Sunday, March 1, 2020

Lifestyle: How to be productive (with a baby)

Productivity is no joke when you're a) working from home and b) taking care of a baby while you
do it.



When I post recipes, I sometimes get messages on my Instagram from other women: "How do you do this?" "How do you do everything?"

We all know Instagram is a highlight reel - it's for this very reason I try to make an effort to post some of the good, the bad and the ugly in the interest of keeping it real.

The truth is I really don't do everything and I highly doubt that anyone out there does either. Like everyone else, I pick what's important to me and focus on that.

When I get those few key tasks done, I feel better about myself and about what I've been able to achieve that day.



Aside from taking care of Liyana and playing with her or taking her to activities, my priorities on a daily basis are:

  •  self care (shower, go outside, exercise, try to do something relaxing or fun)
  •  work (blogging, photography, media or other freelance work, professional development - when my mat leave is over I'll also be going back to work part time as a Montessori educator)
  •  make some healthy meals 
  • check in with loved ones and spend time with my hubby



Other things that I often don't get to but would love to have time to do:

  • laundry
  • dishes
  • general house upkeep
  • organizing
  • read for fun
  • shop for myself or do little extra things like get my nails done 
Some days, it does of course bother me that I can't do it all, but I've learned to take pride in my ability to get even a few things checked off my priority list. 

The secret to getting things done

So how do I make sure that I'm being productive with the little free time I do have? I live nap to nap!
Nap time is the key time when I can get personal and household things done.

When Liyana is awake, I like to make sure I'm engaging with her, playing and taking care of her needs and not fixated on screens. So nap time is the ideal time for me to answer emails, finish some work, get meals prepped or to do any of the other important things that need to get done around the house.

I have one key tool that really helps me utilize every nap minute- it's my trusted baby monitor.


My Baby Monitor

The monitor I have is the Panasonic Long Range Baby Monitor. There's lots of reasons why I love it, but here are the key features:

  • virtually unhackable technology
  • extra long range (up to 1500 ft of interference free coverage which is the length of 4 football fields!) 
  • large, clear screen
  • clear night vision 
  • two way talk feature 
  • built in lullabies and white noise (I love this one because I don't need a separate white noise machine)
  • long battery life
  • pan/tilt and zoom option
  • sensors and alerts for movement and sound
The monitor has so many amazing features and it is definitely at the top of my list for must have baby products.

These days, Liyana's naps change from day to day and so I have to make use of that small window of me time that I get.



Like it is for any mom, my child's safety is paramount, especially if I have to step away to another room. The Panasonic Long Range monitor is virtually unhackable because it does not use wifi technology. 


With the recent stories on the news about monitors being hacked, this was something I didn't have to worry about because I knew that my monitor was much more secure than a model using wifi. As a parent, this extra confidence is everything when there's so much on our minds already.

I also love the Long- Range capabilities because it means I can make the most of nap time when it comes. I take advantage and do whatever I can manage during that time. Sometimes I'm able to get a meal prepared, do a short yoga session or some laundry in the basement.

Having the long range feature means that when the weather is nice, Kunal and I can enjoy some drinks on the porch or hang out with friends in the backyard while we still keep a watchful eye on our sleeping babe. We will take as many small doses of adult time as we can get, thank you very much!

If you are in the market for  a secure and reliable baby monitor, this one gets my vote. The good news is, it's also on sale at Best Buy and Amazon until March 5th!




 This post is in partnership with Panasonic Canada, as always all views are my own. 

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