Juggling work and child care can be very tricky, and without forward planning, one of these jobs may well lose out to the other.

Plan how many hours you will need to put into your work every day. Hopefully you will not have too many hours, or your child will lose out.

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Does your child have a sleep during the day? Can you fit your work into this time?

Don't forget that children can be unpredictable with their sleeping patterns. How will you cope if your child cannot sleep? Will your work suffer, or can you put it off?

Being a work at home parent can be tiring. Most parents like to rest when their children are sleeping. Will you manage without?

It is a good idea to establish a routine. Your toddler may be happy to play with some toys near you, if he knows that in a little while you will take him to the park. If you have exactly the same routine everyday he will adapt to this, although you may well get some interruptions at first!

Providing your child with plenty of distractions is one way to avoid interruptions. Try to organise the toys so that he doesn't see them all, all the time. A regular turn around will mean that he is pleased to rediscover toys he has not seen for a few weeks.

Put a child friendly clock near him and explain that when the big hand comes round to the 12, you will play with him.

Try to work in short bursts so that your child has your attention at regular times during the day.

Children and television is often considered taboo. However, your child may have a favourite TV programme which you can timetable into your day. Avoid sticking him in front of a video for several hours though! Don't forget that if you are your child's main carer, he will need conversation and stimulation from you. Television is a poor substitute if over used.

You may feel silly, writing out a timetable for the day or week, but remember, in many places of work timetables are crucial. Don't forget to include time for yourself in this timetable. Everyone is entitled to a break every day! This is also an important part of juggling work and child care.

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