very limited time, the best activities to share with your baby to promote development are sitting down together and singing, reading, chatting or generally playing.
    • 4
      Make up little games around some of the small jobs you might have to do around the house. For example, take your child on a piggyback ride to the letterbox.
    • 5
      Sit outside under a tree or on the verandah and cuddle and relax together.
    • 6
      Go for a walk in the stroller to the park or end of the street and just chat together or sing songs.
    • 7
      Have a small box of trinkets, soft toys and building blocks to pull out wherever you are so baby can play.

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