3 Ways to Study for Your Masters in Social Work While Looking After a Young Child

There are lots of nice things about being a stay at home mom. You get to spend lots of time bonding with your child, you don’t have to worry about them while a child minder is taking care of them, and of course, you save money. It is also nice to be able to focus on enjoying these early months and years without the pressures and distractions of work.

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However, more and more new moms who have made the choice to stay at home with their babies are looking for ways they can use some of the downtime when their child doesn’t need their attention to do things that will allow them a better career when they do eventually return to work once their child starts school. One of these is taking online courses, for example getting an online degree so they can start a new and more lucrative career, or getting the higher degree they always wanted so they can advance in an existing career.

If your passion as a professional is social work, then a masters in social work (or MSW as it is commonly known), can be a great thing to undertake and study for while you are at home with your baby or toddler. Naturally, however, it may not always be easy to find the time or peace and quiet to study, so here are three tips for making sure you can study effectively while also looking after your child:

Use their Sleep Time

While with a newborn, you can’t really work around sleep patterns too much and are probably far too tired to conceive of doing anything requiring mental focus when your baby does sleep, once they are a little older and have a fairly predictable bed time and nap times, these are prime times to start studying. Use a baby monitor so you have the peace of mind that you’ll know if they need you, and then focus on your online course. This can be a great way to feel like you have time for yourself to do something non ‘mommy’ related, but also are making productive use of the time rather than just watching TV.

Arrange Childcare Close to Exams

When you have an exam coming up, accept that you may not be able to balance the amount of study you will need to do to get the results you want while your young child is also demanding your attention. Ask your partner to mind them, let them go and stay with their grandparents, or if these aren’t an option, arrange professional childcare for just a few days so you can hole yourself up and study or write what you need to.

Letting Them Watch TV isn’t a Crime!

Some moms make others feel bad for using the TV as a babysitter, however it can be a great way to keep your child happy and entertained while you do your coursework for your online social work masters. Some kids shows are even educational, so if your child is old enough to enjoy them, don’t feel bad about letting them do this while you study to give them a better future!

These are just some of the ways you can make studying a priority while also taking good care of your baby or toddler.