When I first found out I was pregnant with my fourth baby, I was immediately scared of what it would be like to homeschool with an infant at home with us. I knew it could be done, so I just prayed for that peace until the time came.

As I write this, my baby is 4 months old.

We are still adjusting our homeschool each day/week to accommodate the baby. We have great days and we have everyone-is-in-tears-bad days. So, although I don’t have the complete solution to making it 100% successful, I will share with you some things that have helped me while homeschooling with an infant.

1. Plan Ahead – Before the baby is born

The best thing I did was start our homeschool year early. My baby was due in September, and we normally take summers off and start mid August. However, with the baby arriving shortly after we started, I wanted to set up a good routine ahead of time. By starting a few weeks earlier than usual, I gave myself the confidence to take a break when the baby was born. We were able to get in a good 8-9 weeks of school before we paused, and I felt so much better knowing that was done.

2. Rest and Take a Break

Give yourself permission to just stop. Once that baby is born, you need to rest and recover. Your family is adjusting and changing, and it may feel a little crazy at times. REST. Don’t feel pressure to start school up again. (That’s why you planned ahead. See #1) Give your other children the freedom to create and use their imagination. Teach them how to be your big helpers. Let go of school.

3. Start Back to Homeschool SLOWLY

One thing I did after a couple of weeks was plan one “fun and new” thing to do the next day. It could be a craft, baking, a walk – nothing intense. It was one task for us to look forward to and complete together. The activity acted like a practice run for trying to add something into our day. You can also start a new read aloud. Focus on that and nothing else. The reading will be so good for the kids, and you can sit and recover.

Next, I would consider adding maybe one or two subjects at a time. There’s no need to jump into everything at once. Add your book work slowly. It will be less stress for everyone.

4. Wear Your Baby

Baby wearing is a game changer. I wish I did it more with my other children. If the baby isn’t taking a nap, I can always wear him and he will sleep on me while we need to finish something up. If we are out and about, I never worry about napping for this same reason. Plus, you get both hands when you wear baby! He is happy, all snuggled up to mom…it’s a win-win! I use a Baby K’Tan, and I couldn’t live without that thing. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when he gets too big for it!

5. Work on Sleep for Baby – But not right away

I am not good at sleep training, because I’m a bit of a sucker…I love rocking my babies. I am trying to start good sleep habits as best I can. It’s a slow process, but I do think it’s helpful. My third child was not the best sleeper and getting her to take a nap would take forever. I hope to set better routines with this baby. Although he is still not on a consistent schedule, he goes down for a nap pretty easy and that’s been so helpful!

Be patient with yourself. This is not going to happen quickly and easily. (This is also me giving myself advice as we are still working on this!)

6. Do NOT Try to Schedule Your Days

Just let it go…it’s not going to happen. I have to tell myself this daily! An infant does not have a set schedule. You can read all the books you want, but every single day is going to be different. One morning he will nap for 3 hours and the next morning will be 20 minutes. It’s going to be tricky to figure out how to plan everything out at first. (Another good reason to take a long break.) Once you get to know your baby better, try to develop a rhythm, not a schedule. This took about 6-8 weeks for me to “figure out.” (quoted because it’s still a work in progress) I will also let you know that my son is 4 months and still does not take consistent naps. It’s definitely tough to try and balance it all while also doing school, but this is all temporary. I feel like I’m going to blink and he will be turning one. The days are long, but the years are short.

7. Get Outside – Even You, Mama!

There is nothing like fresh air. God created us to be a part of this beautiful earth, and there is something so healing about experiencing His creation! It is so, so easy as a mom of a new baby to lock ourselves indoors and get wrapped up in feeding, and changing, and napping, and cooking, and cleaning, and burping, and wiping…..I’ve done it. Every. Time. Take some time each day to step outside. Breathe in that fresh air. Go on a walk. Sit on your back porch. Don’t stay cooped up inside.

8. Self-Care

I’ll admit, I’m not the best at this, but it really is necessary. Take time for yourself. This could be something as simple as taking a nice bath, or setting a goal to get dressed for the day! Or, you can go even further and schedule a nail/hair appointment. Set a date with some friends. Try to do these things regularly to give yourself that mental boost! Do something you love and take care of yourself so that you can take care of your home as your best self.

9. Find Your Support Squad

Find that friend that you can count on for anything – the one that’s been in similar shoes as you. Or, talk to the person you can totally be yourself with and let out any good/bad feelings you have. Get the support. I just love a good mom-chat with my girls. It makes me feel so renewed and happy. If you’re not able to feel better, talk to your doctor. Post-partum is so tough. Hormones are crazy and emotions are constantly on a roller coaster. Don’t hesitate to get the support that you need.

10. Lean on the Lord

This should be number one. I first titled this “Give yourself grace”, but then I realized, it’s not about you making yourself better. You can’t do it all. Nothing is going to fully prepare you and make it easy. It’s hard work having a baby. Add on homeschooling to your day, and it gets really tough to balance it all. I can leave you with these ten tips, but I’ll tell you this – I STILL struggle with a lot of them. I forget to take care of myself. I don’t always get fresh air. I don’t have the best napper/sleeper, and sometimes I just plan too much for the day! No one is perfect. Pray about this new transition. Let God take on your burdens and give you the strength for each day. Be kind to yourself and know that out of all the women in the world, God chose YOU to be the mama for your kids. YOU were the perfect pick for Him.