If you are a mum of under-fives, you may be wondering about starting a blog as a way to make some money.
But you might be wondering heck, when will I find time for this.
It’s hard enough finding five minutes for yourself for basics like to eat dinner, wash your face or even brush your hair, let alone start a blog?
Mum’s life is crazy demanding right?
Especially when you are looking after a couple of under-fives who want your constant attention.
That was me once before. I remember how hard it was finding time to do anything.
It wasn’t easy I have to admit, but I did it.
When my two children were under five, I returned to university and completed a degree.
I remember studying late into the night after I finally settled them to sleep.
I would spend my evenings studying and writing assignments.
I used to envy my uni classmates (who were all much younger, I was ahem a mature student) as they went off for a leisurely drink or agreed to meet together in the evening to go over the assignment.
I didn’t have that luxury.
I was a mum who was trying to make life better for her children.
Somehow, I managed to get through the course and obtained my degree.
With two under-fives!!
Now, when I get asked questions by mums like this
“How can I find time to start a blog when I have a toddler and a baby”
It sounds like they have given up before they even start.
They have placed barriers in front of them rather than looking for solutions.
I remember the things I did back then to make time to study, which worked well for me, also I was a single parent.
Let’s face it there are so much more resources today than there were back then. The digital world has come up with many new ways to help mums organise their life.
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information*
Tip 1: Schedule Your Time
When you truly want something, you will find a way to make it happen.
I know when I was studying, I wanted to create a better life for my girls.
I was on a low earning income and knew that unless I improved my qualifications (this was pre-internet), I knew that the life that I could provide for them would be well mediocre at best.
This meant that I was motivated to make lifestyle changes.
I wanted the change.
I knew then that I could did it.
I was young and I had the energy.
I made the time every day towards making this change happen.
How Did I Do It?
I scheduled out the 3 hours I needed to study each night. 3 hours from 8 pm-12.
I was lucky my children slept well and once I got them to bed, they usually stayed there.
We did have some bad nights and I would have to work hard to catch up and find the time on those occasions.
If you want to start a mom blog, then you will need to make time to make this happen.
Whether it is finding time blocks of just 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour or two here and there.
If you are starting a new blog, then it is best to try and carve out time each day to give to your new blog.
No matter how small, each time block will help.
And remember that new blogs will take time to get going so you need to be able to commit to this for at least a year.
Work out times that your toddlers will always be napping?
That is when you need to take advantage of the time and work on your blog.
I’m not saying it will be easy, but it is doable.
Take Twinsmummy (she started a blog whilst caring for twin babies – I know I was shocked that she found the time).
Here are some of the tips I’ve found to help you make changes to your routine and find that hour each day.
I recommend trying to spend at least an hour a day on your blog at the very minimum.
The hour can also be made up of smaller time blocks which make up the hour in total.
A whole hour when you can work on set tasks that can be completed within that time
For example, in 15 minutes – you might do some blog topic research
With 30 minutes, this might give you time to write a quick draft post
When you have long periods, you can really deep dive and create a content strategy so that you always have a list of topics to draw from.
Here are more time finding tips:-
How To Make Time to Blog When Looking After Under Fives
TIP 2: Make Time for You to Sleep
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but if you are tired then you will not be able to do anything worthwhile.
You will need to make sure that you are also getting blocks of sleep through the night or during the day.
If you’ve had a bad night with the nippers, then don’t feel guilty to catch up the next day when they are taking a nap.
It might seem like you are setting yourself back, but it is so important that you keep your energy levels up or you will quit before you even get started.
Pace yourself and take breaks. Make time for yourself.
You need to keep re-charged and rested if you are going to find time to start a blog and be a mummy.
TIP 3: WAKE UP EARLIER
I know I just told you to get more rest but if you are a morning type person like me, then this may work wonders for you.
I love the early mornings before anyone is awake.
The moments of peace help me to think and find I am at my most creative.
Waking up half an hour early can provide that perfect time to make a start.
The sense of accomplishment first thing will only serve to motivate you throughout the day.
Even if you aren’t a morning person, maybe give it a try for a couple of days.
You may be surprised at what can be accomplished.
TIP 4: STAY UP LATE
If you work best late at night, then this will be better than trying the early morning bird method.
I am not a night owl and seem to shut off as the evening progresses.
I am not talking about working late into the early hours of the night, because remember Tip 1 – you need to get sleep too.
If night times are best for you, then a bedtime routine for your children is the key in this one.
The children need to have a set time for bed. Once you’ve said good night, ideally you should not hear from them until the next morning.
I know this is easier said than done, but children need their sleep too or they will be cranky and grouchy the next day and will only make life harder for you.
Have a set bedtime for them between 6.30-7.30 pm.
Give them a bath to calm them down. This also gives them cues as to what will happen next.
Cuddle up and read a story.
Maybe make a recording of yourself singing sleepy nursery rhymes or reading their favourite bedtime stories which you can play, to help them doze off. They will hear your presence even though you could be busy working on your blog.
Let them learn to fall asleep by themselves. This means if they wake in the night, they will be able to settle themselves back to sleep again and won’t disturb you.
You should then be able to give yourself an hour or maybe even two to write a few blog posts.
It is exciting when you are first starting with a blog, and you could be tempted to stay up late into the early hours working. DON’T DO THIS!!
Give yourself boundaries, even if you are in flow.
Working late into the night will leave you feeling exhausted the next day.
The children will get to you when you are tired.
Worst of all you will think this blogging stuff is not working and will be ready to give up.
TIP 5: USE NAP TIME
Make use of nap time whilst you can, because your under-fives will start to drop them at some point soon. ( I know sad but it will happen).
Having two under-fives means that you will need to try to synchronise their nap times.
Not an easy task depending on their ages, but it can be done.
Your older toddler will hopefully have a more settled nap time already.
You should work on the younger child’s routines so that they will match with that time.
You may need to work on this to make it work so that you get a block of nap time.
This should give you 30 mins – 2 hours to work on your blog.
Let’s be real here, this might not happen every time.
There may be days when the toddlers might have shorter naps.
Other days when they do not synchronise their naps, meaning you still have one of them up with you.
Or you may simply still be tired yourself and need to use that time to take a nap yourself.
Don’t stress when this doesn’t happen but if you can aim for at least 4 nap times when you have worked on your blog for at least 30 minutes, this will be an achievement.
This consistency will be what helps you to move forward.
No matter how good you are as a mum, you will need to Take Help from Others
TIP 6: HAVE FAMILY HELP YOU
If you are lucky enough to have family live close by, then take all offers of help.
I was not lucky on this front and had no family close by.
It is different with my daughter who is now juggling two under-fives. Luckily for her, I live 10 minutes away.
She often calls and starts with “What are you doing?” I usually know what is coming next.
It is great when you have family close by to call on.
This is great for your children as well, to be able to spend one-to-one time with grans and grandads, aunts and uncles too.
Sometimes it’s hard to ask for this help, but you may be surprised at how many yeses you get when you do.
You may even be able to have a set time for the family to take the children for a couple of hours.
This will give you undivided time to get focused on your blog.
TIP 7: TAKE TURNS WITH FRIENDS
Building up those friendship groups is so important once you have babies and toddlers.
The pandemic has definetly made it much harder for mums who had babies during that time.
But now life is slowly getting back to some sort of normal.
Parents are starting to attend toddler activities and groups.
This means that you will soon be able to build up your group of friends with other mums.
Remember that they are probably in the same position as you.
They may want a break too.
But it takes time to build up trust and to be able to leave your toddler in the care of someone else until you get to know them well enough.
This is not something that will happen overnight with newly created friendships.
So unless you are lucky enough to have established friends who are in similar stages of mummy hood as yourself, this is going to take some effort.
If you are one of those lucky enough, then you may be able to take turns with those good friends taking care of each other’s kids!
Although this becomes much harder when you have to find someone willing to take two to care for!!
Therefore this may not work for everyone.
Maybe your friend can take the older child so that you can work during the younger ones’ nap time?
Another downside is that you have to pay back these favours.
This means when it is your turn, you will have a house full of children, which could leave you even more tired than before.
Turn taking with friends may not be regular, so you might find this one useful for those times when you find yourself running behind and need to catch up.
Tip 8: Use A Nursery or Childminder
I know that you want to spend as much time with your little darlings whilst they are little. So you may not have given thought to this as an option because in your head you think you are not going back to work yet.
But starting a blog is your work, so why wouldn’t you take the time to give to it?
There is a cost element to this one though, depending on the age of your child.
If you are in the UK then you can get 15 hours free nursery place from when your child is 3 years old, so why wouldn’t you take advantage of it?
Mixing with other children in a nursery setting will also benefit your toddler.
They will learn to socialise without you.
It will also help them with letting go of you before they have to start school.
Let me be clear, nursery or paid-for childcare is not for everyone, do what feels right for you.
Last resort if all else has failed and you are still trying to find time to work on your blog.
Tip 9: Favourite TV/Movie Time
If your child has a favourite movie you can put it on during the time that you want to work on your blog.
YouTube Kids offers an array of children’s TV that will mean that they won’t get bored of the same show.
As your toddler gets older, they will be able to concentrate for longer.
You can give them a little snack along with a small drink in a special closed cup.
Try to have your working area so that they can see you but let them know that mummy needs to do some writing.
Set a timer so that they know how long this will be for.
Also, let them know what will happen when the timer goes off.
Maybe you have a special planned activity together once you have finished working.
This will let them know what to expect after and that they will be spending time with you.
Sometimes it helps to have completed the special activity time before you plan to start work,
They will be more content having had this quality time beforehand and this may give you the chance to get on with blogging whilst they are then happy to watch the TV.
Tip 10: Screen Time
When things are getting frantic, then screen time is the last resort.
An iPad seems to hold children’s attention in the same way that it does for adults who are constantly scrolling on their phones.
Having an ipad gives them the added ability to be in control of the device.
They can change the show to one they want to watch.
My two-year-old granddaughter is already addicted ( I feel ashamed to say) and we have to limit her with devices.
To be honest, it is scary to see her go off into a zone when she is on the screen.
The plus is that it also keeps her very quiet and in one spot whilst you need to get something really important done.
Screen time needs to be limited.
Also, you need to make sure there are parental controls in place so that they cannot click onto any content that is inappropriate.
TIP 11: Occupy Them
If your toddler is a bit more able, then you might be able to set up an activity to keep them occupied for a set period.
Activity Time: Set this up beforehand so that they can get started to explore it, at the same time you get started on your blog.
Toddlers will have a short attention span, so it might be that you need to return after 15 minutes, to re-direct them or add to the activity to keep them going for long.
Ideally, you want to aim for 30 minutes to give you time to work on your blog.
Rotated Toy Boxes: Have toys in different toy baskets or boxes which you put away on a rotation basis. This means the toys have not been seen for a while. With any luck, they will re-capture your little one’s imagination again.
Mess-Free Play Ideas:
DIY Erase Board Wall – Turn any wall into a dry erase board
Etch Art – Reveal colourful pictures with an age safe scrapping tool
Clean Painting Kit – Water drawing kits that are mess free
Stickers and Books – keep books of stickers with favourite characters. Provides creative hours of fun.
Block Sets – Wooden blocks or mega blocks
Play Kits – Lovevery – More on this to come.
Bonus Tip: Use Your Time Wisely
What is the point in making the time if you don’t use it wisely?
For me, this was turning off Netflix and putting away my phone to stop mindless scrolling.
Honestly, we don’t realise just how much time we spend on devices or watching tv, where we could be doing something more meaningful with our time.
Keep a schedule of the tasks that you need to complete on your blog.
>> Set Blogging Goals That Are Achievable (Every time)!
>>Blogging Checklist: 3 Daily Actions to Grow Your Blog
>>13 Essential Blog Post Actions Before You Hit Publish (Free Checklist)
>>8 Types of Blog Posts to Write To Grow Your Blog Easily
>>Blog Post Checklist – What To Do After You Hit Publish (11 Key Actions)
Let’s sum up what we covered in this blog post
How To Make Time to Blog When Looking After Under Fives
Tip 1: Schedule time
Let’s Talk About Sleep Tips
Tip 2: Make Time For You to Sleep
Tip 3: Set Nap times
Tip 4: Wake up earlier
Tip 5: Stay up late
Take Help From Others Tips
Tip 6: Have Family Help You
Tip 7: Take Turns with Friends
Tip 8: Use A Nursery Place
Last Resort Tips
Tip 9: Favourite TV/Movie Time
Tip 10: Screen Time
Tip 11: Occupy Them
Bonus Tip: Use Your Time Wisely
How to Start A Blog for new mummy bloggers
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT BLOGGING…
If you’re a mom and have thought about blogging I want to encourage you to go for it!! Stop thinking about it and just do it!
Now, if you have no idea where to start and need help I know exactly what you need!
You can go to >>How to Start A Blog
Or if you want to follow a mommy blogger who has done it already. This is someone I followed when I got started. She really poured herself into the course to truly help you start a blog fast and easy. You can find her Blogging Course here!
If you are looking for something more in depth and want to build niche blog sites, then this course is by a blogger who has perfected the art and will help you to build a successful blog niche within a year.
Being a mother is tough enough but working towards creating a better lifestyle for you and your children on top of that should drive you, even more, I know it did for me.
You are setting an example for them as well.
Show them what the digital world can offer. In time you will be able to show them how they too can make it happen if they want it badly enough!!
The Digital Mum spreading the word about the Digital World —
Helping You create the life that you love
Because there is another way!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information*
Featured image: 123RF
